Originally Posted by
MrBernoulli
A 265 pound seat plus a 180 pound crewman, all needing to be moved swiftly by compressed air? Crikey, that would have taken some engineering!
"180lb crewman"..... in my dreams!
As to early escape systems involving compressed gas... or big springs......
Back in the 1930s Flying Officer Peter William Dudgeon of 208 Squadron was converting to the Armstrong Whitworth Atlas which could achieve over 200mph in the dive. To assist escape, Dudgeon went to work with draughtsman’s instruments and a box of Meccano. He emerged with detailed blueprints and a working scale model for a jack-in-the-box contraption. The “Dudgeon seat” would be mounted on tubes, each of which contained a powerful compressed spring, held in place by a simple catch. Upon its release, the pilot would be thrust up to the lip of the cockpit, from where he could roll away and release his parachute……
Or you might certainly like the "Swinging Arm" which was the first Martin Baker proposal in the early 1940s. Basically, a medieval catapult strapped to the spine of the aircraft....
Any takers....?
