News

Hookin' up

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • Robins Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  When a tactical fighter aircraft is in need of emergency assistance to land safely, an aircraft barrier arresting system is in place on the Robins flight line to help.

A scheduled certification engagement was performed April 8 on the runway's south BAK-12 Aircraft Arresting System by two pilots flying an F-15 Eagle.

Testing the system on an annual basis is the responsibility of the 78th Civil Engineer Group's Power Production Shop, whose mission also includes maintaining emergency generators which provide power to all critical facilities across the installation.

"We perform maintenance on the system to make sure it operates properly," said Mark Robinson, one of the shop's powered support systems mechanics. "The entire purpose of it is to save lives and aircraft."

From the time the aircraft engaged with the barrier's breaking system until it came to a controlled stop, it travelled at a distance of 940 feet.

"Everything went as planned," Robinson said.

The base's aircraft arresting system uses a cable system that spans across a runway, acting as a safety net which catches an aircraft's tailhook as it is lowered.

The cable is a steel rope that's raised prior to the aircraft landing.