Re abandonment training:
had a trip a few years ago in a US Navy Turbomentor T-34 at Pensacola - more of a Tucano equivalent I guess.
They had static line 'chutes rather than bang seats, and before my trip I had to do the "sim ride" from a mock-up aircraft high up on a scaffold in a hangar, egress the cockpit and then "dive for the trailing edge" in classic style - into a safety net!
Gave a lot of confidence in the system, did that. I guess we haven't (hadn't) advanced much since the "Jump John Jump" Chipmunk days ...
