Editing Tailhook (section)

==Description and operation==
[[File:US Navy 050124-N-4308O-018 VMFA-115 Marine making preflight check on FA-18A+ Hornet tailhook aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).jpg|thumb|Man inspecting an [[F/A-18]] tailhook prior to launch]]
The tailhook is a strong metal bar, with its free end flattened out, thickened somewhat, and fashioned into a claw-like hook. The hook is mounted on a swivel on the keel of the aircraft, and is normally mechanically and hydraulically held in the stowed/up position. Upon actuation by the pilot, [[hydraulic]] or [[pneumatic]] pressure lowers the hook to the down position. The presence of a tailhook is not evidence of an aircraft's aircraft carrier suitability. Carrier aircraft hooks are designed to be quickly raised by the pilot after use.

A large number of land-based fighters are also outfitted with tailhooks, which are intended for use in case of a brake/tire malfunctions, aborted takeoffs, or other emergencies. Land-based aircraft landing gear and tailhooks are typically not strong enough to absorb the impact of a carrier landing,<ref name="aerospaceweb.org">{{Cite web |last=Yoon |first=Joe |date=25 February 2007 |title=Ask Us - Air Force Fighters & Tailhooks |url=http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/planes/q0295.shtml |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=www.aerospaceweb.org}}</ref> and some land-based tailhooks are held down with [[nitrogen]] pressure systems that must be recharged by ground personnel after actuation.<ref name="aerospaceweb.org"/>

===Arresting gear===
[[File:FA-18 Trap.jpg|thumb|An F/A-18 makes an arrested landing aboard a US aircraft carrier]]
{{Main article|Arresting gear}}
Both carrier- and land-based arresting gear consists of one or more cables (aka “arresting wires” or “cross deck pendants”) stretched across the landing area and attached on either end to arresting gear engines through “purchase cables”.<ref name = "stuffworks"/> In a typical carrier deck configuration, a total of four arrestor wires are present. The tailhook's function is to snag one of these cables, preferably the third of the four available, in order that the resistance provided by the arrestor gear can be conveyed to the aircraft, enabling it to decelerate more rapidly.<ref name = "stuffworks">{{cite web |url = https://science.howstuffworks.com/aircraft-carrier4.htm |title = How Aircraft Carriers Work |publisher = science.howstuffworks.com |first = Tom |last = Harris |date = 29 August 2002 |access-date = 18 June 2020}}</ref>

===Method===
[[File:MiG-29K at MAKS-2007 airshow (3).jpg|thumb|[[Mikoyan MiG-29K|MiG-29K]] with hook down]]
Prior to making an "arrested landing", the pilot lowers the hook so that it will contact the ground as the aircraft wheels touch down.  The hook then drags along the surface until an arresting cable, stretched across the landing area, is engaged.  The cable lets out, transferring the energy of the aircraft to the arresting gear through the cable.  A "trap" is often-used slang for an arrested landing.  An aircraft which lands beyond the arresting cables is said to have "[[bolter (aviation)|boltered]]."  Occasionally, the tailhook bounces over one or more of the wires, resulting in a "hook skip bolter."<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 September  2003 |title=COMNAVAIRFOR INSTRUCTION 3740.1: CARRIER QUALIFICATION (CQ) OPERATIONS |url=http://www.wings-of-gold.com/cnatra/CNAF%203740.1%20(CQ)%20Sep03.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718063300/http://www.wings-of-gold.com/cnatra/CNAF%203740.1%20(CQ)%20Sep03.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-18 |access-date=2010-05-14 |website=wings-of-gold.com}}</ref>

In the case of an aborted land-based takeoff, the hook can be lowered at some point (typically about 1000 feet) prior to the cable. Should a tailhook of an aircraft become inoperative or damaged, naval aviators have limited options: they can divert to shore-based runways if any are within range, or they can be "[[Arresting gear#Barricade|barricaded]]" on the carrier deck by a net that can be erected.<ref name = "sandbags 2019">{{cite web |url = https://navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/11/19/carrier-arresting-gear-it-all-began-with-sandbags/ |title = Carrier Arresting Gear: It all Began With Sandbags |publisher = navalaviationnews.navylive.dodlive.mil |date = 19 November 2013}}</ref>