How Do Arresting Wires Actually Work? (It’s Not Just Brakes)

Hello to all aviation enthusiasts.
How do planes land on an aircraft carrier without crashing into the sea?
In this video, we break down the arresting gear system — the crucial mechanism that stops incoming aircraft in just a few seconds. Through detailed 3D animations, you'll see exactly how the cables, pulleys, and hydraulic dampers work together to catch the plane and absorb its kinetic energy.

Whether you're an aviation enthusiast, a history buff, or just curious about the hidden technology behind carrier landings, this video gives you a clear and engaging explanation of one of the most dramatic moments in naval aviation.

All models and animations done in Blender 3.0 / Autodesk Maya

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References:

"Aviation Boatswain's Mate E NAVEDTRA 14310 chapter 3"
"Modeling and Simulation of Arresting Gear System with Multibody Dynamic Approach" by Wenhou Shen, Zhihua Zhao, Gexue Ren, and Jiapeng Liu1
"Finite Element Modeling of the Arresting Gear and Simulation of the Aircraft Deck Landing Dynamics" by Dmitriy Mikhaluk, Igor Voinov and prof. Alexey Borovkov

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3rd party video/photos clips used:

YouTube:

Flight Deck Crews Landing Re-Spotting World War 2 Aircraft Carrier Planes
10 Minutes of Aircraft Carrier Operations - USS Ronald Reagan
Aircraft Carrier Arresting Gear Operations (CVN 71) USS Theodore Roosevelt
Early Carrier Landings (1922) USS Langley (CV1)
F_A-18+Hornet+Flight+Deck+Operations+•+USS+John+C.+Stennis+(CVN-74)
Landing Signal Officers USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)-(1080p)
VIOLENT Super Hornets Carrier Catapult Takeoffs – Flight Deck Ops USS Theodore Roosevelt
Aircraft Carrier Flight Deck Crew
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Flight Deck • USN Aircraft Carrier
USS Gerald R. Ford Flight Ops • Newest USN Aircraft Carrier

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Music:

Documentary TV Cinematic by Infraction [No Copyright Music] Discovery
(No Copyright) Cinematic Documentary Background Music For Videos (Free Download) - AShamaluevMusic
Inspiring Cinematic Background Music For Videos Presentations

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[RCAvhstape]

This is maybe the best explanation of how this system works I've ever seen, very well done.

[stephanieandrews]

I am a former ABE, Gear Dawg. I shared this because I'm super grateful to finally see our system represented in media. I don't know necessarily what information is supposed to be shared, but I at least enjoyed the visual! Well done. I'm super curious how you created the animations, but I know nothing of the technology!

[DmitryKissov]

Very nicely done. You are a great addition to the Youtube aircraft channel family. Since you asked for suggestions, the camshaft animation around 7:05 took a few viewings to see that the cam was rotating. Same for around 8:45 where the fluid flows to take up the momentary slack. I think both are due to the active element or fluid being gray and blending in to the background. These are minor points, the overall video is top notch.

[mattjacomos]

Awesome Job. I would like to see a video on the Steam Catapult, if that's possible please.

[masongrantham]

They removed the drive chains, everything is computerized now. You can see the Gui stand that operator uses at 2:12 in the video next to the gauges. Honestly this was really well made. The diagram for the connection point of the CDP and purchase cable is backwards. The CDP is the male end and the barrel on the purchase cable is the female end. But that is pretty nitpicky all things considered.

[HandFromCoffin]

Your videos are quite good. I've always been into aircraft and was in the Air Force I still find info in your video's I've not seen mentioned or gone over by others.

[huubdekkers]

i have made the hydraulick parts for this on my cnc mill. my company made multiple units.

[FirehawkSHD]

Been here since your crew signal vid, awesome work! Can you cover WW2 carrier ops especially during recovery?

[mikec]

Great videos. Thanks for all the info.

[shandon]

I was impressed by the rope amd sand bags

[marvinwaleed]

How do they make sure that the hook doesn't capture more than one cable?

[wendigomusic]

Do all the deck arrestor cables connect to the same, shared, arresting under-deck mechanism (plunger etc); or does each deck arrestor cable have its own dedicated under-deck mechanism?

[donntech]

Great explanation, where did you get the 3D model of the system ?

[ezzatal-dobbaly]

THANK YOU FOR THE FULL EXPLANATION,
WHAT ABOUT THE NET ARRESTER DETAILS ?

[erintyres]

Do the plane's wheels ever snag on the cables?

[wendigomusic]

I wonder whether they could have done this simply by moving the "sandbags" (in the 1911 original) down under the deck, so the airplane picks up more weights as it travels along. (This would probably occupy more space than the hydraulic solution.)

[mtntime]

The question I had is: How high above the deck are the arresting cables? If they're too high, isn't that a problem for the landing gear to roll over them? And, if the cables are flush on the deck, how can the tailhook grab a cable? This didn't really answer my question🤔

[wageofconsent]

Hey x-planed I’ve been wondering for a while now what it means when the deck crew wear black shirts under their vest, I hope you can enlighten me.

[briandenison]

How often do those wires snap? It would suck to be nearby if and when that happened.

[allenbryce]

Looks pretty much the way as 1974-1977. I’m sure much of it is now computerized.