Question for the Fighter Pilots/Naval Aviators

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Originally Posted by Garak
Originally Posted by Astro14
People have survived supersonic ejection.

Just a general question on that, Astro: Some of the Soviet fighters claimed an "any speed" ejection capability, like the Mig-31. Would this "any speed" specifically exclude supersonic, or simply just recommend against it?


I don't know anything about the MiG-31 ejection seat. I think it's conventional.

Some supersonic bombers had a ejection capsule for each pilot, or the whole cockpit would be ejected.

Many fighters have both leg restraints (like the F-14 and F/A-18) and arm restraints (Tornado) to reduce flail injuries.

The F-14 envelope was 0/0 up the 350 (injury likely above that). Above 350 wasn't recommended. Above 450 (KTS) was outside the envelope. Seat performance wasn't guaranteed, and the person is unlikely to survive.

Unless you encapsulate the entire person, hitting the wind at 600 MPH is like being hit by a bus.

Put your hand out a car window at 60 MPH. That's 50 knots.

Feel the push?

Force goes by the square of velocity. So, 350 knots, seven times faster, is 49 times the force that you feel on the highway. It hits your whole body. And it hits unpredictably and instantly.

By 450 knots, it's up to 81 times that highway force...

The guys who survive ejection above that are always terribly beat up.

Restraints that pull in your limbs help, but the force is considerable.
 
Yes, I have no idea the design of the Mig-31's seat, but it would seem a bit dubious to really claim "any speed" particularly given the actual upper limits of the Mig-31's speed. Looking deeper, it certainly doesn't seem to have been a fully encapsulated thing, just stated to be a zero/zero seat. This is brought to you by the same people who claim a nuclear propelled cruise missile that can loiter in the air indefinitely and go hypersonic and avoid any defences, so some of these things have to be taken with a grain of salt.
wink.gif


You can eject at any altitude or speed. It just won't be survivable.
wink.gif
 
The MiG-31 is fitted with K-36DM seats.

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]



The Zvezda K-36 family of seats sport several features (arm & leg restraints, leg lifters, aerodynamic shield, telescopic booms with drogues to stabilize attitude after ejection) that may make supersonic ejection less suicidal (to some degree).

[Linked Image]





As a curiosity, have a look at this Aviation Week article from 1999.
 
That seat has a lot of tech that mine didn't. I can see it being a higher speed seat...

I've got difficulty believing "all speeds" in an airplane that can exceed Mach 2.5...
 
Yep, that's the part I'd have skepticism about. It might be a higher speed seat, but in an aircraft that's one of the fastest interceptors ever, I'm not sure I'd want to try it with a "stuck throttle," as it were.
wink.gif
 
Modern fighter jet pilots have a lot of stuff on their plates when they suit up. I am in awe of the mental workload having to fly jets.

How many pilots of modern jets have had multiple ejections? I know it happens but it has to be a rare occurrence.
 
Anyone in need of a 30 year old, very gently used, lovingly maintained MiG-29UB Fulcrum? Price unknown as of now, but as they say, if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it anyway. The article mentions that it comes equipped with K36DM ejection seats, and I immediately thought of this thread. (You learn the most interesting info at BITOG...) Additional information on former Soviet 4th Gen aircraft previously owned by the US in the article, too.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29292/you-can-buy-paul-allens-mig-29-fulcrum-jet-fighter
 
Speaking of F9-F's, if you are a cord cutter, Pluto TV ( free! ) has been showing "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" on their military channel, but it does not appear to be in their on demand list.
 
Thanks...
Speaking of "The Bridges at Toko-Ri" my favorite part was the F9F belly
landing... back in 1962 the city of Richmond Ca had a Pather in a park on
static display... us kids would reenact that scene over and oversitting in the cockpit...
 
For my money one of the most accuate air "war" movies ever made. There should have been a sequel for the Thud drivers/A6 crews and all the rest that went up North on the same tracks, in the same flights/ cells day after day, year after year. Just like our Toko Ri guy, they didn't want to go either. But they went. That kind of gallantry and honor deserves to be honored forever.
 
I agree DeepFriar... it a lot more accurate than the current 2019 Midway inaccurate abomination... just look at the 4 bladed prop on the SBD... would it have kill them to get it right???

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Hi Gents
On the subject of flying unfamiliar aircraft have any of you heard of this Gent? He was a test pilot called Eric Brown. He was one of the 'greatest generation'.

He made no fewer than 2,271 carrier landings, which I am sure our F18 pilot will agree is quite something, and flew 487 different types of aircraft.

Imagine climbing into a Me 262 or Me163 for the first time with no instruction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Brown_(pilot)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aircraft_flown_by_Eric_%22Winkle%22_Brown

Tikka.
 
Well gents (and I use that term loosely) I've read a lot on test pilot "Winky"... I have a mountain of respect for any pilot that could stick a Mossie on a carrier deck...

[Linked Image]
 
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