Not sure but the TAC B would have been transmitting for a period.
Technology & Engineering..................................
Always lets you down when you need it most!!
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
Must be a cause there, as he circled for some time and gave out a mayday. One would assume he was chatting to his buddies he was in formation with. Sounds like a bird strike into the cockpit!
Thoughts with family and friends. RIP
'Tonight my men and I have been through hell and back again, but the look on your faces when we let you out of the hall - we'd do it all again tomorrow.' Major Chris Keeble's words to Goose Green villagers on 29th May 1982 - 2 PARA
This hapened years ago but it is still a tragedy as he struggles to get free sadly he was unable to who knows what fault appened wit th Zero/Zero bang out!
The seats fitted at this time were not Zero/Zero as they are today, they required a minimum of 90 knots forward speed to achieve a successful ejection. Without the rocket that is now fitted to the seat to give an ejection safe height the forward speed of 90 knots allowed the chute to open whilst traveling forward in an arc horizontal to the ground.
Nor did they have MDC (miniature detonating cord) fitted to the canopy or "horns" on top of the seat which allows the pilot to fire the seat straight through without wasting time for the canopy to come off.
There was a restrictor fitted which would not allow the seat to fire until the canopy was clear of the aircraft which means that even if this unfortunate pilot had pull the ejection handle it is unlikely that the seat would have functioned as the unlocked canopy required windspeed to pull the canopy clear.
It was the development of the Harrier that brought about the rocket seat and MDC on the canopy, if you had an engine failure in the hover there was very little time to leave so through the canopy and straight up was the only option.
Early seats had two handles one between the legs and one above the head, the one above the head had a face blind that protected the face from the huge wind blast during ejection, the visors that you see today did not exist then. The top handle eventually disappeared as with the very high sink rate of modern aircraft it was almost impossible to reach the top handle because of the high "G" encountered, it also led to the automatic face visors that are now seen on all pilots helmets.
I am very out of date with the really modern seats but even 30 years ago they were fitted with various explosive charges which helped speed up the process of getting out in a hurry but the basics did not change, if you left the aircraft above 10,000 feet then the seat would not separate from the pilot until that altitude was reached, an oxygen bottle fitted to the seat would ensure that the aircrewman could breath normally until it was safe to separate, all of these functions being done by the seat with no need for an input from the occupant once the ejection handle was pulled.
It was always very gratifying when a successful ejection took place and the pilot and crew survived especially when they came to the seat bay to say thankyou and brought a crate of beer with them......
I've been in the unusual position to witness a double ejection...
International Air Tattoo at Fairford in 1993, when two Mig 29's collided.
I can still clearly see in mind's eye one Mig slice straight through the other, right behind the cockpit, they were low enough to see both pilots eject....
One pilot having to wait while the cockpit section collapsed underneath the airframe, until he saw sky and banged out.
They were very low at the time.
Fortunately, both pilots landed 'ok' with mainly a bruised pride....
I've been in the unusual position to witness a double ejection...
International Air Tattoo at Fairford in 1993, when two Mig 29's collided.
I can still clearly see in mind's eye one Mig slice straight through the other, right behind the cockpit, they were low enough to see both pilots eject....
One pilot having to wait while the cockpit section collapsed underneath the airframe, until he saw sky and banged out.
They were very low at the time.
Fortunately, both pilots landed 'ok' with mainly a bruised pride....
I was there too, they 'hit' right in front of where I was standing......
The crowd just went silent......millisecs later all you could here was the clatter of hundreds of motordrives clattering into action......
Legend has it that the pilot that got hit, returned the compliment by way of his fists when they both met back on the ground.....
I believe the worst injury was the Belgian airforce guy that fell off the C-130 that was parked airside when it looked like one of the MiG's was heading his way into the airside hard standing area.
PM
Originally Posted by mrclark303
