Intel Report
Ejection seats have s aved thousands of aircrew’s lives over the years. Alan Warnes visited Martin- Bake r in Denham, Buckinghamshire, to see how it’s maintained its position as a worldleader in escape systems for more than 70 years.
The majority of fast jet pilots would agree that the most important part of their aircraft is the ejection seat.
‘Banging out’, as it’s sometimes called, is usually the only option when staying with your aircraft would likely lead to death. Pilots who have ejected often speak of the apparent eternity between pulling the ejection handle and being jettisoned – in reality it’s around a tenth of a second.
The pilot or rear-seater is then propelled through the canopy with a force of between 15 and 20g.
If they keep their arms tucked in, and with their legs restrained by a harness at the bottom of the seat, they should escape harm during ejection. A helmet with the visor down provides protection for their head and face.
After around two seconds, depending on altitude, the parachute opens, and the seat falls clear of the pilot, who will now float down to earth.
Unfortunately, ejection is not always successful. There have been tragic accounts of pilots with longer torsos…
