Ejection... Cutting it fine
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
He was on finals for an emergency landing at Hatfield, following a double reheat fire warning which occurred about 15 miles North East of Hatfield.
Several pilots were lost due to the fire burning through the control rods when on finals to land, so the instructions changed so that in the event of double engine fire lights the aircraft was to be held in a safe area until either the lights went and a recovery could be attempted or until fuel exhaustion or loss of control necessitated ejection.
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Indeed many LIghtnings were lost to to reheat bay fires. Main culprit were Frs fuel couplings located in the reheat bays. The control rods were modified from aluminium to stainless steel, giving the pilot a little more time to act before the fire " melted" the rods. Our procedure with any fire, was to climb to an acceptable height to assess the situation, and poop the fire bottles. If the fire was still indicating, MB letdown. The Lightning was notorious for in flight fires.
Often wondered who took that Lightning photo. It obviously wasn't taken by an amateur out with his box Brownie - did there just happen to be a professional with a good camera around. Anyone know?
Thanks for the detail of the accident L-M and for the link BOAC, greenhouses seem to be a popular landing spot post aircraft abandonment (see Edward Fox in The Battle of Britain)!
Thanks for the detail of the accident L-M and for the link BOAC, greenhouses seem to be a popular landing spot post aircraft abandonment (see Edward Fox in The Battle of Britain)!
The Lightning photo was taken by a man by the name of Jim Mead. His grandson is a Pprune member but he rarely visits the forum nowadays. Also, Jim's mother was my grandfather's sister. I believe Jim was a very keen photographer who had gone along to the field to take photos of the farmer on his tractor.
JN
JN
I'm sure someone will be along with a fuller answer, but I read somewhere on the web that the photographer was just starting out as a professional and was asked by the farmer to photograph his new tractor! In those days before quick wind on his next shot was the column of smoke!
mmitch.
Edit: See i knew someone would!
mmitch.
Edit: See i knew someone would!
Last edited by mmitch; 7th Dec 2012 at 09:40.
Lucky Hunter ejection
March 1973 scrambled from Chivenor to Hunter ejection south of the field. The aircraft had hit a supporting guy wire of a 537' high TV mast which severed half a wing taking out the aileron causing the aircraft to roll rapidly. The pilot pulled the handle when the aircraft was inverted and luckily the seat fired when aircraft was upright and, mainly due to the ground falling away quite steeply, as the mast is on a hill, the chute deployed and he landed safely. I found him laying, flat on his back, in an aisle in a nearby grocery store where he had managed to limp to with the local shoppers acting like it was quite normal to have a pilot in full flying gear lying in the store!
Mead/Meads
I can't vouch for the veracity of the source site 
, but some of the details differ in these accounts:
That Lightning photo [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums
, but some of the details differ in these accounts:That Lightning photo [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums
We're not expecting the press to be accurate, are we?
At least when the picture was reproduced in the Sunday Express of 13 May 1979 (I have a copy) they spelt his name correctly.
JN
At least when the picture was reproduced in the Sunday Express of 13 May 1979 (I have a copy) they spelt his name correctly.
JN
Last edited by Drainpipe; 7th Dec 2012 at 13:24. Reason: Addition
Thanks for the response Drainpipe and Mitch and some interesting comments on your link Vzlet. I like the one about it being a set-up job!
"Now here's the plan. You get ready with your camera, with the tractor in the foreground. I'll get the old crate into a vertical dive and bang out at 200 feet. It'll make a great snap for the papers - oh and don't forget to put a film in the camera!"
Priceless!
"Now here's the plan. You get ready with your camera, with the tractor in the foreground. I'll get the old crate into a vertical dive and bang out at 200 feet. It'll make a great snap for the papers - oh and don't forget to put a film in the camera!"
Priceless!
The large number of fine judgements and no doubt many less fortunate incidents suggest that human judgement is stretched to its limit. Is there now a strong case for an auto-eject system near the ground.
IIRC such a system has been contemplated, even tested; and perhaps in service somewhere?
IIRC such a system has been contemplated, even tested; and perhaps in service somewhere?
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Is there now a strong case for an auto-eject system near the ground.
You mean like the French 'auto barrier' that pops up when something crosses the sensors at speed? Proved VERY interesting on a low level runway beat up.
Just imagine settling down at 3'6" and going just a touch lower and.whoops! Another tie.
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"Is there now a strong case for an auto-eject system near the ground."
You can imagine a few little happenings as aircraft go through
the Mach Loop or on a low level bombing run !!!
You can imagine a few little happenings as aircraft go through
the Mach Loop or on a low level bombing run !!!
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Ejection Decision - A second Too Late! (1981)
Department of Defense
PIN 52563
EJECTION DECISION - A SECOND TOO
LATE
DEVELOPED FOR AIRCREWS WHO FLY AIRCRAFT
Last edited by Stratofreighter; 7th Dec 2012 at 22:11. Reason: One Youtube-link is enough, three is clearly too much...