SSSETOWTF
The "something" is not what makes you want to bolter. The something (burst tyre, single brake failure, skid on slick where the camrex has worn off) when moving with albeit relatively low speed is what makes you hit fuelled and armed aircraft in close proximity. The point about RVL is that you're in a box with nowhere to go once committed. Pure VL relative velocities are so low that its containable, trap recoveries allow you to bolter in the event of missing the wire, hook strike or foul deck because you maintain rpm and don't use the aircraft brakes.
Rolling is something different - you are committed, you are dependent on the aircraft systems to counter the momentum and if they don't there'll be a spot of bother. As a by-product, assuming the recovery area is purely axial, you're b8ggering up the deck design by essentially removing any parking potential back-aft or port quarter.
I agree, the F136 looks good, but then again so do many things at that stage. I just wish that folk would be careful about RVLs before buying the aircraft based purely on "being able to work around" the bringback issue.
Last edited by Not_a_boffin; 9th Aug 2008 at 08:41.