On Mon, 29 Dec 2003 12:11:43 -0700, "Tex Houston"
wrote:


"Charles Gray" wrote in message
news
Only reasonable, since you have to add stuff to an airframe to make
it carrier worthy, in addiiton to other improvements. To use it the
other way around, either all you do is take some bits off, or just
leave them as is. (I recall some German F-4's at an airshow that
still had the arresting hook.).

Are you sure the hook you saw wasn't the emergency hook for runway barrier
engagement? USAF F-4C,D,E also had those as do most/all USAF fighters
Perhaps not as substantial as on the USN models but still a heavy duty piece
of gear.

The USAF (and Luftwaffe) F-4 tail hook is the same as the hook on USN
Phantoms. It was standard practice for a number of emergencies as well
as for heavy-weight recovery (such as with retained ordinance) to take
an approach end barrier. While BAK-12/13 and similar barriers run out
about three to four times as far as a carrier landing, the hook was
capable of doing a carrier arrestment as well.

Tail hooks on other USAF fighters are for departure end engagement
such as high speed aborts, blown tire on landing, long landing, low
RCR, etc. They aren't capable of surviving the stress of approach end
engagement. It should be noted, however, that current fighters don't
have the high take-off and landing speeds that the old Century series
had.

The USAF F-4 had different tires and didn't have the bridle assembly
on the nose gear for cat launches.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8