Originally Posted by
frodo_monkey
I haven’t flown a Hawk for a long time, but how do you propose “showing someone that the pin is in the seat”? By definition the pin is fitted to the seat pan handle and therefore can’t be seen easily from outside..
Certainly on my own fleet the pin is shown to the ground crew prior to taxy, then inserted into the stowage which is below the cockpit sides.
Perhaps you misunderstood or I did not make myself clear.
What I meant is that the seat pin should be left in place after landing, IN ITS FLIGHT STOWAGE until the pan is reached, engine shutdown and then carefully replaced with visual observation, by the occupant, of correct insertion, NOT doing it by feel during taxi in when eyes should be outside particularly with other aircraft in close proximity.
That’s the way it was done during my time 12 years on ejection seats and I still feel it is the safer and better procedure.
That was on mk2, 3 & 4 seats so perhaps there are good reasons, no one has yet explained, that the Mk10 has to be different.