Israeli canopy mishap rekindles memory of IAF pilot's heroic feat

The Week, India ^ | 1/9/2019

[sukhoi-30mki]

Cockpit voice recordings of a January 2 incident of the crew of an Israeli F-15 fighter jet who managed to save the aircraft after it lost its canopy in flight have gone viral in recent days. Interestingly, an Indian Air Force pilot won the Vayu Sena Medal for Gallantry after he managed to land his Russian-built MiG-29 fighter after a near-identical accident in 2016.

In addition to risk of direct physical injury, the loss of a canopy also exposes pilots to severe cold temperatures and wind speeds at high altitudes, impairing their physiological and cognitive responses.

In June 2016, squadron leader Rijul Sharma took off in his MiG-29 from the Indian Air Force base at Jamnagar, Gujarat, to conduct tests at supersonic speed. Sharma's MiG-29 was flying at an altitude of nearly 10km and a speed of Mach 1.1 (nearly 1,300kmph), when its canopy perspex shattered.

The canopy parts hit Sharma on his right shoulder; the pilot was also exposed to a temperature of -28 degree Celsius and severe high-speed winds. The incident occurred when the MiG-29 was about 110km away from Jamnagar.

The Indian Air Force citation for the incident noted, “Weighing against the option of ejecting and displaying courage of an exceptional order, Sqn Ldr Sharma decided to recover the aircraft. In the process, he totally disregarded his critical shoulder injury and the discomfort posed by high speed, high altitude and low temperatures.”

Sharma quickly descended to an altitude of 3km and lowered his air speed. He also steered the MiG-29 away from oil installations and residential areas. Sharma managed to return to Jamnagar and landed the MiG-29 without damage. The Indian Air Force citation praised Sharma for not only saving his own life and aircraft, but also preventing possible “catastrophic damage to en-route strategically important a

[sukhoi-30mki]

Collage of an Indian MiG-29 (Indian Air Force) on top and an Israeli F-15 (Israeli Air Force)

[Yo-Yo]

Ooh, had to land without a canopy.

Sure, that's not a normal day, but how about having to fly and land your aircraft while the canopy is ejected and your rear seater ejects?

Crazy Russian Sukhoi Su-35 Pilot Ejects For a Hollywood Movie at Mach 2 (UPDATED)

(Spoiler alert: The rear seater was a dummy, and the ejection was not at Mach 2, although the aircraft did go supersonic sans canopy, according to the pilot.)

[BradyLS]

“Am ready for close-up, Mr. Spielberg!”