Eject, Eject, Eject! Those are the last words uttered by a pilot before activating the ejection handle.
Leaving a plane mid-flight, sitting in a chair equipped with rockets that project you upwards, reaching about 20gs. Today this sounds more common, but in the past ejection was seen as something incredible and at the same time crazy, but in the end this is what often saves the lives of many fighter pilots around the world.
The most varied combat aircraft have the upper seat as a last resort, that is, a two-seater aircraft. Here in Brazil we have the T-27 Tucano and the A-29 Super Tucano, as well as high-performance fighters such as the F-5EM/FM.
In other countries the same occurs, whether with F-16, SU-30, F-15, SU-35, F-35, among others. But it is not now that the idea of ejecting a pilot in mid-flight from an aircraft has come up.
History of the ejector seat
The history of the ejection seat began in the midst of the second of the world's two most famous and deadliest wars, World War II.
The pioneer companies in the construction of ejection seats were the German company Heikel and the Swedish company SAAB.
At the time, the first models were powered by compressed air. The first life-saving use of the seat for pilots was used by Helmut Schenk, who became the first person to escape in flight from his aircraft using a mechanical means to do so. Schenk was aboard a He 280 jet (at the time the Nazis were the pioneers in the construction of jets. One of them being a very peculiar one that has already been the topic here on our portal).
Still against the backdrop of World War II, developers began to think of other forms of propulsion for the seats. In 1944, a seat was designed that used springs, as a catapult system so that the pilot could be taken out of the aircraft and thus save himself.
Before and during the 2nd World War, there was only one way to get out of the plane, which was for the pilot to get out of the aircraft and jump with a parachute, but depending on the situation it was complicated, as the plane could be spinning out of control, or be on fire. , or something like that. The ejection seat was born in World War II, but it did not yet have mass use.
With the end of the global conflict, aviation was gaining new heights, jet aviation was already a reality, a few years after the end of the war, the sound barrier was broken and with that speed was the greatest advantage and novelty. However, the accuracy of saving pilots' lives was questioned and the ejection seat was the solution.
The British company Martin-Baker is still a pioneer in relation to ejection seats. Its first test was in 1946, in a jet Gloster Meteor Mk III, thus marking another stage of success. The company is still active in the market, supplying seats for stealth fighter jets like the Lockheed Martin F-35.
In the 60s, ejection tests on supersonic flights were started, and again the British company was a pioneer, having cases of launches at speeds greater than 700 knots (1300 km/h) and at record altitudes of 57000 feet (17400 meters).
Over the years new technologies were created, errors were corrected and the advancement and safety of seats increased.
How works
- The entire ejection system is automatic, when the pilot activates the ejection handle the rockets are activated and the seat leaves the aircraft. There are two ways to get out of the plane, one of them is the seat with the horns (Ex: A-29 Super Tucano), these horns break the acrylic canopy. The second type is when powered up, the entire nacelle comes off and the seats come off the aircraft.
- In the process of tying the pilot to the seat, a strap on each leg must be attached to the seat, but with a space for the pilot to command the aircraft pedals. When the ejection handle is activated, the pilot's legs are glued to the chair, to avoid involuntary movements caused by sudden force.
- However, there are impacts to the pilot, as there are Gs loads that reach more than 20 Gs so it is normal that when activated, the pilot faints for a few seconds.
- As said, the system is automatic, as soon as it is activated the explosion occurs, with the rapid ejection of the seat.
With the advancement of technologies, there are now zero-zero seats, which can work from the floor. In an emergency situation during takeoff or landing, pilots can activate the seat directly from the ground.
Watch some videos below:
- Compiled from real ejections:
- Zero-zero ejection test:
The ejection was even portrayed on film, as in this sad example of the classic Top Gun, where due to a mechanical failure the Goose (Maverick's companion in an F-14), ends up colliding against the Canopy during the ejection:
