Originally Posted by
tdracer
Every five years, I need to take a safety class to remain qualified for flight testing. One of the scenarios is evacuating a 747 via the overhead flight deck hatch using the inertial reels. I've looked out that hatch on occasion - I'm not saying I wouldn't jump out that hatch and trust my life to the reel (and my ability to hang on to it), but the alternative would have to look rather dire
.
I've had to familiarize myself with that exit on a yearly basis with three different airlines. I agree that it looks dicey. It reminds me of the old Jack Benny line when the robber shouts "Your money or your life!" After a long pause Benny says "I'm thinking it over..."
The pilots and FE in the Pan Am 73 hijack in Karachi 30 years ago exited through that hatch as the incident started, a move that appears less controversial now than it was at the time.
Originally Posted by
Jhieminga
In his book 'Operation Overflight' Francis Powers explains that he chose not to use the ejection seat as he could not get himself in the correct position for ejection because of the g-forces he encountered. Had he used the seat, the canopy edge might have taken off his legs.
Here's an account of Powers' famous U-2 egress from his former employer, the CIA:
The young pilot had been flying for almost four hours when he heard a dull thump, the aircraft lurched forward, and there was a bright orange flash from a nearby surface-to-air missile. The plane’s right wing began to droop and the nose started to go down. Powers tried to correct it, but the plane continued its downward trajectory. Powers was uncertain if the control cable had been severed or if the tail was gone. He was certain, however, that he no longer had control of the plane.
Powers initial reaction was to pull the destruct switches, but he decided he’d better secure an exit plan for himself first. This, however, was proving difficult as the g forces had hurled him to the nose of the plane, which was spinning tail first towards the earth. Powers thought of ejecting but realized, in his current position, he likely would have had both off his legs cut off while trying to escape the plane.
On the verge of panic, Powers decided he would climb out of the plane. The whirling aircraft had passed thirty-four thousand feet when he removed the canopy. He took off his seat-belt, which sent him flying halfway out of the aircraft. His face plate frosted over rendering him visionless. Powers tried to get to the destruct switches twice but, realizing time was running out, he began kicking frantically and miraculously the oxygen hoses that were holding him hostage in the U-2 broke and freed him from the spiraling plane.
Suddenly, all was silent, except for the rustling of material as the chute opened and settled in the wind. Powers hung in the air desperately trying to comprehend what had just happened and trying to assess his current situation. He was fifteen thousand feet above the Soviet Union and the ground was growing ever closer. As he clutched the straps of his chute, he saw a piece of the plane float down past him.
He was nearly to the ground when he noticed a car driving down a dirt road that seemed to be following his path. During his final moments of solitude, Powers considered using the poison pin. However, he clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance he could somehow escape. Realizing the silver dollar would most likely be confiscated, he removed the pin and placed it in his pocket. He tossed the coin into the field below.
Powers managed to avoid landing on a tractor, in a lake, and on crackling power lines. Children came running out to see the spectacle. Once grounded the two men from the vehicle gathered Powers and his chute and drove him to a village.
https://www.cia.gov/news-information...ry-powers.html