In this article:
Catapult shots
Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s Naval forces – the most adaptable and survivable airfields in the world.
US Navy flat tops support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat and ashore targets that threaten free use of the sea and engage in sustained power projection operations in support of US and coalition forces. Aircraft carriers must be able to launch these aircraft in such a small space. With so much chaos in such a small area, engineers have had to design catapults, simple yet effective devices to help manage the process.
Getting air moving over the deck is important, but the primary takeoff assistance comes from the carrier’s four catapults, which get the planes up to high speeds in a very short distance. Each catapult consists of two pistons that sit inside two parallel cylinders, each about as long as a football field, positioned under the deck. According to How Stuff Works, the pistons each have a metal lug on their tip, which protrudes through a narrow gap along the top of each cylinder. The two lugs extend through rubber flanges, which seal the cylinders, and through a gap in the flight deck, where they attach to a small shuttle.
A catapult shot (or cat shot) usually generates up to 4 Gs and the airspeed will go from zero to 160mph in just two seconds.
How soon does a carrier pilot take back the controls manually after the launch?
Hands off the stick during cat launch in the A-7E Corsair II
David Tussey, former US Navy A-7E Corsair II pilot, explains on Quora;
‘Immediately at the end of the catapult stroke.
‘The aircraft is trimmed such that it assumes the proper rotation at the speed achieved at the end of the cat stroke. That sets the proper attitude. The pilot then assumes control immediately, typically to execute what is known as a “clearing turn” immediately off the cat (to get the airplane out of the way of the carrier in the event of an engine failure/ejection).
‘So, it’s probably less than a second after the end of the cat shot that he pilot assumes full control.’
As we have already explained (CLICK HERE to read the article), during a catapult launch F/A-18 Hornet pilots, F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots and F-35 pilots have to keep their right hand up off the controls and keep it firmly on the canopy rail handle.
In fact, Hornet, Super Hornet and Lightning II pilots can’t launch unless their hand is visible on that handle, to prevent them from fighting the FBW system and causing potentially unrecoverable PIO on launch.
Tussey continues;
‘This is not something brand new. I launched in the A-7 with my hands off the stick. The trim settings used for a cat launch could rotate and set the proper AoA for takeoff much quicker than I could as a pilot.
‘I’m no Hornet pilot, but I’m pretty confident that the pilot takes control of the aircraft within a second of being airborne. For one thing, you have to execute that clearing turn immediately after launch that I mentioned. And that requires manual control inputs.
Clearing turn
‘Here’s a shot of an F-14 Tomcat immediately after the cat shot. Notice how he’s turning to the left. That means he was shot off from the waist cats, and is maneuvering to clear the flight deck and the carrier immediately.’
Tussey concludes;
‘Here’s a picture of one aircraft (F/A-18E) launching from the waist cat, while another (EA-18G) simultaneously launches from the bow cat. Both are executing clearing turns. That maneuver requires manual flight control inputs.’
Photo credit: PH1 David C. Maclean and POC PHAN Charles R. Solseth / U.S. Navy
