Comments on: Ejection Seats

By: Dr. Tracy M. Baker

Dr. Tracy M. Baker — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:26:13 +0000

I was in the USAF for a number of years as an officer and officers generally a poor sense of humor. I was in the Minuteman Missile system, first in Maintenance, then in Missile Launch. This was during the Cold War era and most officers didn’t think any of it was funny. I was different. I once accidentally activated a component on a missile first stage with Missile Maintenance Team members at the BOTTOM of the silo that made them think it was about to launch, which would have turned them(and me)into crispy critters if it did launch. They just about wet their pants, believe me! Their team chief, a staff sergeant, did not think it was funny and tried to get me in trouble.

By: Pete

Pete — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:13:58 +0000

Enjoyed this story and the others about the gravity and Roachclip pranks in your USAF section. I also had essentally the identical ejection seat prank pulled on me as I reported for duty at the 6th AEMS (Armament & Electronics Sqdn.) at Walker AFB, Roswell, NM, in January 1962, after graduating from the B-52 Bomb/Nav Tech School at Lowry AFB in Denver. On my first day in the squadron, I was taken out to the flight line by a couple of senior airmen for a familiarization of the B-52E cockpit, crew compartments, and the Bomb/Nav system I was going to learn how to fix and maintain, which largely located downstairs and occupied practically the entire lower level on the E model. They sat me in the lefthand bombardier's seat downstairs and had me turn on the Bomb/Nav System. Then essentially the same thing happened: they told me to relax and kick back my boots to "recline" the power seat and watch the large radar scope. They then activated the power seat controls to move the seat back simultaneously as the ejection seat foot stirrups engaged my legs with a loud CLACK!! I nearly jumped out of my skin too!! All in good fun as I was also initiated into the world of B-52E technical maintenance. Oh yes, we'd also go upstairs and get into the EWO seat, turn on the ECM receivers, plug in the headphones and listen to FM music stations while watching the waveforms on the little scope, goldbricking in the airconditioned crew compartment for as long as possible, before having to go back to the shop to pick up another work order for another aircraft in the 110-degree Roswell summers .

By: Hans

Hans — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 01:13:06 +0000

what a great story. I’m not sure that I’ve ever felt what you have gone through in that moment.

By: Yuri Ammosov

Yuri Ammosov — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:28:19 +0000

Yeah, servicemen love cruel practical jokes.

By: David Binetti

David Binetti — Thu, 27 May 2010 04:54:37 +0000

That ‘ejection’ site is mind-blowingly engorged with history. Talk about a great use for the web. Wow.

By: Tristan Kromer

Tristan Kromer — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:51:43 +0000

Great story! Not sure what it has to do with startups, but I’m taking away the lesson learned as: Never wet your pants.

Cheers,
Tristan

By: steveblank

steveblank — Tue, 25 May 2010 07:39:51 +0000

744 B-52′s were built
113 B-52 were destroyed in accidents or combat
see http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/Aircraft_by_Type/b52_stratofortress.htm

Of the 113 lost, 24 were lost in the Vietnam War
10 of these were shot down and crashed inside the borders of North Vietnam.
7 others were hit but crashed outside of North Vietnam.
Another 7 were “operational losses,” while enroute to combat areas in Vietnam.

FYI, about 10,000 pilots lives have been saved by ejection seats. See http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/ejection_statistics.htm

By: gutzofter

gutzofter — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:47:15 +0000

The radar ETs on The Mount Whitney JCC-20 (LCC-20) used to have a decent initiating ceremony, up in the radar room. The electronic cabinets had these locking handles that could lock somebody up for hours. I beleive I was the only one to escape from them.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:38:21 +0000

Jacob: I don’t think he would have any way to know that. I liked Ryan’s answer though – that makes sense. Thanks Ryan.

By: Jacob

Jacob — Mon, 24 May 2010 22:13:09 +0000

Maybe he means that the experience was so stressfull that it shortened his life by many years.

By: joe

joe — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:49:22 +0000

I got the same egress presentation when I got back from chanute AFB. that scared me but my real worry was getting sucked into an engine intake.

The first time i got sent into the F-15′s intake to do an inlet inspection, one of the guys that could do a perfect imitation of a jfs starter engine made the noise like the starter was cranking up (uuuuuuhhhhhh…) I came spilling out the intake to the laughter of half the guys on the flight line.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 24 May 2010 18:34:25 +0000

Taking years off your life is a saying for when something scares you that bad. Just like getting gray hairs from stress and other similar things.

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:42:05 +0000

What do you mean, it took years off your life? Please explain. Otherwise I feel a bit ripped off having been hooked by that line at the beginning to read the whole thing. Good story, still, but I’m left craving the answer and feeling frustrated.

By: Sachmo

Sachmo — Mon, 24 May 2010 13:29:22 +0000

Awesome story, thanks for sharing