Ed Heinemann's design principles explain why naval aircraft endure greater structural loads than comparable land-based types. His practical tests were meant to expose equipment that might fail when a pilot struck a carrier deck in heavy seas. The cited comparison gives naval landing gear a design load of roughly 22 feet per second of vertical velocity, against about 15 for land aircraft. Catapult launches, arrested landings, weather, and hard deck impacts therefore demand simple, rugged equipment rather than merely high performance on paper.
Chapter · 1:39:10-1:41:42
Why carrier aircraft need stronger structures
Carrier aircraft must survive repeated high-impact landings, making rugged landing gear and practical design central naval-aviation requirements.