Catch hook (aircraft)
A catch hook is a device on the aircraft for braking using a rope catching system . This method is used for landings on aircraft carriers due to the limited landing distance available or in emergencies when using airfields with appropriate devices on the runway.
The catch hook is attached to the underside of the aircraft tail and has the shape of a curved index finger. It is triggered by the pilot if necessary, falls down or is extended and hooks into a safety rope stretched at right angles to the direction of flight on the flight deck or the runway .
history
Eugene Burton Ely was the first pilot to land on a ship using Hugh Robinson's fishing hook system . On January 18, 1911, he landed his plane on a platform on the heavy cruiser USS Pennsylvania, which was anchored in San Francisco.
Use at airfields
Most western fighter planes are equipped with a catch hook. This also applies to samples that were never intended for a carrier mission, for example F-104 , Tornado , F-16 , Eurofighter , F-22 . The catch hook can be extended in emergencies if the airport in question has a hook catch system, i.e. a steel cable system at the beginning and / or end of the runway. When using a catching system, among other things, the rolling-in speed and the rolling-in weight are limiting factors. For this purpose, maximum values are specified for the structures of the interception system and the aircraft
Possible uses in emergencies are:
- Hook catch during take-off: Use of the catch system at the end of the runway in the event of an aborted take-off at high speed, for example in the event of serious problems such as an engine failure or fire
- Hook catch on landing: The aircraft touches down in front of the rope and after a short taxiing distance is decelerated by the catch system to a standstill.
- Use of the interception system at the beginning of the runway after / in the event of serious emergencies in the air (for example in the event of hydraulic failure / problems, failure / malfunction of the nose wheel control)
- Use of the interception system at the end of the runway when landing at high speed, for example when the brakes fail or when landing with the wings pivoted.
In addition, the catch hook is used in other cases, for example when pulling backwards into the aircraft protection structure or as a holding device during braking.
Use on aircraft carriers
An F / A-18E Super Hornet of the VFA-115 "Eagles" catches the brake cable of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during a practice landing
F 18 with catch hook
All the safety ropes missed, the safety hook dragged across the deck when going around
Catch hook
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