Posted on 04/13/2020 10:09:16 AM PDT by NRx
Well.... he survived, so it’s funny. But man, if he hadn’t, it would have been a massively screwed up twist of fate.
I’ve always imagined that the only thing worse than ejecting from a jet is crashing in a jet.
Probably German.
That would certainly be a birthday buzz killer.....
“If I could get a ride on an F-18 and be assured that while airborne *nobody* would get hurt if I pushed the “eject” button I’d do it...absolutely!”
That ejection kick in the butt is pretty nasty. If you’re not lined up with back and neck straight, you could be in for a bit of pain for the rest of your life. Also, the military parachute landing is a bit more rough than the ones that experienced chutists can accomplish with their much more controllable chutes.
Just sayin’. ;-)
One of the great dangers of ejection seats is losing a limb on the way out. He is very fortunate. The folks who conned him into this owe him drinks for life.
I don't understand that statement. I'm sure he was in a twin-seat Rafale B. Did it not have rear seat handles for banking/rolling and other maneuvers like our rear seat aircraft? Also, where is the actual ejector handle? Ours are under the seat that take both hands to ignite, at least they were.
The success rate is good for what is involved, but your still leaving a flying plane in a rocket. Which is a convertible. Go stick your head out of a sunroof going 100mph.
Now think about doing it at 500mph.
This accident is actually a really good testament to the designers of the Rafael seat. No clue who it is.
I wonder what it costs to get a ride in a $70,000,000 aircraft.
Reminds me of an experience I had as an Explorer Scout at the end of the Supper of 1960. My post and I had gone on a trip to Isle Royale National Park, which is located at the NW end of Lake Superior. On the way home we stayed one night at an Air Force base. The next morning we were given a tour that included being allowed to sit in the pilot’s seat of a fighter. Our guides all carefully pointed out the ejection seat lever and told us NOT TO TOUCH IT. On our own we noticed that the hanger’s ceiling was painted red and concluded that was to hide the blood stains from anybody who happened to touch the ejection handle. We also decided any such poor soul’s funeral would consist of the interment of the putty knives and Brillo pads used to remove his remains. 16 and 17 year old males have such wonderful, humane thoughts.
We arrived late to a German base for a fam flight in their Tiger Attack helos. The Brit with us complained about not getting a safety brief, so the German Colonel gave one. He said ‘Don’t touch anything’ - and off we went.
Didn’t this same thing happen in any number of Saturday morning cartoons?
I’ve only been in a Rafael a handful of times, and they have various seat manufacturers, but the ones I was in had a single handle in the middle of the seat pan, like if you were going to adjust a seat forward in a cheap car.
40 years of service at the company
Under normal conditions. Now add $500,000 to replace the seat, cockpit and ejector mechanism.
Not being prepared, the guy is lucky he didn't lose a kneecap on the way out.
Boomers shouldn’t be in fighter jets, end of story.
Martin-Baker, from what I could find.
There are leg restraints that tighten up.
Neck or spine problems are the most common injury now.
Maybe the ejectors were reconfigured to accommodate the gals? I know that was done on reserve parachutes because the average gal didn’t have enough upper body strength to actuate to pull the cord on the old model.
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