Forum: General

This is in reference to news article "<a href="f-16_news_article1375.html">F-16 uses arrestor hook at Tucson International Airport</a>" posted here on F-16.net.

The article says the cable to which this arrestor hook attached to was similar to ones which are used in aircraft carriers.

Also in the forum thread "<a href="f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-239.html">Why do Vipers have arrestor hooks?</a>" some one mentioned:

Quote:

Hawkeye,you might want to know that at the end of all RSAF runways,there is this set of cables similer to that of a carrier...

From what i have seen in video footages and documentaries, these cables are quite above the landing deck and are installed at the begining of the landing deck.

Now to my question, wouldnt the landing gear tangle up in these cables before the arrestor hook can latch on?

In the Tuscon incident and RSAF runways, these would be installed with the intention to stop the aircraft from overshooting the runway after they have landed. But once they have their wheels on ground, the arrestor hook becomes useless.

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hellonloose wrote:

But once they have their wheels on ground, the arrestor hook becomes useless.

Not sure if I get your logic but I assure the tailhook will ONLY work with their wheels on the ground.

Well, "barrier engagements" are a common occurance that I have to deal with as part of crash recovery. To answer your question directly, the tires MUST be on the ground before the arrestor hook catches the wire. Attempting to catch the wire while still airborne will tear the hook out of the airplane, and probably slow the aircraft sufficiently that it will just drop onto its wheels, and probably cause the gear to collapse. For the record, the Navy doesn't like to do that either- their wheels are on the deck (at least they're supposed to be) when they catch the wire.

The tires are perfectly capable of running over the cable with no problems; the arrestor cable only sits maybe 2" off the runway, so they can roll right over it with no problem to either the tires or the cable. The cable is held off the surface of the runway by a number of rubber 'donuts'.

As for the procedure to catch the wire, the aircraft will touch down normally, at the same place on the runway it would if there were no problems at all. They then use aerodynamic braking (and the wheel brakes if they're available, but then why take the barrier?) to slow down as much as possible, and then the pilot has to 'time' it just right, to drop the hook at most a few seconds before he reaches the cable at the end of the runway. The cable then slows the aircraft to a safe stop, from a lower speed (hopefully and usually) and over a longer distance than the arrestor cable on a carrier (minimizing stress on the airframe; remember all that arrestor gear isn't near as tough as a navy airplane).

By the way, to the best of my knowledge the cables on a carrier deck are only a couple inches off the deck as well.

Ditto. The only time an F-16 catches the barrier is due to a bonefide or suspected brake system failure, and by the time the jet actually reaches the barrier, its probably only traveling at 30 or forty knots or so.

However, the tailhook is most often used to bolt the aircraft to the ground during burner or mil runs.

code3jetwrencher wrote:

Ditto. The only time an F-16 catches the barrier is due to a bonefide or suspected brake system failure, and by the time the jet actually reaches the barrier, its probably only traveling at 30 or forty knots or so.

True, but remember; this is dependand on landing weight, runway length, how long aero braking was done, etc etc etc. Most of the barrier engagements we've had here at osan were in the neighborhood of 70-120kts, according to the pilots who've done them. Barrier cert's, on the other hand, seem to get done around 30-50kts from what I've seen.

The Arresting hook will also be used during routine engagements to test the barrier. The pilot does a high speed taxi and engages the barrier.

wrote:

Ditto. The only time an F-16 catches the barrier is due to a bonefide or suspected brake system failure, and by the time the jet actually reaches the barrier, its probably only traveling at 30 or forty knots or so.

Not always true. Approach end arrestments for various L/G extension probs result in barrier engagements at or just below landing speed.

Pete

All planes, navy and ground based planes have a hook. The F-16 hook is used in a emergency landing.

kilo111 wrote:

All planes, navy and ground based planes have a hook. The F-16 hook is used in a emergency landing.

Never say all when talking about airplanes. T-37 has no hook.

kilo111 wrote:

All planes, navy and ground based planes have a hook. The F-16 hook is used in a emergency landing.

And neither does an A-10

Okay, some quick clarification.

Most of the things mentioned thus far have been mostly true, with some glaring errors.

The Viper has a hook. It can successfully engage a cable system at most touchdown speers commensurate with an 11-13 degree AOA approach. I have the exact engagement numbers but if you can't find them elsewhere I won't post them here. The Viper has successfully engaged a cable while still airborne. That is one of our procedures for a specific gear malfunction. The wheels do not need to be in contact with the runway for this to happen. Generally, cable engagements occur due to loss of brakes (generally caused by a secondary aircraft malfunction) or due to environmental conditions. The aircraft is fully capable of engaging either the approach end arresting gear or the departure end arresting gear.

There is nothing that needs to be timed to engage the cable. If you have a three-point touchdown with the hook down, you will engage the cable. If you are at the right altitude with wheels-up and the the hook down, you can engage the approach end cables. Timing matters not, other than dropping the hook too late, as was causal in at least one F-16 mishap.

I've dropped the hook once as a precaution for a braking malfunction; did not engage the cable given sufficient runway remaining. The tower later told me that it was quite a spark show.

Elite 1K Joined: May 26, 2005 - 08:39 PM Posts: 1496

So Stbygain, to clarify in my mind, the hook is intended to engage the cable at the departure threshold for brake failures, and a procedure for a gear-up landing is to aim for arrival threshold?

falconfixer860261 wrote:

Never say all when talking about airplanes. T-37 has no hook. And neither does an A-10

Well, this is right, but, when I said all planes I talk about fighter planes, that need large airstrips such as F-16, F-15 Eagle ...

The A-10A doesn´t need hook because it can land on small airstrips.

kilo111 wrote:

falconfixer860261 wrote:

Never say all when talking about airplanes. T-37 has no hook. And neither does an A-10

Well, this is right, but, when I said all planes I talk about fighter planes, that need large airstrips such as F-16, F-15 Eagle ...

The A-10A doesn´t need hook because it can land on small airstrips.

Understood - but you are talking to a community that prides itself on attention to details and accuracy.

And I know of a couple Warthog drivers that would have liked to have had a hook. It probably would have had one had it not been horribly impractical for the design.

Newbie Joined: Jun 17, 2004 - 05:56 AM Posts: 3

I may have pictures of one of our jets taking the barrier after a brake failure. I'll send them to F-16.net or you can email me at matthew.heslop@hill.af.mil

Forum: General

F-16 arrestor hook