Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

Joined: Feb 01, 2007 - 02:38 AM Posts: 0 Status: Offline

I know it will hold back a Viper running at full burner or 29,000+ lbs of thrust! Makes for an interesting position, sitting in the cockpit staring at the Hush House door when you're at MAX. You are always sure to check the safety devices YOURSELF prior to starting up!

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One of my friends who's a Viper Driver says it CAN land on a carrier using the tailhook, but due to its slim and rather "fragile" fuselage compared to an F-14, it wont be able to takeoff again once landed.

Regarding hooks on RWY's, the RDAF has cables on all strips, in case the aircraft wont stop. So I think the tailhook comes to its right there.

They should have been using it in Afghanistan! Haha! (No cables there, the plane went nosedown in teh ground)

Joined: Feb 01, 2007 - 02:38 AM Posts: 0 Status: Offline

NO WAY!

I've seen Vipers fold up gear over some fairly "easy" hits, they'd never take a hit from a carrier deck! Besides their landing speed is way too high!

I would think it could take back off, clean, full A/B, with the entire length of the deck, and a 30kt headwind.

What does everybody else think?

Take a look at this!

http://brd3.chosun.com/bemil/view.html? ... =1&num=102

http://brd3.chosun.com/bemil/view.html? ... =1&num=103

Forum Veteran Joined: Nov 07, 2003 - 09:12 PM Posts: 901

nice picture, ysslah! There is a very rich collection of ROKAF Vipers pictures on the WWW. Let's pull them here!

cheers, Very Happy

Source: chosun.com

Many U.S. joint use airports also have arrester gear. When I was a tower controller at Reno/Tahoe Inter. airport we had the runway rigged for the Nevada ANG RF-4's back in the 80's and the 90's.

Joined: Feb 01, 2007 - 02:38 AM Posts: 0 Status: Offline

Toledo Express Airport/ANGB is the same. We are joint use and have arrester gear as well. I believe it is operationally checked once a year. Quite a sight to see a Viper go to full-A/B, snap to idle, coast down the active, and snag the wire!

Don't forget there is a portable unit that can be set up in a few hours at any field long enough for a Viper to use.

Another use of the arrestor hook seen in RSAF (Republic of Singapore Air Force), is in landing the F-16 on emergency runways (peacetime public roads) where runway length is limited...it literally converts the public road to a carrier on land.

Ok, for ya all, I am going to clarify....

The tail hook is used only for emergency arresting, and hold back during engine runs above 80-85 percent depending on block of aircraft. There is a sheer bolt that allows left and right movement to the width of the ventrals (the ventrals could be damaged by the tail hook as there is no stop). The aircraft being positioned in tight places can be done by tug, or manual push with people only. Early generations of shelters had a winch to pull the aircraft into the shelter, however the aircraft had an APU (auxillary power unit) to give hydraulic and electrical power. The F-16 is not equiped with this feature as you all must know. There are rings on the main gear, however those are for mooring of the aircraft in high winds.

IDCrewDawg wrote:

There are rings on the main gear, however those are for mooring of the aircraft in high winds.

Well guys,

I can tell you that in Holland we first do all the safety pins and then shut down the plane and then hook the cable on to these rings and winch the plane in to the shelter with the crewchief at the steering boom that is connected to the nosewheel and the assistant crewchief operating the winch.

I have seen it happen in Norway that they do the same thing with the engine running so that the pilot can steer the plane and the crewchief is just marshalling the plane I can tell you this is a wierd thing to see.

greetz
Henkster

Ok, anybody that's been around a Viper's tailhook can tell you that it is VERY flimsy looking when compared to say... a Tomcat or Hornet's tailhook (MUCH Bigger). There is no way you could ever land a Viper on a carrier, unless they come out with one that's about 2 miles long and 75 yards wide Wink

The only two planes the USAF has ever had that I would ever dream of being dumb enough to attempt a carrier landing with (and I think Gums will back me up on this) are the Rhino and the SLUF. Why? Well, they already have the beefy landing gear required of carrier landings. In fact, I might be wrong on this, but I think they left the part on the F-4 and A-7's nose gears that engages into the catapult shuttle.

Hmm, so could it have been possible for a USAF Rhino or SLUF to have done a Cat Shot? Someone help me out on that. Two, the Rhino and the SLUF retained the big Navy-style tailhook.

But, bottom line, pretending to be Maverick in Top Gun with an F-16 just isn't gonna happen. So, wanna do a carrier landing? Fine. Just go do one in a Tomcat or a Hornet.

One input on winching an aircraft into a protective shelter. I am not sure how they do it on the F-16, but on the F-15 we do it using the tie down rings on the main landing gear. The cables are reeled out from the HAS and then hooked on to the gear once the jet has been marshalled in to position. With the engines running-to maintain hydraulic power (brakes and steering)-the jet is winched back into the shelter, with the pilot following directions from the crew chief. Once inside the shelter normal shut down procedures are followed. Usually this is done on the last flight of the day, during the flying day the jet operates from the pad in front of the HAS. Because of the risks involved with this procedure, most of the time the jet is just hooked up to a tug and shoved in the shelter, long after the pilot has gone to debrief. I got an inside look at this procedure when I got my incentive ride in an E-model at Lakenheath, that is how we were put away after my flight.

I would imagine that USAF F-16s that operate out of shelters are worked in a similar manner.

My two cents, JMC

Another input on winching: At Hahn, Ramstein, and Spangdahlem, we could either "Hot winch" our jets into the HAS's (Hardened Aircraft Shelters), with the engine running (hence the term "HOT winch"). We hooked up the winch cables to the rings on the back of the main gear, and the crew chief had the electric control switches on an extended reel outside the HAS. Or we could "Cold winch" the jet, with engines off, and a hand tow bar attached to the nose landing gear (torque links disconnected of course). As Eagle21 stated, it's very risky, and too many times, we'd blow an AIM-9 off the rack, launch the ECM pod covers out the exhaust tunnel, or send a spare centerline tank flying across the HAS floor. We'd practice this as a way of getting the jets under cover safely, as soon as possible after returning from a flight, as we would do it in war time conditions. Once the jet was backed in far enough, one clamshell door would be closed immediately, until the jet shut down, and then the other clamshell door was closed (unless the fuel truck was right there when needed). It was fun to do, fun to watch, but a bitch to fill out the munitions accident/incident reports!

Hot winching was hairy at Ramstein (512th). ICTs in those little HASs are tough for the loaders. Loading from behind in cramped conditions is a challenge for even seasoned jammer drivers.

Forum: F-16 Design & Construction

Why do Vipers have arrestor hooks?