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NEWS Thoughts?

Uncle Fester

Robot Pimp
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
If they were really that concerned about reducing the risks of having the pilot eject, they would have built the thing with a second engine ;)

Yeah...just like these pieces of shit...

A4C_VA146_1964.jpg

f8crusader-1.jpg

A-7E_Corsair_VA-192_1971.jpg
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
Yeah...just like these pieces of shit...

A4C_VA146_1964.jpg

f8crusader-1.jpg

A-7E_Corsair_VA-192_1971.jpg
Yes, horrible-all of them.

I'm not surprised whoever has the axe to grind this time hasn't started making that argument as well. It seems they didn't gain enough traction complaining the seats were unsafe for anyone under 136lbs (which makes up a really small portion of potential pilots) so now they're moving to the helmet is going to kill everyone who ejects. I suspect the risks are similar to the F-16s with its single engine, if it has a JHMCS.
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
How many pilots are under or at 140 pounds? It seems like a pretty small weight.

Not many. I met one female who couldn't make 135lbs without being out of height/weight standards for the Marine Corps. Their solution was to put her in a non-ejection seat aircraft. I suspect it's much easier to make weight restrictions to limit those most at risk from flying it than it is to make a weightless helmet system or re-engineer the ejection system.
 

CommodoreMid

Whateva! I do what I want!
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
If you're underweight then you have to sign a waiver. When I was in API/primary I was well under 135 lbs (now not so much :() and for the T-6 I had to sign a waiver basically saying that I was cool with the fact I had a higher risk of injury/death if I ejected.
 

zippy

Freedom!
pilot
Contributor
If you're underweight then you have to sign a waiver. When I was in API/primary I was well under 135 lbs (now not so much :() and for the T-6 I had to sign a waiver basically saying that I was cool with the fact I had a higher risk of injury/death if I ejected.

They don't always elect to do that. The female I was talking about went through the WSO pipeline in Pcola before the Marine Corps decided they decided they wouldn't waiver her so sent her through pilot training to be a Helo or Herk pilot.

I've also seen CNATRA go through periods where they don't give waivers for height issues etc. it all really depends on the organizations mood and need to waiver to meet manning goals at the time.
 

Beans

*1. Loins... GIRD
pilot
Is the issue with the lower crew weight in an ejection seat an issue because the acceleration (from a fixed-thrust rocket motor) would be too high? If so, then why not have the <140 crowd walk to their aircraft with 20 or so pounds of "ballast" to make the seat heavier? You can put it on part of the seat that separates and is discarded following the "up" path of the seat, so that your parachute experience is not "weighed down." I can't be the first person w/ that idea, so there must be some reason why that can't work.
 

Jublov

Play Top Gun Til' the VHS breaks
I'm 145 lbs and I'm sure I'd lose some weight at OCS if selected. I guess I could plan on eating a lot of cheeseburgers during flight school. :D


Get ready for the new era of 5th generation stealth fighter pilots!

ben-stiller-e1396382148701.jpg






Gotta give this guy an honorable mention

jek-porkins-20071001033021125.jpg
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Is the issue with the lower crew weight in an ejection seat an issue because the acceleration (from a fixed-thrust rocket motor) would be too high? If so, then why not have the <140 crowd walk to their aircraft with 20 or so pounds of "ballast" to make the seat heavier? You can put it on part of the seat that separates and is discarded following the "up" path of the seat, so that your parachute experience is not "weighed down." I can't be the first person w/ that idea, so there must be some reason why that can't work.
You've got the physics right, but it's really not that big of an issue for what is statistically a very small percentage of aircrew. I'm sure someone at NAVAIR or MB has some data, but if it were that big of an issue, they would outright anthro people out of those aircraft instead of simply signing an acknowledgement form. It's not even a waiver, per se. It doesn't indemnify the government from any liability.
 
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