WINGS at SEA, Landing a Pusher-Prop on a Postage Stamp....

[xylstra]

A knotty design conundrum! Using some 'imagineering', what if the Curtis XP55 'Ascender' and the Kyushu J7W 'Shinden' went into production and both spawned navalised variants for carrier deployment. The thorny issue of deck landing arises; 3-point tricycle landing gear means the awkward visibilty problem is inherently solved - tick the box and a round of applause! However, another awkward problem (potentially) arises, namely arresting the landing roll. Is a rearward-located tail-hook feasible for a single-engined pusher fighter? Is it even necessary? (this particular question has a huge number of variables associated with; landing-weight, employment of a reversible-pitch propeller, braking effectiveness, etc.). Perhaps a nose-first flexible barrier-fence or even a nose-wheel arrestor cable is the answer - nose-wheel mounted retro-rocket, maybe??
It's interesting that some Japanese carrier-borne aircraft eschewed arrestor hooks in their design. It's also curious as to what the Germans intended for their carrier aircraft, had the Graf Zeppelin not been aborted.
Be interested to hear responses from those with carrier deck operations experience who may care to speculate on the risks of propeller entanglement with wayward arrestor cables (both primary and back-up).

 

[SeaslugMk2]

[Snip] Is a rearward-located tail-hook feasible for a single-engined pusher fighter? [snip]

Well, the RN didn't have any problems with fitting arrestor hooks to twin-boom jets (Sea Venom, Sea Vixen) so a pusher-prop is feasible. Ensuring sufficient clearance between the prop and the flight deck at high angles of attack is also an issue.

SRJ.

 

[xylstra]

As to my suggestion for the possibilities of using a reversible-pitch propeller to reduce the landing-roll you may find this informative: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44467777?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents

 

[riggerrob]

On Ascender, you could mount a 'stinger' tail-hook on the bottom of the ventral center fin.
Other assists in the form of pre-armed anti-lock brakes, reversible props and lift-dumping spoilers could also help.

J7W Shinden had many more problems and was many years away from production.

 

[Fluff]

You could also use a big net, as it wont get damaged by the props....

 

[xylstra]

You could also use a big net, as it wont get damaged by the props....

Only in nose-first configuration, i.e. a super tennis court net. Messing about untangling a snagged propeller is unacceptable for smooth deck operations. I've already discounted this approach. Simultaneous application of disc brakes/reverse pitch/contra-jet would be the most practical combination.