Pnuematic Piston take off rig

[PVC Arsenal 17]

An idea came to me last night to make some sort pnuematic rig that launches small planes. I figured that I could replace the standard potato projectile with a piston that has a hook built into it that will tow the plane down a rail at high velocities for take offs. The idea is a little out-there but with some careful planning I think it might just work.

I'm guessing it'll cost around $100 to build. Now that I'm 14 I need to get myself a job to fund these things!

Here's a quick diagram I made in Paint:

[Atlantis]

Basically you want to build an aircraft carrier launch system. Make sure you post some pics, I would like to see how this turns out. Yet another way to launch things with compressed air. You could make it so you can attach a can to the hook to launch random objects.

[djt]

i just saw a show the other day on aircraft carriers. until yesterday i didnt even know they used steam and pistons and whatnot. thats pretty cool. i have never seen anything small scale like that for launching planes before. i hope you get around to building it.

[PVC Arsenal 17]

Basically, the gun will be a piston type. The firing piston is 1.5" PVC that fits PERFECTLY in a 2" sch80 nipple. The towing piston is made with 3/4 caps that move inside 1 1/4" pipe. Coming out of the piston and through the 1 1/4 pipe is a metal rod. The 1 1/4 pipe is then shrouded in a 2" pipe with a long notch cut into it. The metal rod bends around and fits between the 1 1/4 and 2" pipes and slides through copper guides. It has a towing hook that projects out of the notch.

When the cannon is fired, the rod moves forward with the piston and the hook flings the plane into the air.

Here is another diagram to help explain it:

[Atlantis]

You might need to put a spring in the end of the barrel to keep the piston from ripping off the end, other than that, it looks like it will work.