Aviation Ping!.............RAT Deployment?.............
The best way to solve RAT deployment is to deploy the SNAKE.
Bad joke about US Democrats on board in 3, 2, 1...
I recall as a Plane Captain, when preparing to launch, we had to signal the pilot to verify that the RAT would deploy before completing our checklist and sending them to the catapult...I believe the hand signal was to place the closed fist on the shoulder with the elbow pointing to your side (as if showing your flexed bicep to someone standing in front of you) then straightening the arm directly to your side in the horizontal position with the palm of the closed fist facing up to mimic the RAM Deploying.
Then you would give a thumbs up, and retract your arm back to the original position with the fist on the shoulder, and you would watch it to ensure it fully retracted, then give another thumbs up.
I get it confused in my mind with the pre-flight signal (it has been so long I am not sure anymore) to deploy the inflight refueling probe which was to place your closed right fist on your left chest near your left shoulder, and in a sweeping motion to mimic the inflight refueling probe deploying, unfold and extend your arm in the horizontal plane until it is fully horizontal to your right side with the palm of the still closed fist facing to your front.
When the probe is fully extended, you give a thumbs up, and then reverse the motion to put your right fist on your left breast/shoulder, and when it fully retracts, you give another thumbs up and go on to your next item to check.
Funny. For me, I went for decades where I could still do the 16 count manual of arms from memory, but I can’t do it anymore. Same for the Plane Captain preflight check routine. It is all hazy now...:)
It's too much!
It’s the Ram Air Turbine and can be deployed manually and The RAT generates power from the air stream by ram pressure due to the speed of the aircraft. It may be called an air driven generator (ADG) on some aircraft.