Quote:
Originally Posted by LouisLeGros
Since both would be flying you could probably design a way to land that isn't the same as that used for an aircraft carrier. Depending on how fast the zeppelin could go it might be similar to process of refueling in air.
Then again, I don't know the minimum airspeed a F22 remains controllable at. You could always resort to Harrier like planes to make it less of an issue.
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Aircraft stay in the air under two principles...
Thrust and Lift.
Our fighter jets use Thrust to stay aloft, although the F-22 can maneuver at near zero air speed, if the pilot is good enough. That, however, is completely different than landing! Right now most aircraft hit the deck of a carrier around ~160 Mph, and then are arrested to a full stop in about 2 seconds with the tail hook and cable system on the carrier. Which brings up another point....
The cable arrest system on a carrier is massive, and not just a simple cable. It also has to be able to withstand the forces of a ~55,0000 pound aircraft doing ~160 mph. Zeps aren't structurally sound enough to withstand these forces, they are simply skeletons. If you took a cable arrest system off a carrier and put it on a Zep, it would just rip the Zep apart.