{"id":26305847,"date":"2026-10-03T11:46:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T11:46:26","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T09:46:26","slug":"bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color .15s}\n.mfsh-trigger:hover,.mfsh-trigger:focus-visible{background:#0F1720;color:#fff;outline:none}\n.mfsh-trigger svg{width:18px;height:18px;display:block;flex-shrink:0}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-bottom{margin:8px 0 28px}\n.mfsh-meta{position:relative;padding-right:190px}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta{position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0;height:30px;padding:0 8.9px;font-size:13px}\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta svg{width:16px;height:16px}\n.mfsh-overlay{position:fixed;inset:0;background:rgba(15,23,32,.55);z-index:99999;display:flex;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:center;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s}\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open{opacity:1;pointer-events:auto}\n.mfsh-sheet{width:100%;max-width:520px;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;padding:18px 20px 28px;transform:translateY(24px);transition:transform .22s;box-shadow:0 12px 32px rgba(15,23,32,.25);font-family:inherit;max-height:92vh;overflow:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open .mfsh-sheet{transform:none}\n@media (min-width:640px){.mfsh-overlay{align-items:center}.mfsh-sheet{padding-bottom:20px}}\n.mfsh-head{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 0 14px}\n.mfsh-head strong{font-size:18px;font-weight:800;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;line-height:1}\n.mfsh-head strong svg{width:18px;height:18px}\n.mfsh-close{background:none;border:0;padding:6px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;color:#0F1720;line-height:0;box-shadow:none}\n.mfsh-close svg{width:18px;height:18px}\n.mfsh-preview{display:grid;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr;gap:12px;border:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:#F5F7FB;padding:10px;margin:0 0 12px;align-items:center}\n.mfsh-preview img{width:96px;height:72px;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0}\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-kicker{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 4px;line-height:1.2}\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-title{font-size:14px;line-height:1.3;font-weight:700;margin:0;display:block}\n.mfsh-list{display:grid;margin:0;padding:0}\n.mfsh-item{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;height:50px;width:100%;border:0;border-top:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:none;padding:0 4px;margin:0;text-align:left;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#0F1720;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;line-height:1}\n.mfsh-item:hover,.mfsh-item:focus-visible{background:#F5F7FB;outline:none}\n.mfsh-item svg{width:20px;height:20px;color:#5C91FF;flex-shrink:0;display:block}\n.mfsh-item small{margin-left:auto;color:#5B6674;font-weight:500;font-size:12px}\n.mfsh-item.mfsh-done svg{color:#1E9E5A}\n.mfsh-toast{position:fixed;left:50%;bottom:32px;transform:translate(-50%,10px);background:#0F1720;color:#fff;padding:10px 16px;font-weight:700;font-size:13px;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s,transform .2s;z-index:100000}\n.mfsh-toast.mfsh-show{opacity:1;transform:translate(-50%,0)}\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.mfsh-overlay,.mfsh-sheet,.mfsh-toast,.mfsh-trigger{transition:none}}\n<\/style>\n<svg width=\"0\" height=\"0\" style=\"position:absolute\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-share\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M12 3v12M8 7l4-4 4 4M5 12v8h14v-8\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"m5 5 14 14M19 5 5 19\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-wa\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 2a10 10 0 0 0-8.6 15.1L2 22l5.1-1.3A10 10 0 1 0 12 2Zm0 1.8a8.2 8.2 0 1 1-4.2 15.3l-.3-.2-3 .8.8-2.9-.2-.3A8.2 8.2 0 0 1 12 3.8Zm-3 4.4c-.2 0-.5 0-.8.4-.3.3-1 1-1 2.4s1 2.8 1.2 3c.1.2 2 3.2 5 4.4 2.5 1 3 .8 3.5.7.5 0 1.7-.7 2-1.4.2-.7.2-1.3.1-1.4l-.5-.3-2-1c-.3 0-.5-.1-.7.2l-.9 1.1c-.2.2-.3.2-.6.1-.3-.2-1.3-.5-2.4-1.5-.9-.8-1.5-1.8-1.7-2-.2-.4 0-.5.2-.7l.4-.5.3-.5v-.5l-.9-2.2c-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6-.5H9Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-x\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.8 3h3l-6.7 7.7L22 21h-6.2l-4.8-6.3L5.4 21h-3l7.2-8.2L2 3h6.3l4.4 5.8L17.8 3Zm-1.1 16.2h1.7L7.4 4.7H5.6l11.1 14.5Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-fb\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M13.5 22v-8h2.7l.4-3.2h-3.1V8.8c0-.9.3-1.6 1.6-1.6h1.7V4.4c-.3 0-1.3-.1-2.5-.1-2.5 0-4.1 1.5-4.1 4.2v2.3H7.4V14h2.8v8h3.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-li\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 8.5H3V21h3.5V8.5ZM4.8 3a2 2 0 1 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 0-4ZM21 13.4c0-3.4-1.8-5.2-4.5-5.2-1.6 0-2.7.8-3.2 1.7V8.5H9.9V21h3.4v-6.4c0-1.7.6-2.8 2.1-2.8 1.4 0 2 1 2 2.8V21H21v-7.6Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-rd\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M22 12.1a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-4.1-1.7 11.7 11.7 0 0 0-5.5-1.7l1-4.5 3.1.7a1.7 1.7 0 1 0 .2-1l-3.6-.8a.5.5 0 0 0-.6.4l-1.1 5.2a11.8 11.8 0 0 0-5.8 1.7A2.4 2.4 0 1 0 3 14.3v.5c0 3.4 4 6.2 9 6.2s9-2.8 9-6.2v-.5a2.4 2.4 0 0 0 1-2.2ZM7.5 13.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 3.4 0 1.7 1.7 0 0 1-3.4 0Zm8.9 4.5c-1.2 1.2-3.4 1.3-4.4 1.3s-3.3-.1-4.4-1.3a.5.5 0 0 1 .7-.7c.7.8 2.4 1 3.7 1s2.9-.2 3.7-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .7.7Zm-.6-2.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 0-3.4 1.7 1.7 0 0 1 0 3.4Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-tg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M21.9 4.6 18.7 19.9c-.2 1-.9 1.3-1.7.8l-4.9-3.6-2.3 2.3c-.3.3-.5.5-1 .5l.4-5 9-8.2c.4-.3-.1-.5-.6-.2L6.4 13.5 1.6 12c-1-.3-1.1-1 .2-1.5l18.8-7.2c.9-.3 1.6.2 1.3 1.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-mail\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"M3 6h18v12H3z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"m3 7 9 6 9-6\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-link\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M10 14a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 0l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-5.7-5.7l-1.5 1.5M14 10a4 4 0 0 0-5.7 0l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 5.7l1.5-1.5\"\/><\/symbol>\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-more\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"5\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"19\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/symbol>\n<\/svg>\n<span class=\"mfsh-top-slot\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger\" data-mfsh-placement=\"top\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button><\/span>\n<script>\n(function(){\n  if (window.__mfsh) return; window.__mfsh = true;\n  var SECTION = 'afterburner';\n  function meta(p){ var m=document.querySelector('meta[property=\"'+p+'\"]'); return m ? m.getAttribute('content') : ''; }\n  function pageUrl(){ var c=document.querySelector('link[rel=\"canonical\"]'); return (c && c.href) || (location.origin + location.pathname); }\n  function pageTitle(){ var h=document.querySelector('h1.entry-title'); return (h && h.textContent.trim()) || meta('og:title') || document.title; }\n  function slug(){ return location.pathname.replace(\/\\\/+$\/,'').split('\/').pop() || 'home'; }\n  function kicker(){ var c=document.querySelector('.et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category tag\"], .et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category\"], a[rel=\"category tag\"]'); return 'Afterburner' + (c && c.textContent.trim() ? ' \u00b7 ' + c.textContent.trim() : ''); }\n  function shareUrl(ch, placement){ return pageUrl() + '?utm_source=share&utm_medium=' + ch + '&utm_campaign=' + SECTION + '&utm_content=sheet_' + placement; }\n  function track(ch, placement, extra){\n    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\n    var ev = { event:'share', share_channel:ch, share_variant:'sheet', share_placement:placement, page_section:SECTION, content_id:slug() };\n    if (extra) for (var k in extra) ev[k]=extra[k];\n    window.dataLayer.push(ev);\n  }\n  var CH = [\n    ['whatsapp','WhatsApp','mfsh-i-wa',''],\n    ['x','X','mfsh-i-x',''],\n    ['facebook','Facebook','mfsh-i-fb',''],\n    ['linkedin','LinkedIn','mfsh-i-li',''],\n    ['reddit','Reddit','mfsh-i-rd','r\/aviation, r\/WarplanePorn'],\n    ['telegram','Telegram','mfsh-i-tg',''],\n    ['email','Email','mfsh-i-mail',''],\n    ['copy','Copy link','mfsh-i-link',''],\n    ['native','More','mfsh-i-more','Instagram, Signal, AirDrop']\n  ];\n  var overlay, toastEl, toastT, placement = 'top';\n  function build(){\n    overlay = document.createElement('div'); overlay.className = 'mfsh-overlay'; overlay.setAttribute('role','dialog'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-modal','true'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-label','Share');\n    var img = meta('og:image');\n    var items = CH.filter(function(c){ return c[0] !== 'native' || !!navigator.share; }).map(function(c){\n      return '<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-item\" data-mfsh-ch=\"'+c[0]+'\"><svg><use href=\"#'+c[2]+'\"\/><\/svg>'+c[1]+(c[3]?'<small>'+c[3]+'<\/small>':'')+'<\/button>';\n    }).join('');\n    overlay.innerHTML = '<div class=\"mfsh-sheet\"><div class=\"mfsh-head\"><strong><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/strong><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-close\" aria-label=\"Close\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-close\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>'\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-preview\">' + (img ? '<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"'+img+'\" alt=\"\">' : '<span><\/span>') + '<div><div class=\"mfsh-kicker\">'+kicker()+'<\/div><span class=\"mfsh-title\">'+pageTitle()+'<\/span><\/div><\/div>'\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-list\">'+items+'<\/div><\/div>';\n    document.body.appendChild(overlay);\n    toastEl = document.createElement('div'); toastEl.className = 'mfsh-toast'; document.body.appendChild(toastEl);\n    overlay.addEventListener('click', function(e){\n      if (e.target === overlay || e.target.closest('.mfsh-close')) { close(); return; }\n      var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-item'); if (b) act(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-ch'), b);\n    });\n    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e){ if (e.key === 'Escape') close(); });\n  }\n  function open(p){ placement = p || 'top'; if (!overlay) build(); overlay.classList.add('mfsh-open'); track('open', placement); }\n  function close(){ if (overlay) overlay.classList.remove('mfsh-open'); }\n  function toast(m){ toastEl.textContent = m; toastEl.classList.add('mfsh-show'); clearTimeout(toastT); toastT = setTimeout(function(){ toastEl.classList.remove('mfsh-show'); }, 1600); }\n  function act(ch, btn){\n    var url = shareUrl(ch, placement), t = pageTitle(), enc = encodeURIComponent;\n    if (ch === 'copy') {\n      var done = function(){ toast('Link copied'); btn.classList.add('mfsh-done'); setTimeout(function(){ btn.classList.remove('mfsh-done'); close(); }, 900); };\n      track(ch, placement);\n      if (navigator.clipboard && navigator.clipboard.writeText) navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(done, done); else done();\n      return;\n    }\n    if (ch === 'native') {\n      track(ch, placement, { share_result:'opened' });\n      navigator.share({ title:t, text:t, url:url }).then(function(){ track('native', placement, { share_result:'completed' }); close(); }).catch(function(){});\n      return;\n    }\n    var target = {\n      whatsapp: 'https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=' + enc(t + ' ' + url),\n      x:        'https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=' + enc(t) + '&url=' + enc(url) + '&via=MiGFlug',\n      facebook: 'https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=' + enc(url),\n      linkedin: 'https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=' + enc(url),\n      reddit:   'https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=' + enc(url) + '&title=' + enc(t),\n      telegram: 'https:\/\/t.me\/share\/url?url=' + enc(url) + '&text=' + enc(t),\n      email:    'mailto:?subject=' + enc(t) + '&body=' + enc('Thought you would like this, from Afterburner, MiGFlug\\'s magazine:\\n' + t + '\\n' + url)\n    }[ch];\n    track(ch, placement);\n    if (target) { if (ch === 'email') location.href = target; else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\n    close();\n  }\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\n  function place(){\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\n  }\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\n})();\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\n<p>A carrier landing is the only landing in aviation where the pilot pushes the throttles forward at the moment of touchdown. The jet slams onto the deck, the tailhook drags across the steel, and the engines are already screaming at full power. If the hook catches a wire, the aircraft stops in about two seconds. If it does not, the jet simply keeps going, off the end of the angled deck and back into the sky.<\/p>\n<p>That second outcome has a name: a bolter. On the radio it comes as three words from the Landing Signal Officer, \"bolter, bolter, bolter\", and every naval aviator has heard it about themselves.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong> An arrested landing attempt in which the aircraft touches down but fails to catch any arresting wire<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>What happens next:<\/strong> The pilot, already at full power, flies off the angled deck, climbs to 1,200 ft and joins the bolter\/wave-off pattern<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Target wire:<\/strong> The middle wire: the second or third, depending on the carrier<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Wires on a US carrier:<\/strong> Three or four, about 20 ft (6.1 m) apart<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Mark 7 Mod 3 arresting gear:<\/strong> Stops a 50,000 lb aircraft from 130 knots in 344 ft, in about two seconds<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>LSO grade:<\/strong> 2.5 for a safe, at least average pass that bolters; 2 for an unsafe or below-average one<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Made possible by:<\/strong> The British angled flight deck, first trialled on HMS Triumph in 1952<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why pilots go to full power on touchdown<\/h2>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-naval-aviation\/\">United States Naval Aviation<\/a>, the pilot aims for the middle arresting wire. On touchdown, the throttles go to military or full power for three seconds. It sounds backwards, but it is the whole safety system: the engines stay spooled up and producing thrust in case the hook misses every wire, or in the unlikely event that a cable snaps.<\/p>\n<p>If the hook catches, the arresting gear absorbs the thrust along with the aircraft's energy, and the pilot pulls the throttles back to idle once stopped. If it misses, there is no time to wait for engines to spool up from idle. The aircraft is already accelerating and rotates off the end of the landing area.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18f-super-hornet-uss-ronald-reagan.jpg\" alt=\"US Navy F\/A-18F Super Hornet climbing away from the deck of USS Ronald Reagan after a bolter\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F\/A-18F Super Hornet of VFA-22 bolters on USS Ronald Reagan in the Gulf of Oman, July 2009. The hook is still down as the jet climbs away. Photo: U.S. Navy \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>The photo at the top of this article shows the moment in its most dramatic form: an <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-hornet\/\">F\/A-18C Hornet<\/a> of VFA-25 on USS John C. Stennis in 2004, sparks flying from its tailhook as full power is applied after a bolter.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">How a bolter happens<\/h2>\n<p>Most bolters come from landing long: the aircraft is slightly high on the glide slope and touches down beyond the last wire. The hook drags over bare deck and the pilot has no choice but to fly away.<\/p>\n<p>There is also the more frustrating version. Occasionally the tailhook bounces over one or more wires even though the aircraft was in the right place. This is called a \"hook skip bolter\", and it is one reason the LSO grades the approach, not just whether the jet stopped.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kDOGHhost3w\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The bolter pattern<\/h2>\n<p>Once airborne again, the pilot climbs straight ahead to 1,200 ft and enters the \"bolter\/wave-off pattern\", where the same climb-out is also used for aircraft waved off by the LSO or pulled off the approach because the deck is fouled. Approach control then sequences the aircraft back in behind the others waiting to land.<\/p>\n<p>At night or in bad weather, the recovery is flown under Case III rules. That means another instrument approach to the ship in the dark, with the fuel gauge getting lower each time round. A Super Hornet bolter at night, filmed from the cockpit, shows how little the pilot sees of the deck:<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/97TcLiuDiHg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Before the angled deck, there was no going around<\/h2>\n<p>On the straight-deck carriers of the Second World War and the early jet age, the landing area ran along the ship's axis. An aircraft that missed the wires could not fly off again, because the forward half of the deck was full of parked aircraft. Instead it was stopped by a barrier that caught its landing gear, or by a net barricade that caught its wings, which often damaged the aircraft and took time to clear.<\/p>\n<p>Jets made the problem worse. They were heavier, came in faster and took longer to respond to the throttle. The British solution was to angle the landing area away from the ship's axis, so a missed landing simply ran off the side of the ship into clear air. It was first tested in 1952 on HMS Triumph of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/fleet-air-arm\/\">Fleet Air Arm<\/a>, using painted markings for touch-and-go landings. From September to December 1952, USS Antietam trialled a rudimentary angled sponson with full arrested landings.<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-a-3b-skywarrior-uss-ticonderoga-1963.jpg\" alt=\"US Navy A-3B Skywarrior taking off again after a bolter on USS Ticonderoga in 1963\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">A Douglas A-3B Skywarrior of VAH-4 taking off again after a bolter aboard USS Ticonderoga, 1963. Photo: U.S. Navy \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<p>The angled deck turned a missed landing from a crash into a routine go-around. The British were also the first to call it a bolter. By the time heavy jets like the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/a-3-skywarrior\/\">A-3 Skywarrior<\/a> went to sea, the bolter was just part of the job.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Bolters and carrier qualification<\/h2>\n<p>Every naval aviator has to prove they can land on the ship, and bolters are part of that test. Undergraduate carrier qualification for students, flown in the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/t-45-goshawk\/\">T-45 Goshawk<\/a>, consists of 14 day landings, at least 10 of them arrested. Initial qualification in a first fleet aircraft such as the F\/A-18 requires 12 day landings and eight at night, with minimum numbers of arrested landings in each.<\/p>\n<p>A bolter does not count as an arrested landing, so it does not move the pilot any closer to qualifying. The LSO grades each pass on a scale of 0 to 5. A bolter from a safe, at least average approach is scored 2.5; an unsafe or below-average approach that bolters gets a 2.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">When the hook itself is the problem<\/h2>\n<p>A bolter is usually the pilot's fault, but not always. During flight testing of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35C<\/a>, the Navy's carrier variant failed to catch the arresting wire in all eight landing tests, and the tailhook had to be redesigned over a two-year period.<\/p>\n<p>If a tailhook is damaged or will not come down, there is no amount of boltering that will help. The pilot either diverts to a shore base if one is in range, or is caught by the emergency barricade, the descendant of the old nets, which is now rigged only for emergencies.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LOtfdVoA89s\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (Bolter, Arresting gear, Tailhook, Angled flight deck, Modern US Navy carrier air operations), U.S. Navy<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What is a bolter on an aircraft carrier?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A bolter is when an aircraft attempting an arrested landing on an aircraft carrier touches down but fails to catch any of the arresting wires. Because the pilot is already at full power, the aircraft flies off the end of the angled deck, climbs away and comes round to try again.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why do carrier pilots go to full power when they land?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Carrier pilots advance the throttles to military or full power for three seconds on touchdown so that the engines are spooled up and producing thrust if the tailhook misses every wire or a cable snaps. If the hook catches, the arresting gear stops the aircraft anyway, and the pilot then pulls the throttles back to idle.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What does \"bolter, bolter, bolter\" mean?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">\"Bolter, bolter, bolter\" is the radio call the US Navy Landing Signal Officer often makes when an aircraft misses all the arresting wires. It tells the pilot to keep the power up, fly off the deck and enter the bolter pattern.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is a hook skip bolter?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A hook skip bolter happens when the tailhook bounces over one or more arresting wires instead of catching one, so the aircraft bolters even though it touched down in the wire area. Most other bolters happen because the aircraft lands long, beyond the last wire.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How is a bolter graded by the LSO?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">US Navy Landing Signal Officers grade each carrier landing attempt on a scale of 0 to 5. A bolter from a safe and at least average approach is graded 2.5, while an unsafe or below-average approach that results in a bolter gets a 2.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the bolter impossible on early carriers?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On straight-deck carriers, the landing area ran along the ship's axis and the forward deck was full of parked aircraft, so a plane that missed the wires could not fly off. It was stopped by a barrier or net barricade instead. The British angled flight deck, first trialled on HMS Triumph in 1952, made the bolter a routine go-around.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many arresting wires does a US aircraft carrier have?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">US Navy carriers have three or four arresting wires about 20 ft (6.1 m) apart. Pilots aim for the middle wire, which is the second or third depending on the carrier's configuration.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Can I fly in a military jet without landing on a carrier?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Civilians cannot fly carrier landings, but MiGFlug offers jet flights in former military trainers such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/l-39-albatros\/\">L-39 Albatros<\/a>, including aerobatics and high-G manoeuvres. All options are listed on the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/\">MiGFlug flights page<\/a>.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a bolter on an aircraft carrier?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A bolter is when an aircraft attempting an arrested landing on an aircraft carrier touches down but fails to catch any of the arresting wires. Because the pilot is already at full power, the aircraft flies off the end of the angled deck, climbs away and comes round to try again.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why do carrier pilots go to full power when they land?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Carrier pilots advance the throttles to military or full power for three seconds on touchdown so that the engines are spooled up and producing thrust if the tailhook misses every wire or a cable snaps. If the hook catches, the arresting gear stops the aircraft anyway, and the pilot then pulls the throttles back to idle.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What does \\\"bolter, bolter, bolter\\\" mean?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"\\\"Bolter, bolter, bolter\\\" is the radio call the US Navy Landing Signal Officer often makes when an aircraft misses all the arresting wires. It tells the pilot to keep the power up, fly off the deck and enter the bolter pattern.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is a hook skip bolter?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A hook skip bolter happens when the tailhook bounces over one or more arresting wires instead of catching one, so the aircraft bolters even though it touched down in the wire area. Most other bolters happen because the aircraft lands long, beyond the last wire.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How is a bolter graded by the LSO?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"US Navy Landing Signal Officers grade each carrier landing attempt on a scale of 0 to 5. A bolter from a safe and at least average approach is graded 2.5, while an unsafe or below-average approach that results in a bolter gets a 2.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the bolter impossible on early carriers?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On straight-deck carriers, the landing area ran along the ship's axis and the forward deck was full of parked aircraft, so a plane that missed the wires could not fly off. It was stopped by a barrier or net barricade instead. The British angled flight deck, first trialled on HMS Triumph in 1952, made the bolter a routine go-around.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many arresting wires does a US aircraft carrier have?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"US Navy carriers have three or four arresting wires about 20 ft (6.1 m) apart. Pilots aim for the middle wire, which is the second or third depending on the carrier's configuration.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I fly in a military jet without landing on a carrier?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Civilians cannot fly carrier landings, but MiGFlug offers jet flights in former military trainers such as the L-39 Albatros, including aerobatics and high-G manoeuvres. All options are listed on the MiGFlug flights page.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/angled-deck-meatball-optical-landing-system-carrier-landings\/\">Angled Decks and the Meatball: How Carrier Landings Were Fixed<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/night-carrier-landings-most-dangerous-routine-aviation\/\">Night Carrier Landings: The Most Dangerous Routine in Aviation<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bak-12-runway-arresting-cable-land-based-fighter-tailhook-explained\/\">BAK-12 Arresting Cable: Why Land-Based Fighter Jets Have Tailhooks<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/carrier-capable-aircraft-f-22-c-130-forrestal-tailhook\/\">Carrier-Capable Aircraft: Why the F-22 Can\u2019t, and a C-130 Did<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A bolter is when a carrier jet touches down but misses every arresting wire. Why pilots land at full power, how the bolter pattern works, and why straight-deck carriers could not allow one.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":26305691,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26305847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A bolter is when a carrier jet misses every arresting wire. Why Navy pilots go to full power on touchdown, the bolter pattern, LSO grades and the angled deck.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A bolter is when a carrier jet misses every arresting wire. Why Navy pilots go to full power on touchdown, the bolter pattern, LSO grades and the angled deck.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-03T09:46:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-03T09:46:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"848\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Connor Kerr\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\"},\"headline\":\"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-03T09:46:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-03T09:46:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1590,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/\",\"name\":\"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-03T09:46:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-03T09:46:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"A bolter is when a carrier jet misses every arresting wire. Why Navy pilots go to full power on touchdown, the bolter pattern, LSO grades and the angled deck.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":848,\"caption\":\"Sparks fly from the tailhook of an F\\\/A-18C Hornet of VFA-25 as full power is applied after a bolter aboard USS John C. Stennis, Indian Ocean, 21 September 2004. Photo: U.S. Navy \\\/ public domain\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9\",\"name\":\"Connor Kerr\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Connor Kerr\"},\"description\":\"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/author\\\/connorkerr\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire | MiGFlug","description":"A bolter is when a carrier jet misses every arresting wire. Why Navy pilots go to full power on touchdown, the bolter pattern, LSO grades and the angled deck.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire | MiGFlug","og_description":"A bolter is when a carrier jet misses every arresting wire. Why Navy pilots go to full power on touchdown, the bolter pattern, LSO grades and the angled deck.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-10-03T09:46:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-03T09:46:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":848,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Connor Kerr","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Connor Kerr","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/"},"author":{"name":"Connor Kerr","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9"},"headline":"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire","datePublished":"2026-10-03T09:46:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-03T09:46:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/"},"wordCount":1590,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/","name":"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-03T09:46:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-03T09:46:26+00:00","description":"A bolter is when a carrier jet misses every arresting wire. Why Navy pilots go to full power on touchdown, the bolter pattern, LSO grades and the angled deck.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/bolter-fa-18c-hornet-sparks-tailhook-uss-john-c-stennis.jpg","width":1280,"height":848,"caption":"Sparks fly from the tailhook of an F\/A-18C Hornet of VFA-25 as full power is applied after a bolter aboard USS John C. Stennis, Indian Ocean, 21 September 2004. Photo: U.S. Navy \/ public domain"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/bolter-aircraft-carrier-missed-arresting-wire-explained\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bolter: What Happens When a Carrier Jet Misses Every Wire"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/bc7f2d09b1d7111c45fdb1335b8f2cf9","name":"Connor Kerr","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ed6d7365eb237a1c91b800bf8dfeb14b8e30a3712ed7fec9e18a70088fc423a9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Connor Kerr"},"description":"Connor Kerr writes MiGFlug\u2019s long-form features \u2014 aviation history, how-it-works explainers and the stories behind the headlines.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/author\/connorkerr\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26305847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26305847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26305847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26305953,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26305847\/revisions\/26305953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26305691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26305847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26305847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26305847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}