How does a catapult on an aircraft carrier work?

ENG Aircraft carrier catapult ... Pretty interesting Hardest part is landing on one, got a lot of respect for the guys who have the balls to land on a carrier at night in bad weather ... I wonder whether you could put a person on a go-kart, and fire that off the end of the ship at 165 mph with the catapult?. read more

Taking Off from an Aircraft Carrier - Catapults use pressurized steam to boost planes off of an aircraft carrier’s limited runway space. Learn how catapults quickly propel planes to high speeds. read more

A catapult on a carrier is just a mechanical device designed to accelerate a plane faster than the engines could do it unassisted. The deck of an aircraft carrier is typically not as long as an airfield on land and all planes require a particular speed to take off. read more