There are websites out there on pretty much anything you can imagine. This one is suprisingly interesting.
60 Years ago this month on 26th July 1946 Bernard “Benny” Lynch conducted the first Live Aerial Ejection Test for the Martin-Baker Company.
Since that first test over 7,100 lives have been saved by Martin-Baker ejection seats
Bernard Lynch ejected himself from a Meteor III E416, piloted by Captain Scott, at 8,000 ft and 320 m.p.h. A.S.I. using 2′ dia. Drogue with 7.5″vent, Mark V release, in a test ejection for the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company.
Check Google for German use during WW II.
One place ejection seats are missing? The Space Shuttle.
Yeah…nothing like ejecting from the shuttle within the upper atmosphere, only to burn up within it. I’d take my chances inside, thank you very much.
They should put ejection seats in buildings that are taller then a certain height…
The space shuttle Columbia actually had ejection seats during its first four flights (when it only carried two pilots).
“Internally, Columbia was originally fitted with Lockheed-Martin-built ejection seats identical to those found on the SR-71 Blackbird. These seats were active on the initial series of orbital test flights, but were deactivated after STS-4 and were removed entirely after STS-9.”
and
“For its first four test flights, Columbia had ejection seats for the two pilots, but those were removed once the testing phase was finished. The ejection seats could only be used at speeds of less than Mach 3 — much slower than the Mach 18 speeds at which Columbia was traveling when it broke up. Experts say no human could survive an ejection at the speed and altitude involved in Columbia’s tragedy.
After the Challenger explosion, engineers discussed the possibility of retrofitting the shuttles with escape pods, but NASA decided that the option would not increase survivability of an accident and might even compromise the shuttles’ structural integrity. In light of the Columbia breakup, the idea has sparked fresh debate.
NASA did install an emergency escape system that would enable the astronauts to parachute from the shuttle, but only during level flight at altitudes of 20,000 feet or less.”
Steve
I subscribed to the Wings and Airpower magazines, for many years, and my favorite in their pages was about a pilot who had his ejection seat fail – and lived to tell about it.
Everything which could go wrong did – including his parachute not opening after he got out of the plane.
He was over the ocean, and the impact shattered his legs & damaged pelvis – but he lived.
I searched their back issue archives [since I don’t know if I still have my copy] but I believe it is:
Subject: Bailout from F-8
Author: Wiley
Title: Over the Edge From 20,000 Feet!
Issue: AUG 1987
I found a reference to #5 here:
http://www.cloudnet.com/~djohnson/usmc.htm
On June 18, the squadron
participated in the nearly-disastrous, Operation: Green Wave, a WestPac
deployment. With the intention of flying their Crusaders across the Pacific to
NAS Atsugi, Japan, the squadron launched its aircraft in three groups of six
aircraft, with the first two elements led by LtCol. Claude Barnhill and Maj.
Donald Tooker. Two of Barnhill’s pilots had to turn back, while the remaining
aircraft flew to MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI. Maj. Tooker’s aircraft caught fire
during an aerial refueling cycle and he was forced to eject moments before the
aircraft exploded. The rest of the flight proceeded to Kaneohe while Maj.
Tooker was fished out of the ocean by the USS Koiner (DDE-331).
The third element proceeded west the following day, and 1Lt. Cliff Judkins, III
experienced the same problem as Maj. Tooker during his refueling cycle. Judkins
was unable to eject due to a seat failure, so he was forced to bail out WWII-
style. His parachute, however, failed to open, and Judkins fell 10,000 feet
into the ocean. Incredibly, he survived, with moderate injuries to his face,
pelvis, and ankles. By June 22, the Death Rattlers decided that they’d had
enough of Operation: Green Wave and the aircraft were moved to Atsugi by
surface ship.
followed by:
From Cliff J. Judkins
I flew the Crusader from 1960-1965. … I am, to the best
of my knowledge, the only pilot to complete a manual bailout
from a crusader. The chute streamed but didn’t open…but
that’s another story. Spent 30 years as a pilot for Delta Air
Lines and am now retired.
The “same problem” both pilots encountered was the “full” sensor in the fuel tanks failed, the fuel bladders in the wings expanded enough – during in-flight refueling – to push against the throttle-cable, causing the engine to go to full-power…
Any time the engine was restarted – as the plane dropped like a stone – the engine went to full-power and flamed-out…
Oh yeah, since the fuel tanks were overfilled, fuel spilled-out and caught fire…