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F-14 Ejection Question

Posted on 03/25/2009 5:29:32 PM PDT by pfflier

In the movie Top Gun, the F-14 is (presumably) in a flat spin and Goose ejects into the canopy. I need some professional opinions on the possibility of that happening.

My experience with the F-16 is that the canopy ballistics make the canopy long gone prior to seat firing at any point in the envelope. Normally the aerodynamics would strip the canopy away in forward flight in any ejection. But, in a flat spin, did the F-14 aerodynamics create an environment where the canopy could remain over the plane/crew resulting in a crew strike?


TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: canopystrike; goose; topgun
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My apologies for the ancient timing of this question. I've tried a topic search with no results although I'm sure this question has been asked before.
1 posted on 03/25/2009 5:29:32 PM PDT by pfflier
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To: pfflier

I don’t know but in the movies they can do anything they want its make believe But i will ask a military pilot friend on another board for you


2 posted on 03/25/2009 5:33:09 PM PDT by al baby (Hi Mom)
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To: pfflier

I have no idea of how any of that works but just about anything however unlikely, is possible.


3 posted on 03/25/2009 5:35:57 PM PDT by yarddog
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To: pfflier

I checked the Top Gun movie Manual and thats an affirmative.... wait Until the Angels and Demons and see the Lies they can create in that Movie!!


4 posted on 03/25/2009 5:36:00 PM PDT by philly-d-kidder (The First Day of Spring had snow flurries... Damned global Warming!!)
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To: pfflier

Here is some video of a good ejection it looks like that seat blows the canopy way out of the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV2WREn0CCE

Lucky guys didn’t even get wet!


5 posted on 03/25/2009 5:36:18 PM PDT by omega4179 (Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic.)
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To: pfflier
I doubt it, but early F-104s had downward firing ejection seats so the pilot could clear the tail assembly. That, however, was mostly due to the limited performance of ejection seats at the time.


6 posted on 03/25/2009 5:39:56 PM PDT by edpc (01010111 01010100 01000110 00111111)
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To: pfflier

Most military jets give me an ejection.


7 posted on 03/25/2009 5:40:29 PM PDT by cripplecreek (The poor bastards have us surrounded.)
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To: pfflier
They are fail safe and the seat will not release until the canopy is gone.

It's just a movie.

8 posted on 03/25/2009 5:43:57 PM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, Question everyone else)
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To: pfflier

I was an AME (ejection seats and canopy maintenance mechanic) while I was in the Navy. Though I left the Navy before the F14 was introduced ... all the aircraft seats I worked on ... F9, A4 A7, F4 all had seats that were designed to go through the canopy should it be necessary. When I first saw Goose get killed in that accident my reaction was .. Bull Pucky


9 posted on 03/25/2009 5:45:20 PM PDT by clamper1797 (Zero parcus dies Nero Totus hail FUBO)
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To: pfflier

My apologies for the ancient timing of this question.


Yeah, why didn’t you post this here when the movie came out?


10 posted on 03/25/2009 5:49:38 PM PDT by kenth (Obama - One Big Ass Mistake, America)
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To: pfflier

A lot of ejection seats have a canopy breaker on the top.

I don’t recall the sequence in the film, but I’d doubt the planets lined up to make that possible.

The F-14 seat was zero-zero, meaning sitting still it would be OK. That leads me to believe the the CADS/PADS (explosives) would have been sufficient to get that canopy outta the way.


11 posted on 03/25/2009 5:50:06 PM PDT by Doctor Raoul (New Obama Mantra, "Screw World Peace, I'll Buy You A Pony.")
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To: pfflier
I think the real question is:

How did Kelly McGillis go from Amish farmer widow with no technological experience to civilian flight instructor in just one year?

12 posted on 03/25/2009 5:50:44 PM PDT by edpc (01010111 01010100 01000110 00111111)
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To: clamper1797
Nice to meet another African Methodist Episcopalian...
13 posted on 03/25/2009 5:51:11 PM PDT by Doctor Raoul (New Obama Mantra, "Screw World Peace, I'll Buy You A Pony.")
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To: edpc

It looks fast just sitting on the ground.


14 posted on 03/25/2009 5:51:32 PM PDT by dljordan
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To: Doctor Raoul
Aircraft Mechanic Egress :<)

We also did LOX (liquid oxygen) aircraft air conditioning heating and basically anything pertaining to the pilots environment. Also a lot of AME's (including myself) were S&R aircrew members since we knew how to disarm the charges in the ejection seats and canopies of a downed aircraft. Lot's of fun in Nam ...

15 posted on 03/25/2009 5:55:48 PM PDT by clamper1797 (Zero parcus dies Nero Totus hail FUBO)
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To: pfflier
The ejection sequence in the movie is typical Hollyweird!

The ejection handles in the F-14 are are above the head and when the ejection is initiated by either the pilot or radar intercept operator, (RIO), the RIO goes first with the pilot following. The canopy is is jettisoned first and then the crew is ejected. Hitting the canopy was a "plot twist" just like the inverted flight within two meters from the MIG!!!

Herer is a link with photos and F-14 stats and stuff!

F-14 ejection seat

enjoy

BTW When I was stationed at Perrin AQFB in the 60s we had a Wing commander, (Full colonel), who was a cowboy. He had been written up for wearing cowboy boots while flying his F-102. The reason this was frowned upon was that should he eject he would loose his boots because the wind shear would tear those boots off his feet! I once asked him about his penchant, (we were golf buddies even thought I was just a LT), and he said that should he eject he would steer his canopy so that he wouldn't land on a cactus!

16 posted on 03/25/2009 5:56:58 PM PDT by Young Werther (Julius Caesar (Quae Cum Ita Sunt. Since these things are so.))
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To: pfflier

Never trust what you see in a gay movie


17 posted on 03/25/2009 5:58:13 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy ( As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities. - D)
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To: Young Werther

The ejection seat picture on the right shows the two horns on the top of the seat ... Martin Baker BTW. Those are called “Canopy Breakers” as is their purpose


18 posted on 03/25/2009 6:00:05 PM PDT by clamper1797 (Zero parcus dies Nero Totus hail FUBO)
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To: cripplecreek

And I thought this wasn’t a “hard” question.


19 posted on 03/25/2009 6:00:23 PM PDT by pfflier
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To: kenth

Because in 1986 I wasn’t anywhere near the internet.


20 posted on 03/25/2009 6:01:30 PM PDT by pfflier
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