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?
LOL! I was an Aviation Ordinanceman in the Navy 77-82 , (USS Saratoga) And I had the same reaction as you did with several parts of the movie. My favorite BS part was when they were loading inert ordinance onto the aircraft when they were going up to engage the Ruskies. As an old AO I noticed that right off and started hooting and hollering in the theater as my girlfriend nearly broke my ribs with her elbow.
A worse movie though was Officer and a Gentleman. What a steaming stinking pile of you know what that movie was, if you were a Navy veteran.
I don’t care what the expert’s say, the Goose is dead and Ivan flies F5’s.
Did a lot of bar hoisting 500 LB’ers onto the pods on the Midway while in the Tonkin Gulf
More pertinent question: Is there an ejection seat in the Oval Office?
I’m not a pilot, but have served on a carrier and discussed this with pilots in general. Apparently hitting the canopy in ejections and all sorts of ejection injuries are often experienced. It is a very violent process and best to be avoided if possible.
No, but hopefully there is a rejection seat.
In 72 we had lot’s of company in the gulf ... 6 carriers including the Saratoga. I actually took a photo where you can see all six in the gulf at the same time
“Did a lot of bar hoisting 500 LB’ers “
Yesiree, and my back is still paying for it 30 years later. Still it was much more rewarding than being a snipe. Loved being out on the flight deck.
The Martin Baker seats that I worked on had three explosive charges on a rod that fired in sequence. The A7 has a rocket type seat. Also their is a charge on the side of both these types of seats that fires an N2 bottle ... kinda like an air bag ... that pretty much instantaneously fills two bladders that push the pilot out of the seat. I personally .... accidentally set off that bladder charge while working on the seat ... did it twice ... got my ASS chewed BUT GOOD
Gay movie? With Tom Cruise starring? C’mon, you can’t be serious? /end sarcasm
Several pilots have ejected through the canopy because the canopy ejection mechanism failed. Some of the pilots were killed, some were seriously (or permanently) injured.
In some occasions, the top of the ejection seat will shatter the canopy before the pilot hits it but, in other cases, the pilot and the ejection seat are approximately the same height and the pilot either breaks his neck puncturing the canopy or is severely injured or shredded by passing through the remains of the canopy.
It doesn’t happen a lot, but it does happen.
And can any of you remember the Man from LOX safety movie? Or the ones on the Forestall Fire, the Oriskany , and the Enterprise. Christ, those movies still give me nightmares.
I have pictures of the flight deck absolutely covered with 500's 1000's and 2000's ... and we had to un-rep three times a week. We dropped an insane amount of ordinance on N Vietnam
IN normal flight regimes... the relative wind pulls the canopy away as soon as it is jettisoned, clearing the ejection seat paths.
YET -- The Tomcat had a huge planform...
In a flat spin, there is a significant aerodynamic "burble" [near vacuum] area that forms above the airframe as it descends in a "frisbee" fall...
When the canopy is jettisoned during the ejection sequence, it "hesitates" in this aerodynamic burble area - until separating far enough from the aircraft to be swept away by relative wind...
When the RIO's [rear] ejection seat goes up the rails [first] -- Within normal timing of the ejection sequence...
In the "Goose" scenario of a flat spin, the seat-man [RIO] combination impacts the "hesitating" canopy assembly in the space just above the spinning aircraft... injuring the RIO [fatally for Goose].
Hope this helps...
Talked to my fighter pilot buddy he said Yes.. it can and has happened.
have you seen her latley?
Thanks for the info.
algore was still working the bugs out
What clears the canopy in a Zero-Zero ejection when there’s also no airlfow?
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