Ejection seats, some salutary anecdotes
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Ejection seats, some salutary anecdotes
While looking for something else I came across these, a collection of previous incidents, both sad and amusing.
Beware! Ejector Seat Live - RAF Forum
Beware! Ejector Seat Live - RAF Forum
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Coincidentally I just noticed this obituary this morning:
Squadron Leader Jake McLoughlin - obituary - Telegraph
An ejector seat tester
Squadron Leader Jake McLoughlin - obituary - Telegraph
An ejector seat tester
Recollect taking young lady into hangar one evening to show her JP cockpit.
The pins were in and sat there thinking: 'Hmm, just like being in the car, isn't it?'
Fortunately, just then, before any thrashing about took place, the hangar doors opened a bit and a tractor drove in.
p.s. Alcohol was involved.
The pins were in and sat there thinking: 'Hmm, just like being in the car, isn't it?'
Fortunately, just then, before any thrashing about took place, the hangar doors opened a bit and a tractor drove in.
p.s. Alcohol was involved.
Yesterday I toured an Aerospace Company assembly plant and the translator - not particularly savvy with aerospace terms - referred to the 'Ejaculation Seat'. * As the only native English-speaker in our group I struggled, really struggled, to maintain my composure.
* In the local language, the verb to eject and to ejaculate is the same, to be fair.
* In the local language, the verb to eject and to ejaculate is the same, to be fair.
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When the first seats to have a seat pan handle were introduced our Station Armoury F/Sgt, when giving a safety lecture, gave the 'it's a well known fact that, when a man is in danger the first thing he does is reach for his balls', as the reason for it's location.
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This is for real.......we had a Naval airman on the squadron...NA Shrimpton...he was known as the fastest man alive in the FAA...after escaping from a Sea Vixen, seat ejection in the hangar on Hms Victorious.....
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
David unless it was the same one, I heard an airman got down in to the pedal area and cleared the seat.
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For those of us long enough in the tooth to remember the Ejection Seat Bus run from Seafield Park (Lee on Solent) and visited ALL air stations.
During it's visit All wafu's had to attend the ejection seat lecture (this happened many times during my career). Now the bus contained an ejection seat (unarmed) and also a few other bits of memorabilia, including a drogue attached to a length of nylon cord. The cord was stained with blood. It seems that an armourer while removing the seat neglected to disconnect the static line attached to the drogue, hence seat lifted, drogue fired large lump of metal entered armourers head through eye and exited through skull. The armourer lived to tell the tale. he was medically discharged and moved to Portsmouth. Some years later he was to appear in court on some pornography charge, his defence was that his judgement had been impaired by his injury.
During it's visit All wafu's had to attend the ejection seat lecture (this happened many times during my career). Now the bus contained an ejection seat (unarmed) and also a few other bits of memorabilia, including a drogue attached to a length of nylon cord. The cord was stained with blood. It seems that an armourer while removing the seat neglected to disconnect the static line attached to the drogue, hence seat lifted, drogue fired large lump of metal entered armourers head through eye and exited through skull. The armourer lived to tell the tale. he was medically discharged and moved to Portsmouth. Some years later he was to appear in court on some pornography charge, his defence was that his judgement had been impaired by his injury.
Last edited by david parry; 23rd Nov 2014 at 06:15.
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Re in cockpit, page 1
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While doing a major service on a hunter in No 1 hangar ( 66 sqdn) 1959, a loud bang was heard for miles around as the ejector seat of another kite in the hangar flew skywards into the roof.Now this is true, the bod in the ****pit was a guy of very small stature, Tich or Tosh Murphy i think his name was, and he'd been sitting in the seat when the Barrastat counted down, and when we rushed to see what had happened the said bod had wrapped himself around the column, his feet and legs thrust deep into the rudder appatures, the back of his jacket slightly scorched from the exploding ejector tube.He never recovered from the experience and we later heard that he had been medically discharged, a severe mental disorder.Nasty things ejector seats if not treated with respect.
Flying for mankind will never be 100% safe. You just have to do it with the same mindset as some of the WW2 Bomber boys = "It ain't going to be me."
I seem to recall that the man who survived the seat going off was working in a Hunter. When the space was measured against the size of the bloke, it was reckoned he could not have fitted in there. Lucky only to lose a bit of chin, then.
The latest accident will be investigated thoroughly, & a reason found for it. Vitally interested will be Martin-Baker Ltd. Seats don't go off nowadays without the handle being pulled in some way, & if it was, then the sequence would follow its normal pattern. If the pilot was properly strapped in, he should probably have survived, but the B of I will tell us in the end.
I seem to recall that the man who survived the seat going off was working in a Hunter. When the space was measured against the size of the bloke, it was reckoned he could not have fitted in there. Lucky only to lose a bit of chin, then.
The latest accident will be investigated thoroughly, & a reason found for it. Vitally interested will be Martin-Baker Ltd. Seats don't go off nowadays without the handle being pulled in some way, & if it was, then the sequence would follow its normal pattern. If the pilot was properly strapped in, he should probably have survived, but the B of I will tell us in the end.
I had a Sgt Plumber working for me on 1 Squadron Harriers, called Fozzie Foster. One of the only RAF N.C.O.'s I have ever encountered with a full beard. One night over a few beers I asked how come he had a full set, he said he had been working on an ejector seat in a ****pit, when he heard the timer kick in. He squeezed himself as close as he could to the instrument panel, as the seat flew past him the seat pan cught his chin and mashed it up. He was allowed to grow a beard to cover his scars. One lucky guy, I can't remember what aircraft he was working on. But when doing Engine runs I much rather sit on an upturned coke box than a bang seat anyday.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Seats don't go off nowadays without the handle being pulled in some way,
Any interference in linkage between handle and gun could cause a bang.
As a member of 99 Sqn I attended the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in May 1961.
One of the exhibitors was Martin Baker and their demonstration included a 'live' ejection by "Doddy" Hayes from the back of a lorry as it raced down the runway. He ejected, parachute opened and landed safely.
Flight International's report about the show say he ejected from a static lorry, but my recollection was that the lorry was moving down the runway. Either way a very brave man and not something I would do!
One of the exhibitors was Martin Baker and their demonstration included a 'live' ejection by "Doddy" Hayes from the back of a lorry as it raced down the runway. He ejected, parachute opened and landed safely.
Flight International's report about the show say he ejected from a static lorry, but my recollection was that the lorry was moving down the runway. Either way a very brave man and not something I would do!
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"Oh but they do. IIRC, a seat being motored down had an obstruction that caused it to function and out of sequence I think."
If that refers to the Harrier flown by Taylor Scott, I think that mechanism was regarded as a possibility but not confirmed. That isn't to say that there haven't been any uncommanded firings.
If that refers to the Harrier flown by Taylor Scott, I think that mechanism was regarded as a possibility but not confirmed. That isn't to say that there haven't been any uncommanded firings.
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Had an elevator jam on climb away from a low level bombing sortie. Just about to eject, looked down and realised I hadn't done up my leg straps before cat shot. Eventually got the aircraft under some sort of control and landed ashore. Received a commendation for saving the aircraft. I think I forgot to tell the enquiry about why I hadn't ejected.
One of the exhibitors was Martin Baker and their demonstration included a 'live' ejection by "Doddy" Hayes from the back of a lorry as it raced down the runway. He ejected, parachute opened and landed safely.
Flight International's report about the show say he ejected from a static lorry, but my recollection was that the lorry was moving down the runway. Either way a very brave man and not something I would do!
Flight International's report about the show say he ejected from a static lorry, but my recollection was that the lorry was moving down the runway. Either way a very brave man and not something I would do!
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a seat being motored down had an obstruction that caused it to function and out of sequence I think
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Further to BOAC's input, it was thought that the cockpit Wander Lamp had become dislodged from it's mount and had found it's way under the seat. As the seat was motored to the fully 'down' position, to get the pilot's eyes out of the line of the setting sun, the lamp triggered the mechanism for manually(?) firing the drogue chute, dragging the pilot out through the canopy and unfortunately shredding the main chute in the process...
-RP
-RP
I remember a guy who thought he'd missed the overun cable and pulled the EJ handle just as the cable took up slack. His seat handle came out and then the force pushed it back in!
He then had a very uncomfortable few minutes waiting to see whether the seat would go off whilst the brave armourers pinned him up.
LJ
He then had a very uncomfortable few minutes waiting to see whether the seat would go off whilst the brave armourers pinned him up.
LJ