Arrestor wires

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Image:About to Trap.jpg Image:Trap.jpg Arrestor wires are thick steel cables fitted to the aft end of the flight deck on CATOBAR and STOBAR aircraft carriers. The cables allow conventional aircraft to land safely on the short runway by connecting with a hook attached to the aircraft. When caught by a tailhook, the wire takes up the slack via a hydraulic mechanism that rapidly decelerates the aircraft. Most aircraft carriers have four wires, numbered from the stern (rear) of the ship to the bow (front). The aft (rear) wire is Wire 1, and the forward (front) wire is Wire 4.

In an approach to an aircraft carrier landing, the goal is to catch a 3-wire. This is because a perfect approach puts the arresting hook on the deck past Wire 2 and before Wire 3. The hook is then dragged forward and catches Wire 3.

Depending on the type of aircraft that is being arrested, varying arrestor cable tensions are set. Pilots about to land are required to confirm their aircraft type and fuel state in order to make sure the cables are set to receive the maximum aircarft landing weight.

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 wires to have enough speed to go off the end of the deck at flying speed and go around for another approach. When an aircraft misses all of the wires, it is called a "bolter".

To assist in pilot training and to maintain the currency of pilots who are not assigned to an aircraft carrier, many traditional land-based naval air stations have runways fitted with arrestor wires.

Arrestor wires were first tested on HMS Courageous in June 1931. Henry Fancourt was the first pilot to land using the new system.de:Fangseil