An aircraft about to catch the wire

An aircraft coming to a stop, with the arrestor cable housing in the foreground

Arrestor cables or arrestor wires are thick steel cables fitted to the aft end of the flight deck on CATOBAR and STOBAR aircraft carriers. The cables allow aircraft to land safely on the short runway by catching one of these cables with a tailhook. Aircraft about to catch wire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Aircraft about to catch wire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Aircraft having caught the wire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Aircraft having caught the wire File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... USS , a typical supercarrier, and HMS Illustrious, a light V/STOL aircraft carrier on a joint patrol Flight deck of USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) doing a high speed turn during her acceptance trials. ... CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take Off But Arrested Recovery) is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier. ... STOBAR (Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery) is a system used for the launch and recovery of aircraft from the deck of an aircraft carrier, combining elements of both STOVL and CATOBAR. Aircraft launch under their own power using a ski-jump to assist take-off (rather than using a... This article is becoming very long. ... An Airbus A380, currently the worlds largest airliner An aircraft is any vehicle or craft capable of atmospheric flight. ... Runway 13R/31L of El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, D.C. Aerial picture of a runway of Chennai International Airport, Tamil Nadu A runway is a strip of land on an airport, on which aircraft can take off and land. ... Many aircraft that land on aircraft carriers are equipped with a simple piece of equipment called a tailhook. ...

Most aircraft carriers have four cables, numbered from the stern (rear) of the ship to the bow (front). In US Navy parlance, the aft (rear) cable is "Wire 1", and the forward (front) wire is "Wire 4". In a "perfect" carrier landing, the tailhook contacts the deck of the ship exactly in the middle of the arrestor cable area, and then slides forward to catch Wire 3. The aircraft then pulls the cable out of its housings, against tension provided by a hydraulic mechanism that decelerates and stops the aircraft. This tension is adjustable; if it is too weak, it will not stop the aircraft before the end of the flight deck, but if it is too strong, it may severely damage the aircraft. Pilots about to land are required to confirm their aircraft type and fuel state, so the cables can be set for the aircraft's landing weight. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ...

Because there is always the possibility of the aircraft not catching any of the cables, pilots bring the aircraft to full throttle as the aircraft contacts the landing surface. This technique allows an aircraft which misses all of the cables to have enough speed to go off the end of the deck at flying speed and go around for another approach. An aircraft that misses all of the cables is called a "bolter". A go around, overshoot or missed approach is an aborted landing of an aircraft which is on final approach. ...

Some military airfields are also equipped with arrestor cables to permit the landing of heavy or fast aircraft on a short runway; for training naval aviators prior to carrier deployment; or for emergencies involving brake failure, steering problems, or other situations in which a full landing rollout would be dangerous or inadvisable. Arrestor cables attached to sandbags can also be used to stop an aircraft with failed brakes; the aircraft will drag the sandbags along the ground, slowing it to a halt. For other uses, see Airport (disambiguation). ... A sandbag is typically used in flood control, but the exact use can vary. ... For the type of ferns known as brakes, see brake (fern). ...

An idea of arrestor cables was first invented by Hugh Robinson and utilized by Eugene Ely on his first landing on a ship - the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania, on January 18, 1911. The cables were just attached to sandbags then. More modern arrestor cables were tested on HMS Courageous in June 1931. Henry Fancourt was the first pilot to land using the new system. Eugene Burton Ely (October 21, 1886 - October 19, 1911) was an aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft take off and landing. ... Armored cruiser General-Admiral (1873) Armored cruiser USS Brooklyn (1898) Armored cruiser HMS Good Hope (1901) Armored cruiser SMS Blücher (1908) The armored cruiser was a naval cruiser protected by armor on its sides as well as on the decks and gun positions. ... The second USS Pennsylvania (ACR-4), also referred to Armored Cruiser No. ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... HMS Courageous was a warship of the Royal Navy. ... Captain Henry Fancourt DSO, RN (April 1, 1900 - January 8, 2004) was a pioneering naval aviator, and held important aviation commands with the Fleet Air Arm during World War II. Fancourt died January 8, 2004 at the age of 103. ...