4 ms·

A co-pilot is still a pilot, and nobody willingly ejects from a healthy aircraft. Ejecting can still go wrong, and subjects your body to huge compressive force

by adwww 4y ago

A co-pilot is still a pilot, and nobody willingly ejects from a healthy aircraft. Ejecting can still go wrong, and subjects your body to huge compressive forces - it's not uncommon to fracture your spine. Interesting point about non pilot crew though - although there must be a fairly limited number of fast jets that have mission crew with ejector seats. Perhaps a couple of US bombers?

dylan604 4y ago
Wasn't there a plane (thinking bomber with you) that ejected down from the aircraft so that the minimum altitude was super important?
- adwww 4y ago
  B52 ejects in all directions, some up, some down ha.
- rjsw 4y ago
  Early F-104 Starfighters had a downward-firing ejection seat [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter#Ejection_seat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter#Eje...
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- robonerd 4y ago
  The Soviet Tu-22 (a bomber) also did this. (Though not the Tu-22M, which is basically a different plane.)
  - lstodd 4y ago
    http://www.airforce.ru/aircraft/miscellaneous/ejectionseats/tu/tu-22_seats_ph_09.jpg http://www.airforce.ru/aircraft/miscellaneous/ejectionseats/... Super convenient - climb a ladder, strap in and then tech guys winch you up with a hand crank (on first models). Altitude less than 1500 ft and you're dead. G-load above a threshold and its rails jam, so you're not going anywhere. 1950s tech that flew into 1990s.
    - hef19898 4y ago
      B52 has entered the chat of flying fossils.
- rwmj 4y ago
  The Avro Vulcan had two ejection seats, for the pilot and co-pilot, and nothing for the three other crew members. They had a door and were expected to bail out, which after they switched to flying low level under enemy radar wasn't really possible. Predictably this lead to several tragedies. https://hackaday.com/2021/01/11/the-v-bomber-ejector-seat-controversy/ https://hackaday.com/2021/01/11/the-v-bomber-ejector-seat-co... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan
robonerd 4y ago
> subjects your body to huge compressive forces - it's not uncommon to fracture your spine. I've heard that military pilots are retired from flying after the second ejection (regardless of the reason for it) due to this spinal injury concern. It must be one hell of a kick in the ass.
- darrenf 4y ago
  Back in the 1950s and 60s my dad was a parachute training instructor for the RAF. As well as teach others how to safely jump out of planes, he also basically did QA for ejector seats. His service ended when one such seat really wasn’t ready for humans. It totally fucked his back up — he didn’t become wheelchair bound, but was told to never lift anything heavier than a cup of tea for the rest of his life. Registered disabled from his mid-30s. Ejector seats were, and I assume still are, no joke.
  - rich_sasha 4y ago
    Ejection seats also got a lot more powerful over time. The gold standard now are 0/0 seats, so called because they can be used at 0 altitude and 0 speed. Earlier seats had speed and/or altitude requirements. Presumably this means that they kick you harder too, with all such subsequent effects.
    - robonerd 4y ago
      Many early ejection seats used explosive charges instead of rocket motors. These were less powerful overall (didn't throw pilots as far from the plane) but I suspect they might have kicked a lot harder in the instant of ignition.
      - rich_sasha 4y ago
        Interesting... it sounds familiar with various videos of ejection over time, but I never realised this changes the force dynamics!
    - kayodelycaon 4y ago
jimmaswell 4y ago
> nobody willingly ejects from a healthy aircraft. You'd think so, but sadly: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29729307 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29729307
- kayodelycaon 4y ago
  Technically, that’s a bail-out. Has somewhat fewer rockets and high-g forces than an ejection seat.
chrisseaton 4y ago
> Interesting point about non pilot crew though - although there must be a fairly limited number of fast jets that have mission crew with ejector seats. I mean you're reading an article about one, aren't you? Also the Panavia Tornado. F-15E, etc.

by adwww 4y ago

dylan604 4y ago

Wasn't there a plane (thinking bomber with you) that ejected down from the aircraft so that the minimum altitude was super important?

adwww 4y ago
B52 ejects in all directions, some up, some down ha.
rjsw 4y ago
Early F-104 Starfighters had a downward-firing ejection seat [1]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter#Ejection_seat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter#Eje...
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
robonerd 4y ago
The Soviet Tu-22 (a bomber) also did this. (Though not the Tu-22M, which is basically a different plane.)
- lstodd 4y ago
  http://www.airforce.ru/aircraft/miscellaneous/ejectionseats/tu/tu-22_seats_ph_09.jpg http://www.airforce.ru/aircraft/miscellaneous/ejectionseats/... Super convenient - climb a ladder, strap in and then tech guys winch you up with a hand crank (on first models). Altitude less than 1500 ft and you're dead. G-load above a threshold and its rails jam, so you're not going anywhere. 1950s tech that flew into 1990s.
  - hef19898 4y ago
    B52 has entered the chat of flying fossils.
rwmj 4y ago
The Avro Vulcan had two ejection seats, for the pilot and co-pilot, and nothing for the three other crew members. They had a door and were expected to bail out, which after they switched to flying low level under enemy radar wasn't really possible. Predictably this lead to several tragedies. https://hackaday.com/2021/01/11/the-v-bomber-ejector-seat-controversy/ https://hackaday.com/2021/01/11/the-v-bomber-ejector-seat-co... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Vulcan

robonerd 4y ago

> subjects your body to huge compressive forces - it's not uncommon to fracture your spine. I've heard that military pilots are retired from flying after the second ejection (regardless of the reason for it) due to this spinal injury concern. It must be one hell of a kick in the ass.

darrenf 4y ago
Back in the 1950s and 60s my dad was a parachute training instructor for the RAF. As well as teach others how to safely jump out of planes, he also basically did QA for ejector seats. His service ended when one such seat really wasn’t ready for humans. It totally fucked his back up — he didn’t become wheelchair bound, but was told to never lift anything heavier than a cup of tea for the rest of his life. Registered disabled from his mid-30s. Ejector seats were, and I assume still are, no joke.
- rich_sasha 4y ago
  Ejection seats also got a lot more powerful over time. The gold standard now are 0/0 seats, so called because they can be used at 0 altitude and 0 speed. Earlier seats had speed and/or altitude requirements. Presumably this means that they kick you harder too, with all such subsequent effects.
  - robonerd 4y ago
    Many early ejection seats used explosive charges instead of rocket motors. These were less powerful overall (didn't throw pilots as far from the plane) but I suspect they might have kicked a lot harder in the instant of ignition.
    - rich_sasha 4y ago
      Interesting... it sounds familiar with various videos of ejection over time, but I never realised this changes the force dynamics!
  - kayodelycaon 4y ago

jimmaswell 4y ago

> nobody willingly ejects from a healthy aircraft. You'd think so, but sadly: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29729307 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29729307

kayodelycaon 4y ago
Technically, that’s a bail-out. Has somewhat fewer rockets and high-g forces than an ejection seat.

chrisseaton 4y ago

> Interesting point about non pilot crew though - although there must be a fairly limited number of fast jets that have mission crew with ejector seats. I mean you're reading an article about one, aren't you? Also the Panavia Tornado. F-15E, etc.