to use the beartrap, a helicopter hovers over the landing pad on the deck and lowers a line with an attached probe on the end. this probe is attached by the deck crew to a heavier cable that passes though the centre of the beartrap from a winch below the flight deck. the cable is pulled back up and secured to the helicopter. the pilot then increases power to balance the pull of the winch with the lift of the helicopter. this synchronizes the helicopter with the ship's movements and puts the helicopter in the "high hover" position. as the pilot decreases the power, the helicopter is slowly pulled by the winch to the "low hover" position just above the deck while maintaining sync with the ship. when the landing signals officer (lso) determines that a relatively quiet moment is approaching, he instructs the pilot to land. the beartrap is then "closed" to capture the helicopter's main probe, securing the aircraft to the flight deck. the tail is secured by a second probe.