I may be crazy...

[CapnK]

...but I'm not this crazy!

*Really* crazy...

Then again, I bet it is a lot of fun!

;D ;D ;D

[AdriftAtSea]

I bet your chiropractor would love you to start doing that... :D

[Fortis]

The weirdest thing about that is the trebuchet design. If it had a pivoting counterweight or the entire thing was moutned on wheels that allowed a shock absorption of the torsional stresses then the ammo (people) would fly with far less tumbling and would go much further too.

The reason that thing looks so ridiculously overbuilt is that it is a design that first tries to tear itself apart, and then only incidentally flings a load into the sky.

I guess that is what happens when you let a props department build your gear without and real understanding of how it works.



Alex.

P.S I have actually been on a human-launching trebuchet. It used a bucket seat on pivots and very nicely deposited me into a river/pond some 40+ feet away, my guess is that I was pulling less then 3G at launch. I am not small.
The folks in the video were being launched out of a bigger machine that looked like it was throwing them out at close to 4G (based on the facial puffiness of the guy that landed, and not just the net marks) and were flying maybe 25 feet. Very bad treb design.

[s/v Faith]

Admittedly I have not watched the video......

But.

...but I'm not this crazy!

*Really* crazy...

Then again, I bet it is a lot of fun!

Then Fortis wrote;

Alex.

P.S I have actually been on a human-launching trebuchet....

I think that any doubt about the sanity of SailFar Sailors can be dispensed with......

[Captain Smollett]

Alex,

Perhaps there's a typo somewhere, but he sure looked to fly a lot farther than 25 feet.  Could you clarify?

[CharlieJ]

Can't comment on the design, since I know less than nothing about the things. But I think you are way off on the 25 feet. My HOUSE is 25 feet across ;D

Looked to me like maybe 75 to 100 feet in the air.

Now if you meant 25 feet HIGH, then I won't quibble.

[Captain Smollett]

Can't comment on the design, since I know less than nothing about the things.

In a rare moment of viewing cable TV (we don't have cable ourselves), I happened to catch a show last year on the History Channel about them.  Fascinating devices with lots of engineering problems to solve.  They were usually built on-site using available materials, too, not transported as intact, tested units.

[Fortis]

The major problem with the history channel (other then a zealous focus on WWII) is that they tend to work on the principle of "Gosh wow, look at this nifty thing!" and then go light on the actual histpory and context, so that 1200 years and 6 major cultures, 2 of them effectively non-integrated with the others) all conflates down to "They did this and this and this, and always did that...Have we shown you the nifty again yet?"

Great for generating initial fascination with a spectacle...but then you get to hit the books on your own.

The crusade persecuted by Richard took along a number of giant trebuchets that were spoecifically built to be portable "door keys" to fortifications. They were the biggest of their age and could be set up and ready to go in less then 24 hours of establishing a seige line. Richard is not best known for his patience in sitting around.
The engines were mostly constructed in Itally, and there is still a preserved one in Sicilly that was ...well...basically...stolen off the docks (yes, that is about 14 huge ox-drawn vans worth of incidental dock theft) so that a couple of local big-shots could settle a dispute.

Basically, the rule of thumb I always worked with was "they were not stupid, and they were just as lazy as we are"...so if you are going to go beseige soemthing near a forest, then all you bring to build the treb is the bronze mechanisms...If you are heading to the middle east, where big straight-grained trees are a little harder to find and if present are usually in a deep wash/gully...then you may be looking at bringing your toys along with you.


I need to get more sleep, I have no idea  if any of that made sense.

OH yeah, I meant about 25 meters....didn't make the gear shift in my head.

Alex.

[Sails12]

lol. that clip is hilarious. i wouldnt do it but it looks like a ton of fun. has anyone seen human tetris?????

[AdriftAtSea]

Fortis-

Umm... why do you have a human launching trebuchet???  And I do worry about your sanity hearing this... :D