Blue Angel pilot to test MAAS installation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tim Bazar
  • 314th Airlift Wing Strategic Information Flight
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  The first Blue Angel arrived Wednesday to test the installation of a mobile aircraft arresting system installed by 314th Civil Engineer Squadron and 819th RED HORSE Airmen from Malstrom Air Force Base, Mont., last week.

The 2 1/2-day installation of the MAAS was certified by Navy Lt. Kevin Davis, Blue Angel #7, as he landed his aircraft and hooked the wire.

A MAAS is basically a hydraulic-activated set of two modified B-52 brakes designed to stop fighter aircraft equipped with a tail-hook during in-flight emergencies and periods of inclement weather such as rain or strong cross-winds, said 1st Lt. Nathan Shirey, readiness flight commander and deputy of Air Show ground operations.

An aircraft drops a tail-hook to the "ready-down" position and engages a 1 1/4 inch steel cable suspended 2 inches above the runway.

The cable is attached to the modified B-52 brakes via eight ¼-inch wide by ¼-inch thick by 1,500-foot nylon tapes rolled up on individual 66-inch reels, like fishing line on a reel.

As the tapes pay out to the "hooked' aircraft, hydraulics apply pressure to the brakes to slow down and stop the aircraft in a matter of 1,000 to 1,200 feet. One mobile aircraft arresting system set comes with a price tag of about $615,000.

Installing it at Little Rock AFB cost $10,000.