An Ejection Seat from an SR-71
is believed to be being used as a
throne by the ruler of a small island in the Pacific
An ejection system was tested in late 1912, at Issy-les-Moulineaux
near Paris by Baron d'Odkolek. A parachuted dummy was extracted
by a small cannon launched parachute from an aircraft in flight. The
system also included a rudimentary skirt spreader gun to rapidly expand the
parachute to full open. (Skirt spreaders are in use on some seats today,
including the Stencel S-III-S used in the AV-8A and AV-8B Harriers.)
The Germans during World War II used ejection seats some 60 times.
Ejection Seats have been used over 12000 times to date.
The most common reason for unsuccessful Ejection is delayed
Ejection Decision.
The Martin-Baker MK 14 seat is microprocessor controlled,
with thermal batteries for power. (Not unique to Martin-Baker designs.
The ACES II seat also uses thermal batteries and an analog control unit)
When inspected, all functions of an Ejection Seat must function
within 1/10 of a second (for a mechanical/pyrotechnic seat).
Electrical controlled seats use tolerances in the millisecond
(.001) range and must test out accordingly).
Some Ejection Seats can weigh almost 200 lbs, especially the Russian K-36D.
A Martin-Baker MK. J5D weighs about 150 lbs.
(Most are lighter, including the ACES II which weighs in at around 130lbs.)
A Zero-Zero ejection seat will launch a normal
sized pilot to a height of
over 200 ft and give him a full chute in around three seconds.
The Harrier jet (used by the USMC and the RAF in various versions) uses an
explosive to shatter the canopy inches above the pilots helmet. The canopy
can not be jettisoned, so if the explosive doesn't work, the ejection seat
will punch through it anyway. Canopy breakers are installed on the headrest
to facilitate the effect
At least one woman pilot has successfully ejected using an
ACES II ejection seat. The exact number of female ejectees is changing as more
women are involved in military aviation. Women are known to have ejected from a T-45A
using a Mk. 14 NACES seat
The Gemini Astronauts flew into space riding on ejection seats. In space,
the ejection seat handles were stowed in a covered compartment in the base
of the seat. Early Russian Cosmonauts returned from space, and ejected from their
capsules and decended under personal parachutes. The Gemini system was never used.
Live testing of ejection systems over the years has included humans, chimpanzees and
even bears. The chimpanzee and bear ejections were in the Stanley Supersonic Capsule
during its extensive test program. The Stanley capsule was test fired with humans as well
prior to its installation in the B-58 Hustler.
The A-1D Skyraider used the YANKEE tractor rocket system to pull the pilot out of the seat
and open the parachute.
The Ka-50 and Ka-52 attack helicoptors are equipped with the Zvezda
K-37 egress system. It uses a tractor rocket like the YANKEE to extract the crew after
explosive bolts jettison the rotors.
The F-111 series of aircraft used Escapac ejection seats in the very
early ones. Later production aircraft utilized a crew module which ejected the entire cockpit and
both its occupants to decend intact.
Most egress systems are designed to separate from the crew and allow
them to decend under a normal parachute.
Nose capsules (jettisoning the entire front of the airplane just aft
of the cockpit)were explored for such aircraft as the F-104 and F-8. This was the method used by
the Germans for the first fielded system.
