When Pilots Are in Trouble, They Need a First-Class Seat

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | August 7, 2003 | DANIEL MICHAELS

[SJackson]

HIGHER DENHAM, England -- As his fighter jet spun out of control off the coast of England, Robert Schwab grabbed the ejection handle and thought, "Oh, God. I hope it works."

Then, he yanked. Instantly the Lt. Commander in the U.K. Royal Navy reserve, on a routine test flight, was rocketing upward at 80 feet per second. Within two seconds, he was jerked by the parachute that had shot from his seat, while his plane plunged to the sea far below. A few minutes later, the 45-year-old pilot, though a bit roughed up, was floating calmly on the same waves, in a rubber dinghy that had popped from his pack and inflated automatically.

[Hans]

A pleasure to read, thanks.

[Semper Paratus]

That's one QA job I would turn down.