Eject! Eject! Eject! Whether used in the
air, on
land, at
sea (and
under it), or
on the way to the Moon,
ejection seats and
capsules have saved
thousands of aviators
worldwide. The
basic concept was first tested in
1912, developed by the
Germans in WWII, and became standard safety equipment in
high-speed,
high-altitude jet and rocket aircraft. (Although
ejection seats were in
Gemini spacecraft, they were only in early
Space Shuttle flights.) Much happens very quickly
during ejection, and harrowing
accidents and pilot
deaths still occur. The decision not to eject right away may be heroic, but even pilots who wait may live while
innocent bystanders^ die. However, the efforts of
dedicated researchers and
rocket sled testing by seat
manufacturers keep adding
new members to the unique
club of men and women who survive to fly again.
posted by cenoxo
on Aug 28, 2006 -
21 comments
A Confessional for Pilots - To improve aviation safety in America, NASA runs the
ASRS, a service that collects voluntary, anonymous reports on aviation-related goofs in exchange for certain
immunities and suggestions of clemency. Every month selected reports are published in the
Callback newsletter, showcasing the full spectrum of factors that lead flyers to bad decisions: distraction, bad habits, overconfidence, poor planning, "get-home-itis", and on and on...
posted by tss
on Feb 28, 2005 -
9 comments
