Ok, this is really half-baked, but here goes:

You know how fighters landing on carriers are slowed by snatch cables? Well why not attach a generator to these snatch cables and use the force of the airplane pulling them to charge the generators? Hell, a lot of regular aircraft could be modified for snatch cable landings on the ground, and this could be a very good way to get power.
-- 21 Quest, Jan 31 2006

We seem to be coming up with all sorts of great ways to generate electricity from every day activities lately...

This won't be good for passenger or cargo flights because the planes are too heavy and passengers really get bent out of shape when they get snapped to and fro (and precious vases don't like it much either), but there's no reason it can't be adapted to military installations.
-- shapu, Jan 31 2006


//a lot of regular aircraft could be modified for snatch cable landings on the ground//
but not any passenger aircraft
-- hippo, Jan 31 2006


I'm bunning this just for the laugh. Something strikes me funny about capturing a short intermittent burst of mechanical energy to augment the power capabilities of a nuclear boat.
-- Shz, Jan 31 2006


Just easing off the throttle for a moment - keep the carrier moving boys!
-- Loris, Jan 31 2006


How about tensioning a spring so the snatch cable also acts as the launching catapult. A giant crossbow design would be fun.
-- spidermother, Jan 31 2006


How about the snatch cables attached to 10'000 spring loaded trays of toasters down below the deck?

When landing takes place at breakfast, the snatch cables yank all the toaster lowering mechanisms.
-- skinflaps, Jan 31 2006


'Captain! Incoming enemy aircraft!'

'Toast them!'
-- spidermother, Jan 31 2006


A valuable demonstration that many physical processes are non-reversible. That is, when an aeroplane takes off, 10,000 slices of toast are not transformed into bread.
-- hippo, Jan 31 2006


Isn't the toasting of bread a chemical process?
-- methinksnot, Jun 07 2006



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