Early carriers solve launch and landing hazards

Argus's rounded bow improved airflow over a flight deck built before carrier catapults became standard. The Royal Navy called carrier-launch devices accelerators, while the term catapult still referred to equipment used on cruisers and battleships. Early longitudinal deck wires were intended less to stop a light aircraft than to keep it from blowing sideways after landing. Heavier aircraft made barriers and arresting cables necessary again for stopping an aircraft safely. That return followed the principle Eugene Ely had tested in an early landing experiment, although later systems replaced improvised sandbag weights with purpose-built gear. The sequence ties carrier handling equipment directly to changing aircraft weight and deck hazards.