ejectionseat - Gizmodo

posts about #ejectionseat more →
Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
$225,000 Phantom Bar's Ejection Seats Should Be a Legal Imperative In Every Pub
Combat Pilots Ejecting After Aircraft Crash
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Real Pilot Seat for Real Combat Flight Simulator Pilots

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absinthe006
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
Well, I've flown in a B-24. In the bomb bay and up front over the front wheel there are places one can simply step down and crash through light panel material into space. No parachute for you there my boy.

They had one person up front watching the break away panel over the wheel and zero people watching the bomb bay. They simply expected you to remember when they said "Don't do that, you will die!" and maybe to notice the red and white stripey painting saying beware.

Of course, you could also just lean too far out the waist gunner positions.
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jayhawk11 is not a fan of smallpox.
11/02/09

@absinthe006: If I remember right, the nose gear door can be pushed open with pretty minimal effort, too. Been several years since I was in a B-24. #ejectionseat
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ps-gizmodo
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
Idiot... or GENIUS?
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Soldier_CLE says DON'T STOP AT THE STAR! REVOKE THE WHOLE DAMN THING, OWEN!!! promoted this comment AkkiRonin approved this comment ps-gizmodo was starred ps-gizmodo was unstarred

Soldier_CLE says DON'T STOP AT THE STAR! REVOKE THE WHOLE DAMN THING, OWEN!!!
11/02/09

@ps-gizmodo: #ejectionseat
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11thRS
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
Ok, so what plane does not have the ejections seats rigged so that they both eject in tandem???

Goose, watch the canopy on the way out, I'm gonna do one more pass by the tower. #ejectionseat
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jayhawk11 promoted this comment 11thRS was starred 11thRS was unstarred

jayhawk11 is not a fan of smallpox.
11/02/09

@11thRS: Actually several aircraft don't. F-14's come to mind, as do A-6's and some other craft.

Here's why:

[www.gallagher.com] #ejectionseat
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11thRS
11/02/09

@jayhawk11: A wingnut stands corrected, thanks for the info! #ejectionseat
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lostarchitect
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
I don't know if that makes him an idiot, exactly. They probably just didn't warn him about it, and he grabbed it in confusion. #ejectionseat
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Adrian Blackwell
11/02/09

@lostarchitect: the fact that most ejection seat handles in jets are either bright red or yellow with warning written all around them #ejectionseat
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lostarchitect
11/02/09

@Adrian Blackwell: Well, shows what I know. Never been in a fighter jet, myself. #ejectionseat
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FightingChance
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
If that plane has Zero-Zero ejection seats, 'unharmed' may not be an entirely accurate descriptor of the ejectee, depending on how good his back was before the incident. #ejectionseat
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Bigbadbikernerd promoted this comment FightingChance was starred FightingChance was unstarred

Gordonium
11/02/09

@FightingChance: Yeah, I hear you can only make, like, a couple ejections in your life with these, or else you'll basically collapse your spine. #ejectionseat
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Bigbadbikernerd promoted this comment Gordonium was starred Gordonium was unstarred

yantelope
11/02/09

@Gordonium: Well, what's worse is that the experience is so traumatic that once a pilot ejects he never wants to do it again. Ejection seats are meant to save lives and as such many times you end up with a few bruises and/or broken bones. #ejectionseat
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GitEmSteveDave_DefinesTurgid
11/02/09

@FightingChance: Doesn't the seatit cinch you tight against it when you pull the cord so you pretty much become part of the seat? #ejectionseat
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FightingChance
11/03/09

@GitEmSteveDave_ H1N1 Symptoms List: Exactly, so the net effect is probably something like being dropkicked by God. #ejectionseat
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Dr. H. F. Danger
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE! #ejectionseat
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Hiphopopotamus
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
Accidental nothing - If I got to joyride in a fighter jet you bet your ass I am highlighting that ride with an ejection flight! #ejectionseat
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Kaiser-Machead
11/02/09

@Hiphopopotamus: Even if they never let you ride again, it'd be so worth it. #ejectionseat
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Kaiser-Machead
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
Ra-a-a-a-a-a-a! Take that Mom! A-a-a-a! Take that Dad! Send me to a psychiatrist will you?! Take that Dr. Sally Waxler!

*presses eject*

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...!

~Millhouse #ejectionseat
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Moonshadow101
11/02/09

In reply to Idiot Civilian Passenger Ejects Himself Out of Plane
I know that when I'm in danger, the first thing I do is grab the hard stick between my legs. It's a reflex, really. He can't be blamed. #ejectionseat
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HeroOfTomorrow
11/02/09

@Moonshadow101: Thank you for making me eject my toothpaste out of my mouth with laughter. #ejectionseat
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Bigbadbikernerd
11/02/09

@HeroOfTomorrow: you brush your teeth at the computer??? #ejectionseat
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Skunky
11/03/09

@Bigbadbikernerd: No, they just laughed THAT hard. #ejectionseat
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HeroOfTomorrow
11/03/09

@Bigbadbikernerd: Well... Yeah?
In my defense, my screen is really big and it's also my TV. Never brushed your teeth in front of the TV before? It's common practice here in the Netherlands.

Together with cannibalism and smoking pot. #ejectionseat
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
08/18/09

In reply to $225,000 Phantom Bar's Ejection Seats Should Be a Legal Imperative In Every Pub
I feel like I would be talking about my attack run on a small thermal exhaust port located in a maintenance trench on an Imperial Space Station if were I sitting around that table...
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strider_mt2k
08/18/09

In reply to $225,000 Phantom Bar's Ejection Seats Should Be a Legal Imperative In Every Pub
I would like three.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
03/22/09

In reply to Combat Pilots Ejecting After Aircraft Crash
Hey any landing you can walk away from is a good one..
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MyPetFly
03/20/09

In reply to Combat Pilots Ejecting After Aircraft Crash
Here's the basic deal with ejections seats:

A big issue with ejecting is getting the parachute open with plenty of time before landing on the ground. In the past, sufficient altitude gave the parachute time enough to open enough for a safe landing. Airspeed obviously provided an assist in the form of wind to help open the 'chute.

However, many ejections are at fairly low altitudes (especially in the Navy, as a result of carrier operations), so a means to help ensure safe escape at lower altitude and lower speeds was needed.

In the Navy (maybe the Air Force too), an ejection seat parachute has 28 riser cords. These are all bundled together where they attach to the canopy itself, and 14 small explosive charges are incorporated into the bundle. When the seat is fired, the automatic timing sequence handles a bunch of chores in quick succession. One of the last timed events is the firing of the 14 charges, which forcibly opens the canopy, helping it to fill with air much more quickly.

As a result, it's fairly safe to eject in a parked airplane (unless it's parked in a hangar, and that's happened, much to the chagrin of the crew that had to clean the hangar ceiling).

The Russian seats (the Zvezda K-36, I guess?) ALSO will compensate for far off-axis ejections, and can actually right the seat from a really bad shot, possibly close to inverted.
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MyPetFly
03/20/09

@MyPetFly:

One thing I forgot to mention is that the ejection in the video could have been accidental. Fire may have set off the rockets, or possibly a piece of wreckage could have activated one seat. Typically in multi-crew aircraft, command activation (one pull of the handle shoots everyone) and self activation (each man for himself) are options, so if the pilot's seat went off, the other might follow automatically.
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MyPetFly
03/20/09

@MyPetFly:

I'm dense today. An addition to my addition. Some seats are designed to fire a few few underwater, and in some cases this has actually happened, saving the crew. The seat goes right through the canopy. In fact, some aircraft are designed for ejections through the canopy.

In the recently retired S-3 Vikings, for instance (my aircraft), the four-person crew would eject through the canopy. The seats were equiped with "breaker bars" that stuck up about 10 inches above the rest of the seat in order to break the canopy before anyone's head did. The canopies also had explosive detonation cords for quick removal, but that was a manual process and not really intended for ejections.

More trivia. Seat cushions on ejection seats are very thin, maybe a half inch or so. The reason for this is that the acceleration is so great that if they gave you much more padding, the seat would have reached too high a speed before fully compressing the foam, and the occupant would be at risk of a broken pelvis, etc. from the impact. So by using a thin cushion, the butt accelerate with the seat, preventing the seat from accelerating into the butt.
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mfusion
03/20/09

@MyPetFly: wow, that was really informative and succint, you just earned yourself a follower. thanks!
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Curves
03/21/09

@mfusion: Yes, it was, and in fact, he earned two.
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strider_mt2k
03/20/09

In reply to Combat Pilots Ejecting After Aircraft Crash
Yes, the seats are designed to operate that low to the ground. -or on the ground.

Sorry they crashed, but I'm sure glad they're okay.
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Curves
03/20/09

In reply to Combat Pilots Ejecting After Aircraft Crash
I have been on a lot of dates that I wished I could eject from. I would take my chances on injury or death as the better choice in some cases.
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realsnickers
03/20/09

@Curves:

funny, I picture you ejection from the dinner table in the middle of a sentence about book keeping rules for corporations
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Curves
03/21/09

@realsnickers: No, my dates love my "corporate accouting rules" small talk, especially when I get to the part about naughty boys who break the rules.
Oh yeah, they like it then. ;)
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