To illustrate my point further, here's a quick and dirty comparison between the standard Liaoning configuration and two hypothetical QE class style configurations. (bottom of the post)
The first one shows the standard Liaoning configuration -- the red lines depict the borders of the ski jump (note how it's a triangular/trapezoid type border where the outer borders converge from the rear to the bow). The green lines depict the launch "lanes" aka "angles", while the circles represent the actual launch positions. So here we can see that there are two launch "lanes" as well as three launch positions (two port, one starboard). The two port launch positions intrude onto the landing strip. But the starboard launch position is completely free of the landing strip.
The second image, depicts a hypothetical 001A which uses a QE class style rectangular ski jump. In this case, I've decided to make the overall width of the ski jump the most bow width of the Liaoning's existing ski jump. Using the space "saved" by using a rectangular ski jump (which is smaller in terms of surface area than Liaoning's ski jump), I have some free space on the bow, on the port side of the ski jump to spot extra planes. I depict this in red as well, roughly.
But the problem with a smaller rectangular ski jump is that I no longer have the wheel clearance to allow aircraft to take off from either of the port positions on the port launch lane (depicted yellow). The new ski jump is just too narrow to allow the aircraft to have enough horizontal clearance to reliably take off from an angle via the port launch lane.
Now, this configuration does mean I can potentially still use the starboard launch position, and it also means I can put in a different/new launch lane more in the centreline of the ship itself (the extra green launch lane). The problem with this launch lane is it is far too close to the island, and it means losing out on spotting aircraft close to the island, while also having the space be more cramped when bringing the aircraft into a launch position there to begin with.
The third image depicts the opposite extreme, which has a hypothetical 001A which uses a QE class style rectangular ski jump that has an entire width which is the same width as the most aft portion of the Liaoning's ski jump. Using this kind of ski jump, it's entirely possible to use the existing launch positions, but obviously having such a wide ski jump removes the possibility of having extra deck space on either side of the ski jump to spot aircraft.
Of course, one can argue that there may be a "middle ground" between having a rectangular ski jump between the size of the second configuration and the third configuration -- there may be a rectangular ski jump whose width is "just right" to allow 001A to both spot a few extra aircraft on the bow, while also still not impeding flight operations anymore than what Liaoning's standard ski jump configuration allows.
But one really has to consider just whether the extra complexity of such a modification would be worth it, because they probably would not be able to spot an extra one or two aircraft on the bow with a perfectly sized QE class style ski jump anyway, and it introduces so much extra risk and cost to structurally modify the bow of the ship so much, and it kind of spits in the face of the whole reason for 001A, which is to have a relatively lower risk domestically produced carrier.
The first one shows the standard Liaoning configuration -- the red lines depict the borders of the ski jump (note how it's a triangular/trapezoid type border where the outer borders converge from the rear to the bow). The green lines depict the launch "lanes" aka "angles", while the circles represent the actual launch positions. So here we can see that there are two launch "lanes" as well as three launch positions (two port, one starboard). The two port launch positions intrude onto the landing strip. But the starboard launch position is completely free of the landing strip.
The second image, depicts a hypothetical 001A which uses a QE class style rectangular ski jump. In this case, I've decided to make the overall width of the ski jump the most bow width of the Liaoning's existing ski jump. Using the space "saved" by using a rectangular ski jump (which is smaller in terms of surface area than Liaoning's ski jump), I have some free space on the bow, on the port side of the ski jump to spot extra planes. I depict this in red as well, roughly.
But the problem with a smaller rectangular ski jump is that I no longer have the wheel clearance to allow aircraft to take off from either of the port positions on the port launch lane (depicted yellow). The new ski jump is just too narrow to allow the aircraft to have enough horizontal clearance to reliably take off from an angle via the port launch lane.
Now, this configuration does mean I can potentially still use the starboard launch position, and it also means I can put in a different/new launch lane more in the centreline of the ship itself (the extra green launch lane). The problem with this launch lane is it is far too close to the island, and it means losing out on spotting aircraft close to the island, while also having the space be more cramped when bringing the aircraft into a launch position there to begin with.
The third image depicts the opposite extreme, which has a hypothetical 001A which uses a QE class style rectangular ski jump that has an entire width which is the same width as the most aft portion of the Liaoning's ski jump. Using this kind of ski jump, it's entirely possible to use the existing launch positions, but obviously having such a wide ski jump removes the possibility of having extra deck space on either side of the ski jump to spot aircraft.
Of course, one can argue that there may be a "middle ground" between having a rectangular ski jump between the size of the second configuration and the third configuration -- there may be a rectangular ski jump whose width is "just right" to allow 001A to both spot a few extra aircraft on the bow, while also still not impeding flight operations anymore than what Liaoning's standard ski jump configuration allows.
But one really has to consider just whether the extra complexity of such a modification would be worth it, because they probably would not be able to spot an extra one or two aircraft on the bow with a perfectly sized QE class style ski jump anyway, and it introduces so much extra risk and cost to structurally modify the bow of the ship so much, and it kind of spits in the face of the whole reason for 001A, which is to have a relatively lower risk domestically produced carrier.
