Arrester: Hook

Jax taxied off the landing area, his heart finally slowing down. It was a perfect "trap"—all thanks to a single piece of steel acting as a lifeline between the sky and the sea.

The deceleration was violent. In less than two seconds, the aircraft went from 150 mph to a dead stop. Jax felt his internal organs push against his ribs as the arresting engine below the deck played out the purchase tape, absorbing the massive kinetic energy of the jet. arrester hook

Lieutenant "Jax" Miller nudged the stick of his F/A-18 Super Hornet, the horizon of the Pacific Ocean tilting sharply as he banked into the carrier’s landing pattern. Below him, the USS George Washington looked like a postage stamp lost in a dark blue void. Jax taxied off the landing area, his heart