How Aircraft Carriers Catapults Work?
Posted 10-26-2004 at 04:21 AM Aircraft Carrier Take-Off and Landing Have you ever wondered how fighters and aircraft get take off from a carrier in such short distance? It’s not just about the sheer power of afterburners or engines. They could not possibly do the improbable fate without the help of something called a catapult. These “catapults” are not at all anything like the ancient catapults used in wars. They are basically slingshots. There are pistons underneath the deck which propel a shuttle locked onto the plane by a metal lug. These pistons are driven by high-pressured steam. To prepare for take-off a towbar is attached to the aircrafts, front wheels and gear. To build up pressure and power, similar to a drag racers handbrake, a holdback bar is attached also. Of course, the jet blast deflector shield behind the plane is raised. When everything is in place, the catapult officer often called a ?shooter? is posted into a small enclosed area called the catapult control pod which p
