Ejection seats
The most common ejection injury is a compression fracture of vertebrae but with rocket assisted seats these are rare. More likely injuries occur when meeting terra firma again. Obviously, high speed ejections are another matter. In my case, with a rocket seat, I did have a compression fracture but I was in my mid 40s at the time and I broke an ankle on landing. No after effects to date. As to thinking time, it rather depends on whether it is premeditated or not. Again in my case I was back on terra firma 49secs after starting my take off roll and am very glad that I did not have (or need!) time to think about it.
Paxing All Over The World
That indicates, dook, that something went wrong very quickly after rotation and you had to get to 2,500 before pulling the blind? May one ask what machine you were compelled to leave?
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It wasn't after rotation - it was over half an hour into the trip and at 450 knots. The zoom was to get away from the ground and kill speed. Both engines had failed.
There was no blind to pull - it was Mk9 seat and there was only a lower handle.
There was no blind to pull - it was Mk9 seat and there was only a lower handle.
My one and only ride on a live seat was in a Marshall's Vampire at Shawbury in 1969. I still vividly remember being warned, as part of the seat checkout in the Safety Equipment Bay, that because it was powered by explosives and not rockets (a Mk. 3?), I would probably damage my spine if I had to eject!
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
I've only ever flown one aircraft with an ejector seat; the JP. Never had to use it, thank goodness. I was told however, that back injuries were less common in the RN. Because of the catapult launch and cable recovery, the pilots were strapped in much tighter that the general RAF pilot would be. One from my South Cerney course was demonstrating the rig, which was, I believe, a one-third charge. There was a mis-fire, and he loosened his straps while they sorted it out. Sadly for him, the seat fired, and he damaged his back such that he couldn't proceed to pilot training.
My one and only ride on a live seat was in a Marshall's Vampire at Shawbury in 1969. I still vividly remember being warned, as part of the seat checkout in the Safety Equipment Bay, that because it was powered by explosives and not rockets (a Mk. 3?), I would probably damage my spine if I had to eject!
The 80ft/sec gun regularly produced minor spinal injuries, but I suspect the 60ft/sec version was a little kinder.
Having seen Dook's post 11 above I realise that my post 5 was somewhat misleading in that it may have implied that ejection injuries are common. They are not and I too know of many colleagues and friends who have had injury free ejections. What I should have said is that if an injury is sustained during a pre-meditated and other than high speed ejection it is more likely to be a compression fracture. Dook is absolutely right - posture is the key. However, age is also a factor. As the vertebrae discs lose their flexibilty, their ability to absorb a rapid acceleration reduces.
We members of the Martin-Baker club are eternally grateful for their life-saving seats. My apologies for my potentially misleading post. It would be interesting to know though who the oldest successful ejectee was and how he fared (I am assuming that the oldest will be a male).
We members of the Martin-Baker club are eternally grateful for their life-saving seats. My apologies for my potentially misleading post. It would be interesting to know though who the oldest successful ejectee was and how he fared (I am assuming that the oldest will be a male).
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According to the ballistics boffins at Boscombe, my parachute opened at 190ft agl and the seat was never travelling upwards with respect to the ground after ejection.
The aeroplane was travelling backwards with hardly any forward speed when it impacted and I landed about fifty yards from the fireball.
I remember landing like a sack of potatoes and never even had time to release the PSP.
The aeroplane was travelling backwards with hardly any forward speed when it impacted and I landed about fifty yards from the fireball.
I remember landing like a sack of potatoes and never even had time to release the PSP.
Another having descended rapidly with no engines 41secs after t/o. Ejected at 230' 150kts in shallow descent. Like dook no time for descent VA's before being dumped back on land.
An intrepid employee, Bernard Lynch, attempted the first static ejection on 24th January 1945. He then conducted the first mid-flight test ejection on 24th July 1946. He ejected himself from the rear cockpit of a specially modified Meteor 3 at 320 mph, 8000 ft in the air. Bernard Lynch made a perfect landing and subsequently made a further 30 ejections.