Ejection Decision - A second Too Late! (1981)

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Department of Defense - Ejection Decision - A Second Too Late
Developed for aircrews who fly aircraft with ejection seats. Emphasizes the importance of making timely ejection decisions and features live ejection sequences.
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[@RogerM9]

As a trainee RAF pilot, I was fortunate enough to have some trips in the back seat of a 2 seat Harrier in Germany in 1975 whilst I was holding between training courses. I still remember the pre-takeoff brief which included this instruction. "When we come to do a vertical landing, if the engine quits in the hover things will happen very quickly. If I say "eject" and you say "What?" you'll be talking to yourself! But I have "Follow me" painted on the soles of my boots." It made an impression on a 22-year-old trainee!

[@SE4943]

Haha Legend

[@oceanic8424]

[12/30/22] Exactly, refer to the recent F-35B mishap that took place at the Ft. Worth factory airfield. Some ppl have questioned the pilot's decision, or need to eject at all.

[@Internetspaceships]

You can build new aircraft and train new pilots, but you can never replace the experience of a killed pilot. Each pilot is unique and an air ace could shift the course of a war. RIP to all those lost and to their families.

[@tomshaw2635]

3 Oct 79 @ 18:50 in the video. I was the Lead F-4 WSO on that mission. As I called for the Pull Down on our pop up attack my AC said, "Oh shit, check your 3:00! I only caught a wing flash before the F-15 crashed (77-0072 9 TFS, 49 TFW). Talk about a timely decision. It was a long quiet ride back to Nellis. That was the end of DACT in TAC (except with the Agressors) for quite a while even though the guys that had the mishap were both from Holloman. BTW--the other F15 (770061) limped into NAS Fallon.

[@RealFloridaHorseman]

+Tom Shaw Glad you survived. Thank you for your service!

[@jeffreyskoritowski4114]

It's amazing how many eagles survive midair collisions.

[@anononymousnessestslartyba3701]

+Tom Shaw Thanks, I wondered about the other aircraft that clipped his nose off. I live next to a Navy Training Base in Washington, they do practice deck-landings, touch-and-go's, so it is REALLY LOUD with the new Growlers. In 1982, I lived up in the foothills, by a power-line, and the A-6 Prowler was in use. They would get over the power lines, then set the altimeter autopilot at around 200-feet, I could see their faces going by! That was towards the end of a period of years when you could have been in since 1975, done 20-years by 1985, and maybe gone on one mission of aggression, MAYBE.... But I doubt it. The A-6 killed more than 16-pilots in Peace-time training, with ZERO combat deaths. I think it was a real issue about the value of the aircraft being emphasized over the value of the Pilots. Those low-level runs made for evading the BUK Launcher were pretty dangerous. The A-6 was another flying fuel-bomb, too. I believe the Pakistani Knock-off of the F-16 to be superior to all jet-aircraft at the moment, simply because of it's cost to performance ratio. But our Pilots should have no issues punching out of an f-16, there are over 2,000 of them, it's not like it's a Hemi.

[@Bribosome]

+jeffrey skoritowski there was a video where an Israeli pilot landed one with one wing blown off. he said if it werent for the fuel spray obstructing his view, he would have ejected.

[@kjolley2968]

Tom Shaw

[@charlieninervn8231]

When I was in Vietnam Air Force pilots save my ass. These guys have balls of steel, warrior minds, and hearts of hero’s. I enjoyed 52 years of life thanks to you guys. God Bless all of you.

[@shanekasper4587]

God bless all of y'all

[@Addy-745]

I am Vietnamese you guys bad blow my village all fire very bad most dead children woman.

[@mxslick50]

Active duty in 1981, served at Davis-Monthan (A-10s baby!) and later into the Calif. Air Nat'l Guard where I got the rare treat of a backseat ride in an F-4 to the bomb range. (I was a weapons loader, 46250) On the day of my flight I got to go through egress training, where I got a crash course (pun intended) on ejecting from the back seat. All went well till the discussion of options in case the seat failed to fire started. The Lt. who was assigned to oversee my orientation kind angered the master Sgt. doing my training, because he snickered when we got to step three. The MSgt. got pissed and demanded to know what was so funny. The Lt. told me to tell him what our flight profile was. (Low level bombing and strafing.) The Lt. then told the Msgt. that if I wasn't out of the bird by the time the pilot said "Eje" ...that I was goin down with the plane. I cannot disclose the speeds or altitudes, but suffice to say they were fucking fast and damn low. :) The evolution of an ejection (and steps if preceding steps fail are) : 1: Pilot will say Eject, Eject, Eject three times very fast (remember what I was told above..) ; 2: I pull either the upper or lower handle, if the first one fails, pull the other; (if it works, skip to step 9) 3: If both fail, pull the CANOPY eject handle on the (I think) left rail (BTW the handles in the seat initiate a SEQUENCE of events, starting with blowing the canopy clear as seen in this video, a second or less later the seat will fire. The CANOPY is what actually fires the seat off); 4: If that fails, pull the CANOPY RELEASE handle on the opposite rail; (Idea is the canopy will pop open a few inches, like a car hood, and the wind will rip the canopy off, which then fires the seat); 5: If that fails, I am supposed to unpin a dull knife from the canopy lip and MANUALLY bust a hole in the canopy big enough for me and my parachute pack to climb thorough, followed by: 6: Unstrap myself from the seat manually (making sure I unbuckle my seat restraints, NOT my parachute); 7: Crawl out through the hole in the canopy; 8: Hang on in the wind and attempt to push myself up and away from the aircraft (without hitting the tail assembly on the way out); 9: Manually deploy my parachute asap (if the system fires normally or when the canopy lets go, IIRC the parachute pack, me and seat separate automatically and the chute will open without me doing anything) 10: Hopefully float down to earth and do a landing which I was NOT trained for or able to have practiced. Now I have to add three important notes here. One, once we are seated in the aircraft I was warned NEVER, EVER say the words EJECT or BAILOUT unless I saw we were going down. It is a cardinal sin, as pilots, when hearing either word, will have to make that split second decision and if I caused a perfectly good aircraft to be lost (not to mentioned endangering both of our lives) it would be a serious offense. Second: As part of my duties in the back seat (I had several steps in preflight, engine start and pre takeoff that I HAD to do in the back) one of those step was to set the "Option Handle" , which selects either each crew member initiates their own ejection sequence or "Dual" mode, which was if either of us pulled the handles, we BOTH went. (IN single mode, if I panicked and pulled my handles, I would go but the PILOT would not, leaving him to try to control a plane with no canopy. A very bad thing.) Third, I had a simple metal guard for the lower handle that I Had to drop right before takeoff. My command from the pilot was "Drop lower guard" to which I would reply lower guard dropped over the comm. Now as a weapons loader my duties required me to go into the cockpit and sit in the pilot seat (especially in the A-10), and I had annual training on making sure the egress system had all safety pins installed and had no signs of issues that could cause the system to fire on the ground. We were basically taught to fear it as a we would a basket full of rattlesnakes. I will close this by saying my flight was awesome, we pulled several high-G (and many negative G) maneuvers and I lost about 7 lbs in sweat, literally. I gained higher respect for our aircrew and how tough it really was. The scariest part of the whole flight? For me, it was when I dropped that lower guard and realized that I was strapped into the very seat and system I was trained to fear for the ten years prior. :) It was only a momentary flash of panic, but it was intense. :) USAF/ANG 1981-1993

[@marctronixx]

this was amazing to read. This is why i troll the comment section of these types of films because there are usually people who served in the military who would comment. my hat is off to you and thank you for your service to this country!

[@paulielacqua8834]

Thank you for the upload, my pops 85 yrs old retired AF. Somebody always gotta pay. Pilots were reluctant to eject fear of court martial that's why huge difference in war time pilots and peace time ejections. War 90% success, peace time is all about chain of command looking to hang somebody for crashing Uncle Sam's expensive toy's......

[@jfraserfisher]

That was what I was thinking, how many worried about repercussions of ejecting from multi million dollar planes in fear of been blamed, court marshalled or discharged?

[@tgmcnaughton]

I just happened across this video. Imagine my surprise to see my dad start at 4:36! What a weird coincidence.

[@TonkerSC]

That’s actually really cool Yiu must have a epic Dad

[@Chrisso714]

col grant mcnaughton

[@tnleverett]

That's cool!

[@flaps0]

Epic!

[@DealerD8vE]

RIP www.legacy.com/obituaries/montereyherald/Obituary.aspx?pid=148496905

[@larrynilssen5738]

As an ex USAF Pilot, I know the delay to eject is raw fear. Of the accident investigation board.

[@cardo718]

Larry Nilssen, I served in the USMC on active duty from 1974 to 1980. My MOS was a Combat Engineer. In Feb. 1978, I was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. I was a Sergeant and part of a construction crew. We were tasked with tearing up an old Harrier landing pad made of heavy gauge steel. It was to be replaced by a special heat resistant concrete. We were next to to air strip and we were used to the fighter jets taking off and landing all day and they would also practice "touch and goes". One afternoon, an F4- Phantom was landing and it ran off the tarmac and onto the dirt. The plane plowed through our crew of about 12 Marines. One Marine was killed, Lance Corporal Jason Barline, 21 years old. Just before the plane went through us, I heard two loud explosions. It was the Pilot and the R.E.O. ejecting. When all of the dust settled, I saw the two Officers walking up to us. I ran up to the Lt. Colonel, forgetting about military courtesies and asked the pilot what happened? I also asked him what were the two loud expsions I heard just before impact. He told me it was the ejection seats going off. I think the Colonel was just as stunned as I was. Nobody else was was severely injured.

[@getstuk87]

@@cardo718 Crazy story, glad you were ok and sorry about your young pal who wasn't :(

[@jacob2790]

@@cardo718 Thank you for your service, and for this story. Semper fi

[@456swagger]

No one wants to suffer from premature ejection.

[@NicholasBartel-rl8se]

Is” t that the truth being grounded or worse

[@DevSolar]

Back in the 80'ies we had planes passing low over our house every day on their landing approach to the RAF airfield in Guetersloh. One day I saw a plane, trailing an unusual dark exhaust trail, with the pilot rather violently working the throttle up and down. Obviously in deep trouble already, this pilot wrestled his plane over our town to crash-land in a field just beyond, ejecting at the last possible moment. I don't know who he was, but I salute him for risking his life that way.

[@voornaam3191]

Fun fact. Gütersloh got world famous in the nineties for their... public library. They were the first public library in the whole world, to split the library in three. Very popular books, less popolar but still okay books and those that were kept in storage. Drei-geteilte Bibliothek.

[@rocknral]

@@voornaam3191 That is random.

[@jamesdewer]

You overstate your significance.

[@qwedasfgrvnjh]

17:06 "I then looked out the window, got a closeup of a cactus, and decided it was time to eject." Made my day :D

[@TheMFrelly]

If you could see a cactus your dead lol.

[@robinmccullars4971]

Ha!

[@stan.rarick8556]

@@TheMFrelly Not necessarily. www.strategypage.com/military_photos/military_photos_2004113022.aspx Well, ok, it was at night, so he didn't actually see a cactus.............

[@blancolirio]

Still-One of the BEST goddamn training films ever produced! Juan Browne Class 89-04 Williams AFB AZ. Thanks AirBoyd!

[@phmwu7368]

15:12 Didn't the F-111 come with a whole cockpit capsule ejection ?

[@johnhannigan7498]

@@phmwu7368 yes

[@ronadpaugh44]

some day u will regret using gods name in vain

[@heavenstomurgatroyd7033]

This was fluff....

[@cw2gtc]

ronadpaugh44 *God’s name.

[@sasquatchjunk]

I was at Hill Airforce Base watching an air show in the 80’s. During the show one of the pilots had a problem and intentionally flew his plan to an empty field south of the main runway and crashed there to save everyone at the air show, the surrounding roads and all the other places that would have ended up killing innocents. He is the bravest person I have ever seen and will always be a hero to me because of his selfless actions. His name was Captain Nick Hauck, and it was in May 1981. He was flying for the Thunderbirds.

[@gateway8833]

I’m a retired Crash Officer, I sure wish every Pilot that had cause would eject at the very upper edge of the performance envelope, I really don’t like Aircrew recoveries. I love Aircrew Rescues.

[@paulielacqua8834]

Rescue over recovery. Need makes some hats perfect saying.

[@williamhackett6980]

20 years in Coast Guard and Naval Aviation. On either Kitty Hawk or Ranger, can't remember now, F-4 on takeoff from catapult, shoots off the end, and over rotates about 50 yards in front of carrier.Carrier is steaming into the wind about 15 knots, F4 is facing straight up and wobbling left to right. We kept saying "kick the rudder" so he could get his nose down and avoid being run over by the carrier. Finally he did get into a nose down attitude and took off. We heard the pilot on the radio saying his aircraft had over-rotated again and both he and the Co-pilot were ejecting. They were about 6 miles from the carrier. I heard the same comments from people who should have known better about the pilot not riding his plane in. Come to find out, the plane had over-rotated twice after it left the carrier's vicinity, and the pilots ejected almost parallel to the water. Staying with your aircraft is a nice sentiment; but most times the pilot has literally a few seconds to make the decision. That aircraft in the beginning of the video was in a flat spin, and the force on a crewmember is enough to negate the ability to pull the curtain. I remember the old Mark5 cartridge ejection seats. The ejection was as likely to kill you as anything else. When the Mark 7 rocket seats came into play, the odds were better. I spent 7 years in A6 Intruders after the canopy failures that caused the canopy to only open halfway. From that point, the ejection seats had breaker bars to allow the crew to eject through the plexi canopy. That was better than crashing, but not by much. Brave men all who fly a fancy blowtorch loaded with fuel. I've seen one crew die in a crash. I knew them and their families and have never reconciled myself to their deaths and my survival. Have a great day, Bill Hackett

[@mykey39]

I appreciate all of these older Air Force videos! Thanks for uploading!

[@nickkaning7616]

Military aviation of the 1970s/80s...back when sex was safe and flying was dangerous!

[@SecsSells]

"When in doubt.... get the hell out"

[@beatlemyn]

This music is crazy! This reminds me of the filmstrips we had to watch in elementary school. My own son (15) has been watching DVDs since he started school. There was something charming about the filmed in 1960, scratchy film that was not ever synced to the recording correctly...

[@choochoo3985]

Being a USAF veteran I can tell of at least two events where USAF pilots deliberately flew their powerless aircraft into the ground in populated areas to diminish or eliminate harm to the public. Kansas City in the early 60's a F-100 pilot knowing if he bailed out the aircraft would crash into homes dove straight down into a vacant lot. January 10th 962 a USAF B-47 commander ordered his crew out of a fully loaded B-47 after taking off from McConnell AFB Wichita, Kansas thinking his bomber was failing to provide power. He told the tower he was over a populated as he could see the glow of lights below him and another area of lights in front of him. He informed the tower he saw a dark area in between them and would crash the airplane there. That area was US Highway 54. He requested that the tower say goodbye to his wife and children. All six engines were at 100% when he struck the ground with 90,000 gallons of JP4 on board. I have heard of others including Naval Aviators and Marine pilots. Sacrifices never end.

[@MJLeger-yj1ww]

I think you meant "aircraft into the ground in" -- UN-populated -- "areas to diminish or eliminate harm to the public" in your second sentence. Nonetheless, thanks for the comment and story -- and thanks to all the servicemen who keep us safe and risk their lives for us with their flying!

[@utha2665]

M.J.Leger What he said was correct. Deliberately flew or guided their aircraft into the ground in populated areas. If they were in unpopulated areas they could have all bailed.

[@ParkerUAS]

90,000 gallons? A shade over 600,000 pounds of fuel? The B-47 was limited to 230,000 pound Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW). The B-47 had a capacity of 17,000 gallons or 113,900 pounds.

[@HeyBigChriss]

They had B-47's in the year of 962?! Interesting!

[@alteredbeast67]

Thats very noble. But RAF pilots have been trained since the very early days of jet flight and auto eject technology to fly at altitudes high enough to a) give the pilot/crew a chance to recover the aircraft and b) enough time to make sure when bailing out the aircraft is away from populated areas. Its also highly unusual and against protocol to even fly military aircraft at low altitude over populated areas. At least in Britain it is. Back then the airforce didnt even operate in co- operation with civil aviation air traffic control, which led to a F4 phantom sideswiping a commercial passenger jet killing everyone onboard. All because the military feel their pilots are a law unto themselves. And lets be honest they used to be. Pilots today are better mentally trained but not better at actual hands on flying. These days if you can work a laptop and HUD helmet your a pilot! Man and computer + machines doesnt always = progress. Just sayin......

[@rfletch62]

Old poster. "Are you Brave enough to call a "Mayday"?" Angel on right shoulder says "Do It!". Devil on left shoulder says "You've been in tighter spots, you can still pull it off!"

[@fredbloggs8172]

I ejected over Sardinia in 92 ~ Luckily I'm still here!

[@vincentnin1]

dude did you pay the plane

[@Cybernaut76]

Lee sOo Tell that to Captain Scott O' Grady (yes, the guy who ejected just three years later than Joe Soap).

[@Anonymous-or4ru]

I ejaculated over Sabrina in 92

[@60viking]

@@tallwalls76 funny I worry about modern DNA. "Hi daddy I mis you long time" oh God!

[@60viking]

@@tallwalls76 I was their on and off from 65-68.

[@rickbrown7059]

It was great to see the Wild Weasel again. The one on the ground in the video, was Blue section (training wing), I was in Red section (operational)

[@tacitblue1973]

At the 14 minute mark Col. Pete Winters is seen, around the time this film was produced he was commander of Area 51. One of the then prototype F-117's nicknames was "Pete's Dragon"

[@lanceroark6386]

Was that the one that crashed in Lake Isabella?

[@roberthoffman6689]

Pete was the Squadron Commander of the 23rd TFS at Spangdahlem AB in the last '70s while I was a Wild Weasel pilot with the 81st TFS. Great Guy! with wicked sense of humor.

[@roberthoffman6689]

The general at the first of the film was Leland K Lukens, and I worked for him. A knife-in-the- teeth kinda commander. He wore a pearl handled revolver during exercises. The front license plate on his camouflaged staff car read, "Seek, Attack, Destroy". And he rode a big Harley. Way before the PC days.

[@LandersWorkshop]

@@roberthoffman6689 Cool days...

[@MrRugbylane]

Its a bit shocking to realise that the year this documentary was made, 1981 is, to an 11 year old (in 2018), the same as 1944 was to me when I was 11 in 1981.

[@MrRugbylane]

Exactly!

[@exionem]

80s F16 and F15 still rocking !

[@Snibble]

+exionem It's kinda sad isn't it?

[@theblasphemousgospel6824]

+Theoneandmarlboroman It is American adversary can't make anything better

[@TheJer1963]

You left out the A-10. This film is from 1980.

[@exionem]

True

[@smithaustin624]

1970"s

[@twotif454]

As an aircraft enthusiast, and a huge fan of military aviation, this scenario is something that I having never been a pilot of anything would have thought about. In combat your plane gets shot up, you get out. No real decision to be made. But, if you're in training or some other non combat scenario and your aircraft starts to give out on you, I can see how one would want to stay with it as long as possible. As no one wants to be considered responsible for destroying ANY equipment. Much less a multimillion dollar aircraft. I'd be willing to guess that the words "I'd rather die than bail out" have been spoken by a VAST majority of pilots.

[@FullMetalAtheist]

Then they die and that's natural selection in motion.

[@chrisdelzell8467]

@@FullMetalAtheist selecting against as sense of responsibility? Living up to the username are we?

[@FullMetalAtheist]

@@chrisdelzell8467I'm not sure what an Atheist has to do with any of this. If "responsibility" is going to cost them their life, then yes. That's natural selection. It's just a material item, no matter the cost. They can be recreated if needed. A person's life cannot be.

[@jdizzle18diz]

@@FullMetalAtheist Recreated you say? ☕️ Jkjk I’m responding two years late anyways lol

[@pizzafrenzyman]

I'll never benefit from the lessons in this training video, however, I am 1000 times more prepared today than I was yesterday.

[@johnowen8726]

I miss this Air Force. Real uniforms, real T-shirts under the uniform (aka Before McPeak), professional troops, and the brick with the engines, the F4.

[@smithaustin624]

F4 was a Mach 2 fighter

[@byronbailey9229]

A colleague, RAAF F111, high speed low level in the bombing range, hit a pelican that penetrated into the right seater. He initiated ejection but the aircraft had rolled violently with the impact and the capsule went out sideways, high speed low level. Did not make it. Another colleague, a RAAF FAC embedded with US Forces, was controlling a flight of F100's, close air support of troops in contact, up near the Laotian border. Took a heavy burst of machine gun ground fire that cause his OV 10 to roll out of control. Ejected at around 1000 feet whilst inverted. Parachute riser wrapped around his neck and nearly choked him on descent whilst he got out his 9mm Browning. US chopper came in to rescue him. Had some whisky just last week October 2020 with him and he is still the coolest dude I have ever met. Still flies a Learjet.

[@theDudeOfDudes]

"was testing A10 with a new flash suppressor.." meanwhile the GAU-8 is thinking "Flash suppressor...LOL. Yeah. Right. Good fucking luck! You can't suppress 4,200 freedoms per minute!"

[@theDudeOfDudes]

+Anıl Ertürk it depends on the target. I think democracy rounds were intended for armor.

[@benharry8251]

+TheDudeofDudes *Flash suppressing ammunition.

[@tarakatsul]

Great vid, as former Air Force myself, I love watching everything that takes to the skies. Thanks for posting and remember when the plane goes down, you best be going up.

[@DarthRedshirt]

I can't get over how epic the guy's mustache is. No matter who you are, you will never be as epic as this guy's Fighterstache.

[@Larry1942Will]

While operating off Vietnam I saw one of our F4s flame out on launch. The plane rolled right and the pilot ejected at less than 60' altitude. The rescue helicopter was over him in a very short time. He survived even though his chute never fully opened. I later asked him what was the scariest part. He said all he could think about was the carrier running him over.

[@0diepus]

Seeing the 15 brings back memories of the smell of hydro and jp8. I totally miss working on those birds.

[@miklmiklmtrcycl6009]

This really is a high quality training film. Excellent frank testimonials.

[@abstrakt26]

Helluva vid, where'd ya dig this gem up? Incredible insight for us civies...hats still off to you fighter jocks out there...

[@georgebuller1914]

I recall reading a book once, where the pilot author related one of his sorties. Apparently, he was flying an F4 Phantom and whilst flying, glanced down at the 'rack', wherein SHOULD have been stored 8 (as I recall) 'safety pins' from his ejector seat. As I recall, he counted just 7! Just try to imagine how he felt at that moment, knowing that if he had to eject, then he'd likely die, just because 1 safety pin was still in place!...

[@austink1090]

No idea how I ended up here... but I'm glad I stayed. Fascinating!

[@ahmedshinwari]

Google AI thought it has some relevance to us...

[@SSmith-fm9kg]

The first F4 was a D model, with the emblem of the 8th TAC Fighter Wing, (Ubon, Thailand) on the side of the fuselage. The second was either and RF4-C or E model, the third, with the orange tail and wing markings, was a test plane, purposely put into a flat spin (the wings devoid of the usual wing tanks). With its flat belly, the F4 was prone to go into a flat spin, which, even with the deployment of the parachute, was hard to recover from. Wing tanks and ordinance on the hardpoints would help reduce the problem. The Phantom was an awesome bird.

[@Preceptor-lf1ht]

The machine can be replaced, the life cannot. Thank you for your service. Stay safe out there...

[@genedavis1205]

I saw an F-4D crash on the runway, Bitburg, Germany 1975. The pilot was too low, and was wagging his wings, when he clipped the AGC radar site, and went down. A few months later, I was covering weekends there, and had to re-install equipment in 4 Italian, F-104's who were to depart in a few hours. It was a miserable day, overcast, mixed rain and snow, foggy, etc. I got it all installed, tested, and saw them all off. After they departed, I went to Ops, and had breakfast. I just sat down, when a Captain came down, and told me, they all 4 crashed into the side of a mountain a few minutes before... None of that made any sense at all to me. They had all weather capability. To this day, I don't know what really happened to them. Great guys! Also while there, I red X'd a couple F-4E's. One, because I found a tool in the engine bay by the tail hook. Another, because a test I'd made on faulty equipment showed a shorted video signal cable, to a pair of rear pre-amps (radar detection units). Turns out, the engine had a bad crack in the housing covering the combustion chambers. Flames/heat had scorched the cable. Right above the cabling, behind an aluminum panel, were fuel cells. I learned two things about fighter pilots.. 1. They're cocky as hell!! 2. They're fiercely loyal to those who protect them!!

[@danjsy]

1:35 Hi, I'm Troy McClure...

[@hollywoodsaint57]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jmartin5692]

I’ve heard that after 3 ejections a pilots career is over due to compression of the spine! This was with Martin and baker seat! Not sure if true

[@TusharSharma-wo9th]

As low as 1 in Indian Air force

[@williekp1]

Not true. I know two Jaguar pilots who had been out 3 times. I went out twice. If you strap in properly you can walk away uninjured. Many thanks to Sir Martin Baker.

[@bernardw4842]

Just a great video, amazing insights for non military people.

[@Mom-USMCRichardUSMCChristopher]

What bravely every one of you that stayed with your aircraft had shown how important it was trying to steady and control the aircraft. I'm glad that you pulled your ejection bar.

[@pjzdreamz]

Survival is the key . . . in time of war nobody has the years it takes to raise and train new pilots. These pilots are a very special breed. During my time in service we lost one pilot because of his choice to literaly ride his aircraft into the ground to ensure the safty of hundreds of people on the ground.

[@anononymousnessestslartyba3701]

+pjzdreamz A real Litticum, there.

[@clankplusm]

CHOPPER NO!

[@JenkemSuperfan]

Sounds like Chopper from Ace Combat V

[@JamesGoldsberry]

The first sequence is of a test at Edwards AFB with a "new and improved" drag chute for the F4 to help the recovery from a flat spin. As you could see, It Didn't Work. Both pilots landed ok, and us "lucky" enlisted Phantom Phixers got to go out into the desert and clean up the remains.

[@richardbriscoe8563]

J R Goldsberry The F-4 is unrecoverable if in a flat spin. Popping the rogue chute makes no difference. The T-37 and T-38 are also unrecoverable from spins even though both aircraft are not supposed to be capable of getting into a spin. Both have experienced mishaps involving spins.

[@RandallFlaggNY]

You didn't like your nature hike? Unhappy camper?

[@kaylamarie8309]

I was a cop in the USAF in the mid '80's and was read the riot act, threatened with court-martial to the full extent of the UCMJ and damn near told I was going to get the death penalty over a two inch scratch on the passenger side front fender of a brand new USAF police car I was driving on patrol at the time. There was an in depth investigation into it, I had to make a statement on exactly how it happened, had to take a wiz quiz to make sure I wasn't drunk or on drugs..the whole nine. Over a little scratch in the paint! I actually had no idea how it happened unless somebody did it with a shopping cart in the parking lot of the Commissary when I went inside to take a report that day. Having somehow "survived" that ordeal with all three of my stripes still intact I have to wonder if the concern over explaining the loss of millions of dollars in USAF priority resources ie: the plane is one of the mitigating reasons pilots wait too long to eject? The loss of a jet when a pilot bails out will result in a hell of a detailed investigation (as proper) and if you are found to be at fault God knows what the Air Force would do to you if they made such a big deal over a scratch on a police car! My hat is off to the bravery of our pilots in all branches of our military and the idiots making stupid remarks about them in the peanut gallery need to knock it off.

[@hscollier]

I was in the USAF Air Weather Service when this was made and still remember some of these incidents 40 years later. Loved that Air Force.

[@NavyCWO]

When I flew as a Naval Aircrewman, I was told to decide upon what conditions you would bail out. Once circumstances reached you criteria, then go! We had no ejection seats on our EA-3Bs.

[@elifoust7664]

William Carter Whale

[@sonnyburnett8725]

REALLY?

[@brayanfelipeserrano6486]

Oh an electronic warfare skywarrior pilot. Thats great to know.

[@zepter00]

A-3D crew - All 3 Dead

[@chrispatriot]

Anyone who has ever served in the military knows they forgot one of the reasons on this list of 5.... Although not a pilot, I was in aviation and directly experienced the incredible amount of CRAP a pilot endured after his aircraft crashed. Did this list purposely forget that MOST pilots are aware of the ENORMOUS responsibility and "accountability" they must endure AFTER an incident?? No one wants to crash an aircraft, but let's be real and honest here when we talk about the "why's" involved in a pilot attempting to regain control until the very last minute... It's no different than the new "politically correct", over judged wartime response that no doubt has left many soldiers dead out of fear of exactly WHEN to aggress an enemy... FEAR is one of the STRONGEST human emotions and it many cases it will outweigh common sense judgement, and unfortunately pervert our own "self-survival" instincts... If you want greater numbers in survivability, then you have to decrease the percentage of accountability! In between lies an "equal sign" and that equal sign cannot be broken. So when one side goes up, the other MUST fall! Its just simple logic!

[@Nordic_Goon]

I had to make a similar decision in Iraq in regards to ROE. It's either risk going to jail over something political, or die hesitating... I could only imagine how much flak one would encounter in regards to the loss of an aircraft. I completely understand this.

[@chrispatriot]

Jordan Mason It's sad that humans know we're human, yet we're judged against perfection. It's as if the very "standard" itself proves our flaw to genuinely understand our very nature.... :) To make it worse, when our men and women were being heroes, their were armchair civilian wannabe soldiers watching from back home criticizing the very act of our finest soldiers on the planet!! I don't blame the civilians, they're too STUPID to understand their own ignorance... But I absolutely blame our government and our media for such "distasteful" acts of cowardice politics and unpatriotic behaviors... When a politician is willing to let soldiers die so he can maintain a political face, he's NOT a leader but a simpleton coward! And when the media DESTROYS a hero's complete life so they can sell the controversial sizzle, they don't deserve the power they wield in their hands...

[@sammoon9603]

Chris Banzet John McCain crashed three different aircraft before being shot down. He was known as a sub-par flyer before even being deployed to Vietnam, but still got more multi-million dollar aircraft. His accountability was non-existent. The 1994 Fairchild Air Base crash was because a reckless pilot, Bud Holland, was not held accountable for the dangerous flying he was fond of. He was so known for dangerous and reckless flying that the co-pilot on the doomed flight, Mark McGeehan, was the the USAF squadron commander, and actually refused to allow any of his squadron members to fly with Holland unless he (McGeehan) was also on the aircraft. McGeehan was killed right alongside Holland, because no one seriously held Holland accountable for his behavior until after he crashed, killing himself, McGeehan, and two others, as well as destroying a B-52, and a building the plane crashed into. I understand that when a plane crashes because of mechanical failure, the pilot isn't responsible, but he was in command, and should always be held accountable. If it was his fault, or there was more he could have done to save the aircraft or the people on the ground that the aircraft landed on, it is the pilots responsibility, as he chose the job and worked HARD to get it. The aircraft is always the responsibility of the pilot.

[@Lobos222]

Sam Moon Chris Banzet You both have valid points in regards to the extreme on each ends, but the problem is the gray areas in between and finding the right balance between the two polar opposite. _For example:_ If a too strict ROE only leads to a increase of deaths among ones own soldiers. Then its clear that the ROE needs to be modified, but that dosent mean it will be transformed into a free for all where a soldier can shoot anyone at will or just use code phrases like: "I feared for my life" or similar to automatically lose responsibility for their actions.

[@chrispatriot]

Sam Moon It goes beyond the realm of black and white Sam. I agree, a careless pilot absolutely deserves to be reprimanded, have his wings clipped, and if it continues, then grounded permanently. That's why we observe someone's long term behavioral characteristics when making a judgment about how to properly reprimand them. However, keep in mind, top pilots, top race car drivers, top extreme sports enthusiast will ALWAYS seem like hot head jockies to the rest of the world. The BEST of the best, will ALWAYS push envelopes. I'm not sure about you, but I don't want school bus drivers being Air Force fighter jet pilots. I want guys/gals with nerves of steel that play in the gray area... If we always play safe, then we'll never be first in aviation strength. With that said, let's also remember that judging humans on a "perfect" scale is actually "imperfect" within itself. There's a reason why most government accountability boards allow for something called "human error". Anyone who has ever been in a life or death struggle knows there is a 60,000 year old innate trait called "fight or flight" which kicks in during a human survival event, which is a VERY powerful thing. Not to mention, the neocortex makes for some very interesting interpretations of logic, and those split seconds isn't the time to debate color over black and white. When you have this very OLD logic brain working against the neocortex reasoning brain, you can get some pretty crazy results. It's just a HUMAN experience... The military goes to great lengths to have repetitive training exercises drilled into our heads, yet time and again, that human element magically can appear at any given moment. Humans keep talking about "ascension" as if it's some achievable goal to reach perfection. To me, this is the greatest farce and blindness that man has. Perfection itself "IS" the illusion... One of today's GREATEST travesties is man sitting in a comfortable chair during a moment of great calm and passing judgment against a fellow man in a life or death dance. To me, "wisdom" understands, while ignorance never will....

[@evan8654]

Gotta love the low-key cinematography.

[@snowman374th]

Cool Footage. Sorry for all of their losses. RIP pilots.

[@ChesterKitty01]

This is still one of the best DOD vids available on KZbin via AIRBOYD - thanks!!! purrpurrrrrr

[@cianbas]

Meow!

[@ChesterKitty01]

Thejollygamer3 - meeeooooow, indeed!

[@kineticdeath]

so cute! /pat /pet

[@ChesterKitty01]

kineticdeath /purr

[@kineticdeath]

Chester Kitty cuuute /heart melts away

[@ChainAlgorithm0]

Awesome vid! Now I can check 'ejecting from an out-of-control aircraft' off the list of situations i am prepared for but will never be in.

[@jwar2163]

As a member of an Air Detachment while severing in the US. Navy as A Seabee. I remember learning the bailout procedure thankfully never had to use during all the flights with the U.S. Air Force. Ask me sometime what it is like to go down in a Helicopter and walk away with only minor injuries. I too this day thank the pilot and co pilot in their handling of their craft. There is nothing like seeing a two huge holes and the rotor blades still spinning thru one hole and to look down and see the ground approaching rapidly thru the other hole. To those that are still flying be safe.

[@brunotulliani]

Could use one of those seats when I'm driving the in-law to the grocery store.

[@engineerauthorpilot]

I can SO relate. In-laws suck.

[@Chrisamic]

But would you eject the in-law or yourself?

[@brunotulliani]

@@Chrisamic Both are an option. If I'm going over a cliff, I eject ;). If she gets mouthy....."hasta la vista baby! "

[@damaliamarsi2006]

As a taxpayer I would rather spend 100 million on a new plane than 100 dollars on black roses.

[@williamjordan5554]

100 million of other people's money. And if you have a reason to buy the roses, the plane's gone too, so you're still spending 100 million plus the 100 for the roses.

[@williamjordan5554]

@@tallwalls76 You didn't even do the math, smegma. No reason to buy roses unless the plane needs replacing anyway. Your bill is 200,000,000 dollars or none.

[@1copperfly]

Hey with the F 35 you can spend 115 million plus a minimum 1.5 trillion just for the faulty weapons platform. The F 22 was a great platform and it was cut short thanks to the F 35 debacle. So the US taxpayer is being raped without any one getting shot down or ejecting.

[@KjetilBalstad]

​@@1copperfly Only, the F-35 is now cheaper than most comparable platforms, and considerably cheaper than the 22's and other larger air superiority fighters. The F-35 is a very capable platform, and even if getting there did cost money, the result is not the faulty platform some claims it to be.

[@1copperfly]

@@KjetilBalstad I guess we will see. I think the US is too scared one will get shot down and secrets lost to actually use them.

[@bobbymack44212]

Holy cow. What a badass bunch.

[@almilani4300]

These guys do things we cannot comprehend with TECHNOLOGY We cannot imagine. Just to start one of these jets is far above most people's comprehension. To react in an emergency situation only adds to the level of required skills necessary to survive in a most hostile environment

[@panther105]

This was great. Thanks for uploading it.

[@Woody-nc1ru]

I'm not a pilot and never will be but I caught myself intently listening to this as if I might have to make that decision. LOL....

[@outcast1177]

You never know

[@pancakesgo7995]

Don't be that guy who left it a second too late!

[@tewkewl]

It's interesting to see the change in accent during this period. there is still some vestige of that mid century accent you see in so many old films. but it's starting to change here. by the end of the 80s and into the early 90s, it completely changes. I believe due to the rise of valley girl-ism and the influence of California during this time.

[@larahartley7607]

+tewkewl also the flat mid-western and hillbilly accents have had an adverse effect. look at the old films from the 30s and 40s. we don’t sound like that any longer. words are no longer enunciated!

[@bruzote]

I hate when I say, like, "like". Like, you know what I mean?

[@carlparlatore294]

Got an "ops check" on my H-7 3 Sep 68 in Nam - was a GIB (guy-in-back) when we were supporting a Special Forces Camp down in III Corps - dropping Mk 82 high drags on a gun - not the smartest thing in the world - 400 ft and 500 kts got hit - no time to think - punched out - don't even know if I got a swing out of my chute - Thank God my front seater made it out too - both of us were pretty much banged up from the high speed ejection - first Heuy that came in to get me out got shot down over the top of me - HH-58 came in - those guys had no brains but a huge set of nads like it was a flight on a calm Sunday afternoon. Got me out - seven months later I was in the front seat on my second tour - never got hit again - even on my third tour - Martin Baker my a great seat - I can testify to that!

[@shawnskinner9260]

Great video! I was stationed at Cherry Point, NC in the early 80's. I don't recall all the details and did not witness it but there was an aircraft in one of the hangers on base that was being serviced. An ejection seat specialist made the bad mistake of accidentally firing the seat he was working on and you can guess the rest.

[@Nishant-ESP256]

Hit the roof ?? Died i guess..

[@happytechnobeast9165]

safety bolts should be installed in ejection seat before any work in cockpit on the ground. Sorry for my English, I'm from Russia

[@kyledurning]

Gotta love the music ... Almost expected Ron Jeremy.

[@mplsgordon2]

All Air Force training videos of that era had that cheezy music.

[@davethefishermanthefakefar959]

He was fucking Christy Canyon before he ejected

[@H43339]

@@davethefishermanthefakefar959 I thought he ejected on her face.

[@fchanMSI]

Forget the Air Force, all of branches had funky music in their training videos in that era.

[@VirtuellJo]

That would have been a video about ejaculation seats.

[@iangibbons8947]

because if the system has a malfunction or you can regain control of the aircraft, it will eject you out of a perfect aircraft... you should be able to make your own decisions like that as a pilot

[@mellietink]

Never a pilot; only an air traffic controller; ever snarky to each other; but the respect is constant and understood like we are kin; how DARE anyone question the manner of safety we provide each other....you can say all you want, but if you want to live it; well there are many branches you are able to contact...…;)

[@danmulcrone6581]

Thanks again. Have a GREAT (and safe) New Year! I hope that all of your sorties end with YOU and your aircraft safely on the runway or on the deck. Out, Dan.

[@Kopihucky]

I love the music.. reminds me of some cheesy chase scene from the 70's

[@snoolee7950]

After seeing this video, I'd eject on the runway prior to take off.

[@Soulxlight]

The hell ? Why're you waiting so long...that's TOO LATE. Soon as the seat is armed you need to be out of there.

[@whykatera81]

😂

[@adamwheeler1391]

i think i would make it up until the point where i had to land then i would just pull the handles

[@surlyogre1476]

1. "Takeoffs are optional... landings are mandatory." 2. "There are old pilots... there are bold pilots... there are no old, bold pilots."

[@benconway9010]

Yeah you would probably be like"oh what dose this do" ? Oooooohhhhhh shit!!!!!!!!!........OK its the ejector seat

[@clydepointe5857]

T-37; student Nav, takeoff 300ft, engine fire light, audible. Pilot looking out Canopy. Bang, I'm gone, he's driving convertible. 260 lbs. Moment of ejection, hit harness release, get into landing, cross arms drop head to chest, chute POPS, hit ground, perfect PLF, up in air, another PLF. Sit up, helmet unsnapped, falls in-half, two pieces. Broke my neck N5-6, was 6:1, now 5:11-1/2". L4 compression, L5 compression, Mid-line spinal compression, numerous numerous fractures all bones both feet. Didn't know I broke my neck! Older, yes I know, many surgeries. Point: no hesitation; otherwise I'd be dead. Pain better than dead. Right knee blown, surgery, left knee crunchy. Pilot, little guy no problem. Decision made after seeing video like this one. TRUST THE EQUIPMENT/Training. I'm suppose to be dead. Nice day today. Trust equipment and training. Build a new one. The video saves lives.

[@Henningway1990]

One of the best comments on KZbin. Thanks mate.

[@ABCABC-hn1xw]

I had several enjaculation experiences and survived all of them

[@sideboob4276]

Unfortunately, your sister didn't fare so well right? lol

[@hshs5756]

Although ejection technology is probably as good as it will ever get, it can still be rough on a pilot. All top slots in running aircraft carriers are filled by ex-pilots, the captain, XO, navigator, etc. because the pilots who fly off their ships need to have someone who understands flying to be calling the shots. More than a few of these ex-pilots have "punch-out back" from an ejection that didn't go as advertised and ended their flying career, so they take the training to transition into the black-shoe navy and continue their service.

[@X-Gen-001]

Thanks to the uploader!

[@brendaproffitt1011]

Awesome video..excellent job what a documentary..Thank you for everything...

[@tomshaw2635]

An amazing recovery. Lost the outer wing to a midair in training

[@indigohammer5732]

Ever find it?

[@oceanhome2023]

Aware of the price of the aircraft and the trust that has been placed on them to preserve it , along with the knowledge that this would end their career . He who hesitates loses !

[@dougdenhamlouie]

Peace time ejections are lower to the ground. On take off or landing. Battle damage ejections are normally higher in altitude.

[@Sneddz1]

Excellent video, once again. I love watching these interesting videos.

[@truthseekingmissile1430]

'Punching-out' will definitely make you at least 5/8" shorter (due to spinal column compression)

[@clankplusm]

TruthSeekingMissile fuck id rathee go down with this thing than become a dwarf omg nope forget that handle

[@andyjacobs7010]

Clankplusm Gaming He's saying five eighths of an inch not 5 or 8 inches. So unless you are 5' you won't become a dwarf. (Or whatever the legal height is)

[@clankplusm]

Andy Jacobs its still nkt a reason to die (i nevee R assumed 5/8)

[@richardbriscoe8563]

Loss of as much as an inch of height is not uncommon.

[@mxslick50]

@@richardbriscoe8563 Very true, in my time in I knew of two pilots who had to punch out, both ended up shorter by an inch or so. The first one was darkly comical as he was already short by pilot standards, 5' 2"

[@Labtec600]

The intro music sounds like porn music. Then it's titled Ejection decisions - a second to late. HAR HAR HAR

[@mxslick50]

LOL was the trend back then in the military... I worked at the Base Movie Theatre as a projectionist, our Bumper for the previews was a psychedelic swirling pink "goo" with cheesy porno trumpet music...I still remember it to this day.

[@Golgi-Gyges]

Aha!

[@Guitfiddlejase]

I really enjoyed this...thanks for posting

[@greenhornet299]

Best site on the web...thanks!!!!

[@waynetemplar8026]

75% survival rate!!! I never thought it ever got that low.

[@danwaltz315]

best time to eject from a fighter plane is 15 seconds before inpact with the target or ground.

[@diggs5518]

I have a fear of heights yet, can ride in an airliner. I've been in a Cessna. Strange but, true. Yet, I could never do this job. My fear only emphasizes how others overcome their fears to become accomplished pilots, go through such rigorous training and, still put their lives on the line in order to protect and, serve. It doesn't matter how much you like flying. No one wants to face these terrifying moments. But, these men do it with a courage and, determination that others could learn from. This film proves that.

[@MJLeger-yj1ww]

It's difficult to realize that these guys' training missions are as difficult as the real thing, sometimes worse because they try things they wouldn't in real-time. Have to hand it to them -- gold star for all -- bravo!

[@ThadmanKane]

You're writing checks son your body can't cash.

[@rishi14494]

TOPGUN! :V

[@robshef718]

Me: on board USS Kitty Hawk, when an A-6 Intruder (had a cold cat shot) and the pilots ejected as the plane went off the angle deck.....

[@clankplusm]

Rob Shef wat

[@clankplusm]

Oh. Lol

[@clankplusm]

Rob Shef i think they were a but velow ejection envelope lollll

[@wayne3334]

Saw the same thing happen on the Forrestal on a med cruise. Pilots were out of the plane before the plane left the ship. Set a record for getting the pilots out of the water and back on the ship. Ship almost ran over the plane before it sank.

[@jameswebb4593]

Excellent Video.

[@sm7fbj]

It's just like when a skydiver think a malfunction of the chute can be fixed and forgetting about the altitude. A real malfunction only has one solution, cut away and pull your reserve.Nice video! In doubt, pull out!

[@fuzzdmedic]

If the commander says eject eject eject and you say pardon after the second, you are talking to yourself!!

[@clankplusm]

panda44r nice story lol

[@mxslick50]

@panda44r See my original post on this video for my F-4E ejection training...I also managed not to heave on the flight, but did get to re-taste my lunch a few times. :) My immortalized moment happened right after takeoff...I knew most of the pilots and backseaters well, they were the ones who lobbied for me to get the ride. (My pilot was a bit of an ass during the preflight briefing, but the Lt. I mention in my other post pulled him aside as the briefing ended and read him the riot act). Anyway, as we closed up in formation right after takeoff, I made the comment on the hot mic "Anybody ever tell you guys you look real sexy from up here?" , which was supposed to be on the comm to my pilot..but..... My pilot (we were flight lead) had just keyed the radio to tell the tower we were clear of the pattern. My comment went out for everyone to hear. I look up and see my pilot's eyes in the canopy bow mirrors as big as the bird's tires..I look out to either side to see the wingman's birds literally rocking from their laughter, the Lt. (he was back seat #2) pointing at me and flipping me off. Meanwhile, the tower controller keys the mic, I hear laughter in the background and he forces out "Ummm, (xxx) flight, repeat transmission." and just before he cuts the mic the tower crew loses it. My pilot looks up at me in the mirrors and calmly says "Hey boss, you wanna take that call?" I couldn't speak, so just shook my head. My pilot then keys the radio again, and in his best pilot voice: "(XXX) tower, (xxx) flight clear of pattern." The tower is now roaring so loud we barely heard the controller come back with "(xxx) flight, roger. Don't have too much fun up there." All of us (except me, I was still mortified) in the air lost it. Our wingmen were rocking even more, even my pilot got shaky from laughing so hard. The flight was great, I lost 7lbs in sweat (literally) and was wrung out, felt like I did several rounds with Ali. I did get some flack in the postflight briefing too.. Our wing commander (who was supposed to be lead until his bird went down with a hydraulic leak at EOR) started off with the full recap. He got to the takeoff and departure part and said "Takeoff and departure from (XXX)AFB was at (XXXX)hours, 1 minute behind schedule, but other than a minor breach of radio discipline..." as everyone looked and me and laughed, I just banged my head on the table) "....everything looked good." (He lied, he was watching and had the radio in his plane on the ramp on to listen in, he saw and heard the whole thing, including our wings weaving like drunks.) Ahh, good times. I got ragged about that radio call till the day I left.

[@jackfrost2288]

I Salute you all. God Bless America.

[@danmulcrone6581]

Thanks for a great video and lesson for many.

[@WarblesOnALot]

G'day, Great Movie. Thanks for Posting. When I was Test-Flying a 22 Hp Ultralight Motorglider I had a Spring-Deployed Ballistic Recovery-Parachute...; but I never ever pulled it's Ripcord... I limp when walking, from flying inverted, while going backwards, over the Fencepost which I failed to levitate above, during an attempted Downwind Takeoff in a 200 Yd Paddock...; in 1992. Knowing when to STOP !!! ; really matters. ;-p Ciao !

[@WarblesOnALot]

panda44r​​​​​ G'day, Well, to be honest, the problem started with the decision to land an Ultralight Motorglider (a 22 Hp VJ-24w, there's a couple of videos about it in my "Personal Aeroplanology" Playlist) in a 200 Yard-long Paddock..., in the Village I lived in, accross the road from my House, to impress the Wife & Kids... I was flying in company with a friend who was in his Dragonfly (the Prototype Hang-Glider Tug, which Bob Bailey built for Bill Moyes), and it had *amazing* STOL performance, he'd observed me doing a Downwind T/O at the Airstrip earlier that day, with the new Fine-Pitch Propeller I'd made for it, & I let him decide if the Jensen could get out of the little paddock, and so I duly followed him in...; the Jensen really didn't want to go there, it took me three approaches to fit it in, and on the 2nd one I rolled the Wheels before opening the Throttle at the midpoint, and I cleared the Upwind Wires by about 10 ft, but it was very mushy..., the 3rd time I did a full-stop & we had coffee in my lounge-Room. So, my plan for departure was to go upwind & get airborne, before deciding whether I was going to go over the Wires, or going over the Fence & over the Road & then under the Wires before climbing out...; but when I mentioned that idea everybody got agitated, derp derp derp, & I allowed myself to be talked into trying to go downwind instead... So, "There I was, upside-down, 3 feet off the Ground, *and I was going BACKWARDS...!* ", because after I'd got it 3 ft off the ground, 50 yds out from the Fence, and the 5 MPH Tailwind gusted to 10 MPH, and the whole thing sunk back down and rolled it's wheels again ; I should've cut the Ignition & groundlooped it but I didn't want to have to rebuild the wing..., and then "Time-Dilation" kicked in & without thinking I used a bit of Right Rudder to line up on an Ironbark Fencepost sticking up 4 Ft high in front of me..., Time then speeded back up to normal, and I heaved back on the stick hoping to zoom-climb the Pod over the Fence, and stall, & pancake into the Potato-Patch, and maybe hook the Tailskid onto the Fence & pull the Tail off, to absorb some kinetic energy... But the Post broke the Propeller, then came in through the front of the Cockpit & hit the Rudder-Bar, breaking the front of my Right Calcaneum, knocking me out for most of the flip into being inverted & going backwards, but the thump of landing inverted woke me up, as did the "Glug Glug Glug" of the under-seat Fuel-Tank emptying itself down my Seatback... If I hadn't made the unconscious Rudder-correction so as to hit the Post, while in "Time-Dilation", then the Top Fence-Wire would've taken my Head off ; my "consciously planned" response did me no good at all... Months later I surveyed the whole thing, & came to the conclusion that hitting the fence was the best-outcome which any Downwind Takeoff could have resulted in, because the Jensen could never have outclimed the rising terrain it was pointed at with that tailwind, nor turned away without losing height, so I would've hit the Hill while being trapped by 1,200 Volt Powerlines...; if the Fence hadn't saved me..., by swatting me out of the Air...(!). In my enthusiasm, I had lost sight of the fact that Ultralights are *only* good fun in perfect Atmospheric Conditions, and I was way too busy living the Biggles Fantasy to have paid attention to the fact that what I let myself get talked into trying to do was aerodynamically impossible...; and instead I should've tied the Aeroplane down and waited for the Wind to change direction, or collected the Trailer & pulled the Wings off it & taken the Levitation Machine back to the Airport by road... 20/20 Hindsight. Have a good one, ;-p Ciao !

[@ScoutSniper3124]

That's all well and good, but since we live on the flight path to a major Air Force base, would you all mind waiting a few more seconds to get past my house? Thanks.

[@MothaLuva]

+Ryan Taylor Get yourself a Martin Baker for the living room. Or how about a new "toilet seat"..?

[@ScoutSniper3124]

My wife's homemade chili may qualify :-)

[@ceemosp]

There were cases when pilots *DID* care. An example was the GAF crash of 37+74 (F-4F) 20-12-79. They decided not to eject and flew the aircraft away from a village, it would otherwise have crashed into, knowing they would have no chance to eject. Pilot Maj. Helmut Broddam and his WSO Lt Erich Wiessler were killed when the plane crashed into terrain.

[@Jamesbrown-xi5ih]

They will do everything they can to avoid hitting your house, possibly at the expense of their own lives, you might wish to also consider moving your house away from their flight path, since their base sure was there long before your house was. if both options just cannot be reconciled, then I pray for the best possible outcome, which is that no pilot has to make that decision.

[@Jamesbrown-xi5ih]

+panda44r take Wendover for example in Utah, the base was literally built in the middle of nowhere, now there's a town. People complained, and with a round of Base realignment and closure came along, suddenly No Air Base. Take several of the bases, they were built far from town for that very reason, but Urban encroachment soon means that they have houses choked in all around them. I blame irresponsible city councilmen, poor urban planning, and unscrupulous Developers who emphasized profit over safety. A Glide slope may be miles and miles long, but it's pretty rare to be more than two miles for Fighters such as the ones displayed here which have ejection seats. If you're talking about tankers, transports, and other heavy aircraft, then I could see your point there, but this is specifically referring to fighter aircraft which have a much shorter Glide slope. And yes, in many cases the base was there first, not always, but usually, since the United States military hasn't built any new bases within conus for quite some time.

[@ThinkingFingers]

"Who, like you..." Yeah, I wish.

[@eddenoy321]

My brother was in the hanger testing the aircraft, when he mistakenly pulled the ejection trigger. He was a good man, RIP.

[@philkearny5587]

Who pulled all the safety pins?

[@snipereliete]

Excellent training saves lives.thank god For The Martin Baker Ejector Seat.if not I would probably not be here today.my father flew F-4's In Vietnam and was shot down by 6 SAMS.4 missed but 2 hit the rear exhaust duct and tore the rear of the aircraft completely off.the aircraft was oscillating and spinning but some how he was able to eject.unfortunately the pilot in the rear seat was unable to eject due to the fact that he was probably killed instantly when the Aircraft was struck.so thank-you if it was not for ejector seats I would not exist neither would my children.R.I.P. DAD.u lived a full life but unfortunately kidney failure got u in the end.WE WILL NEVER FORGET U.