Thunderbird ejection

[Ron 10]

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Rules are great. Sometimes pilots aren't in control of their aircraft's "velocity vector". I think the fact that the pilot stayed in control of the aircraft and even banked a little to the left to add a margin of safety (per the USAF report) before he ejected was heads up.

If he was "heads up" he would not have flown an airplane into the ground.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[wingnut 0]

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Damn that was fast. Wonder how many G's the pilot is under when the ejection seat shoots out.

14 or 27 i can't remeber.....

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"i have no reader's digest version"

[labrys 0]

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If he was "heads up" he would not have flown an airplane into the ground.

I figured that would come up....... Yeah, he screwed up. But he didn't just throw in the towel and punch out high. He made an effort to mitigate his mistake.

Owned by Remi #?

[diablopilot 2]

The ACES II is a third-generation seat, capable of ejecting a pilot from zero-zero conditions up to maximum altitude and airspeeds in the 600 KEAS range. The peak catapult accelleration is about 12g, with a extra 2g pulse from a stabilizing rocket. The ACES II has three main operating modes, one each for the low speed/low altitude, medium speed, and high speed/high altitude. In Mode 1, which includes 0-0, the parachute is inflating in less than two seconds. In Mode 2 the chute is inflating in less than 6 seconds. Mode 3 deployment is delayed by the sequencer until the seat-man package reaches either Mode 2, or Mode 1 conditions, whichever comes first.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[labrys 0]

I find it very unsettling that the ejection seat is smarter than the altimieter.

Owned by Remi #?

[Casurf1978 0]

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The ACES II is a third-generation seat, capable of ejecting a pilot from zero-zero conditions up to maximum altitude and airspeeds in the 600 KEAS range. The peak catapult accelleration is about 12g, with a extra 2g pulse from a stabilizing rocket. The ACES II has three main operating modes, one each for the low speed/low altitude, medium speed, and high speed/high altitude. In Mode 1, which includes 0-0, the parachute is inflating in less than two seconds. In Mode 2 the chute is inflating in less than 6 seconds. Mode 3 deployment is delayed by the sequencer until the seat-man package reaches either Mode 2, or Mode 1 conditions, whichever comes first.

DAMN 12gs + an extra 2g. Talk about spinal compression. I'll take that over going down with the plane any day.


Thanks

[diablopilot 2]

Why? An altimeter is an instrument. Has no "intelligent" functions, where as the seat has been programed to react differently to specific scenarios.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[kiltboy 0]

I believe it is to do with the injuries sustained during ejection and that he never returned to flight status with enough time for the full team to practice.

David

[labrys 0]

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Why? An altimeter is an instrument. Has no "intelligent" functions

My point was..... if an ejection seat can be designed to be so "smart" why does the pilot have to manually adjust his altimeter.

Sure it's "just an instrument". That's the problem. If this particular instrument has been as sophisticated as it could be using current technology, the accident wouldn't have happened, the pilot wouldn't have been at as much risk, and the 20 million dollar plane wouldn't have been destroyed and ejection seat would have been a mute point.

Owned by Remi #?

[adamT 0]

They have radar altimeters, but they only work a certian distance from the ground and only at certian atitudes. He may have been out of that envelope when he started the manuver or he may have just looked at the other one.

[diablopilot 2]

When it comes to an altimeter I'd ratherhave one that's less complex than one that's "smarter" and thus prone to a failure of "technology"

in this incident the altimeter did not fail, the pilot failed to set it properly. The pilot then sucessfuly managed to get his ass out of hot water by pulling the handle and punching his own ass out of the sip.

For clarification: Ejection seats are automated, but are not automatic. I don't know of a single one that will punch a pilot out of his ship untill the pilot himself starts the ejection sequence.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[labrys 0]

Your point is well taken about the seat. I know that there's also a limit to how much crap you can cram into cockpit.... Just seems to me that in a "fly by wire" aircraft like the F-16 you've got a lot more "technology failure" to worry about than an altimeter going bad.

Owned by Remi #?