MiG 23 Down at Thunder Over Michigan Air Show

[izod tester]

After the sad death of the navigator of an RAFG Phantom whose seat had just left the ac when he was hit by the front cockpit canopy after the pilot gave the command to eject, the agreement between most crews was that in the event of the need to eject, the pilot would announce that by pulling his own handle. All rear seat occupants agreed that they would catch on pretty quickly.

[PHXPhlyer]

Juan's update on NTSB preliminary report:



PP

[OneHungLow]

Juan makes the case for the ejection and the back seat driver's decision, methinks.

[Boac]

The key for me is did he warn the front seat first to give him time to brace for ejection or just pull the handle?

[OneHungLow]

The key for me is did he warn the front seat first to give him time to brace for ejection or just pull the handle?

I would guess probably not. It seems that the front seater had become task focussed on restarting the engine while the aircraft was losing altitude and kinetic energy as their options ran out. Looking at the video indicates that they were on the very limit of a successful ejection. The back seater says he does not remember pulling the ejection handle, but was sure he did. I appreciate that the front seater could have been seriously injured but had the back seat driver not taken the initiative they both would have probably been killed. As it was they both survived albeit, probably with sore backs etc.

[Boac]

Diverging slightly from topic, this is what the armourers gave me (in exchange for a crate of Warsteiner) - 'my' handle and actual cartridges. The seat-pan handle was initially 'lost' as it was not with the seat, and was found close to where I fell to earth. Knowing the breaking strain of the operating cable, an armourer reckoned that had the cartridges misfired I had pulled hard enough to guarantee a safe ejection and I was NOT going to let go.....

I also managed to 'ferret' the seat from the RAF clutches some years later and 'carried' it around for 3 house moves until I realised I was never going to do the Luftwaffe F104 thing and upholster it and mount it on a large spring to rock on while imbibing my evening ale, so I gave it to a deserving collector.

[OneHungLow]

So the question remains, to what do you cling onto on those long dark evenings of the soul, slaving over your vodka martini, shaken, not stirred, on your bar stool in your den, or did you retain ownership of the handle and cartridges, at the very least?

[Boac]

to what do you cling onto on those long dark evenings

That's a secret.

[OneHungLow]

to what do you cling onto on those long dark evenings

That's a secret.

Ah, I see!