pieceofcake
A 30% loss rate over an aircraft's life span is not that high. The USAF's F-100 rate was higher than that--2200 built only 400 retired to the boneyard over it's history. A couple percent per year adds up. I have lost 8 friends in USAF tactical aviation and that is not surprising over 20+ years. The squadrons I was in consistently had 2 or 3 guys that had ejected at one time in their career.
If you are not a low-level "fast jet" pilot you cannot conceive of the number of ways of ending up depending on Mr. Martin's product. My ejection was after a mid-air collision with another A-10, using McAir's ACES II seat. Martin-Baker was kind enough to send the tie when my brother sent them a report, not knowing it wasn't a M-B seat. He was USN, where the motto was, "If it says Grumman on the pedals, it better say Martin-Baker on the seat". The USN got real possessive about M-B seats, even going to Congress demanding them, "Buy American" Congressman be damned.
Martin-Baker
GF