I think LOMCEVAK's point about pilot background in relation to ejection seats is a very valid one.
Sometimes they are seen almost to be a get out of jail free card. This is not always the case, they have their limitations like any device, but are people aware of it enough when in a time of high stress? The envelope of use for any seat is not very flexible since there must be a finite amount of time from pulling the handles to being under a fully deployed canopy.
I don't think ANY of the seats in civilian hands are zero/zero.
The point about some way of arresting a/c, particularily at Duxford is also pertinent, nobody wants a repeat of the M11 over run.
I would hate to see a blanket ban put on the use of any a/c, a similar example of this was the DVLC putting a limit of 33hp on all new motorcycle riders under the age of 21 with less than two years experience. This has lead to all sorts of problems, usually in the understanding of who can do what and when. The numbers of new bikers around the ages of 17-21 has dropped dramatically, without changing the fatality statistics. Not everything that was imposed was bad however, epecially in that you now have to do your test on a relatively powerful machine to prove you can handle it.
This may point the way for how in the future we handle the issue of allowing people to fly high performance types of ANY kind. Have an examiner on each type (ex-mil or whatever) who can make the decision about if a pilot is safe, rather than the committe based, rather complex system we have today.
Zlin, does the prospective pilot undergo any sort of interview to test suitability. Your example of the chap walking about in a G suit all day is exactly the type of person I'd think was maybe a bit unsuitable.
I was on a safety course for Robinson Heli's a while ago. At the beginning the instructor asked for our backgrounds and experience, he then categorised how 'risky' he felt we were. An interesting excercise, I was a bit worried to find out that I was high risk; relatively high time fixed wing, young and a biker to boot. By the end of the 3 days though he had modified his impression slightly and whilst I was still 'risky' he felt happier because of my temperament. Compare this to another in the group who he said would definately kill himself in a heli, a few months later, this individual bent a machine pretty badly, but on paper this chap was very experienced, all the right 'ticks', but had an ego the size of a small country.
The problem is though is that is easy to be wise in hindsight. Accidents will always occur, we just need to find a way of minimising them, without imposing draconian measures. A pretty tough task.
Engineering is a massive part of the of the operation any type of aircraft, but especially with the ex-mil machines. I think how it could be done for all types in the future has been shown with a company like De Havilland Support who have taken over all the responsibility for De Havilland types from BAe. This gives the CAA a reference point and owners some proper backup even if a manufacturer isn't interested themselves. (Concorde being a prime example unfortunately
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