Besides the initial "oh sh__", he's too busy to think. Getting himself and the aircraft ready for a very abrupt stop.
From the guys I've talked to from the WWII era, taking the barrier while not a daily occurance was still frequent. He who took the barrier and trashed an engine and prop got the pleasure of taking it for it's first flight and slow timing it over the ship. (as aircraft got heavier and more complex after WWII, fix'n em onboard might have been reduced a lot.)
Now THAT is cause for him to have thoughts running through his head. Is everything put back together corrrectly? Is it gonna wrench off during the cat shot? Does my Mae West work? Why did I take the barrior?
Regards
Steve