Civilian ejected from a French Rafale

a reply to: Woody510

Premature ejection accounts for millions of deaths per year. This situation should be better addressed and made preventable through non official sources.

a reply to: TheTruthRocks

Do you remember the spikes on the Helmets to puncture the canopy or am I mistaken?

Eurofighter canopy is thin enough to punch through but I think there is a spike in the Bang Seat, you dont want to be breaking 1/2 inch laminate with you head at that speed!

I think its a back up if the canopy doesnt separate as there is no det chord for improved visibility.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

There are many stories of F-4 pilots jettosing the aft canopy deliberately to clear smoke in the cockpit, and continuing to land hundreds of miles later with no problems other than increased noise levels. As well as many other accidental ejections that all landed just fine. Every one of them the pilots said the noise and wind blast were bad but they had no serious issues with keeping the aircraft under control, or landing.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Okay, still seems like a pretty intense event to me, but I'll take your word for it.

This story finally made MSM! They got the whole sequence wrong...




That video is what a Martin Baker Mk. 16F ejection seat in action is supposed to look like. [me]

The incident, according to Aerotime News, took place at Saint-Dizier air base in northern France. Saint-Dizier is a hub for Rafale-B fighters, the twin seat version of France’s Rafale fighter jet. Twin seat fighters in many air forces are used to take civilians on “observation flights,” including government officials, members of the media, and celebrities.

The unknown civilian, identified in the press as a 64 year old man, was riding in a twin-seat Dassault Rafale-B fighter jet. As the jet was taking off the man’s ejection seat sequence was somehow triggered, sending him through the canopy. The pilot, whose hands were suffered minor cuts from the broken canopy, managed to land the aircraft safely.

...
Real Author:
FoxtrotAlpha at jalopnik.com
MSM: gizmodo.com writer who basically re-posted FoxtrotAlpha's work.

If he had done a bit of editing, you start off with the crazy video of just how much thrust the ejection seat takes then you tell about the bloke shooting through the canopy!

After reading the article, it is a wonder there was not either more injuries or a plane crash, or both! I mean, on take off?

And hats off to FA for his concluding remark!