F4U-1 Corsair fighter

F4U-1 Corsair fighter of US Navy squadron VF-17 landing on USS Charger, February 1943.

What a great image as the pilot catches the wire. You can feel the plane's mass coming to a quick stop as the harness starts digging into the aviator's shoulders as he struggles to keep his head upright.

Taken from: About Education

In September 1942, new issues arose with the Corsair when it underwent carrier qualification trials. Already a difficult aircraft to land, numerous problems were found with its main landing gear, tail wheel and tailhook. As the Navy also had the F6F Hellcat coming into service, the decision was made to release the Corsair to the US Marine Corps until the deck landing problems could be resolved. First arriving in the Southwest Pacific in late 1942, the Corsair appeared in larger numbers over the Solomons in early 1943.
Marine pilots quickly took to the new aircraft as its speed and power gave it a decisive advantage over the Japanese A6M Zero. Made famous by pilots such as Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (VMF-214), the F4U soon began to rack up impressive kill numbers against the Japanese. The fighter was largely restricted to the Marines until September 1943, when the Navy began flying it in larger numbers. It was not until April 1944, that the F4U was fully certified for carrier operations. As Allied forces pushed through the Pacific the Corsair joined the Hellcat in protecting US ships from kamikaze attacks.

 F4U Corsair taking off from USS Boxer during the Korean War, 1951.