Ejection Seat Restoration HELP !!

[SuperGuppy]

I have a couple of Weber Seats out of the F-101 Voodoo and a Weber seat out of a TF-102 Delta Dagger. They are mostly stripped down to the frame.

Is there anybody out there that restores seats with all of the belts / lanyards / placards / fittings for DISPLAY? Is there any forums out there dealing with Ejection Seat restorations ? Who are the current experts on Seat restorations?

Also, anybody out there have a restored F-101 seat that they might want to part with - either thru sale or trade?

Thanks in advance!!

PM me or contact me at Voodoos4ever@gmail.com

Last edited by SuperGuppy on Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Tom Moungovan]

You may have a bit of a difficult time attempting to completely restore any ejection seat as they all ( back in that era) had Class C explosives mounted on them. There were initiators that started the process, thrusters which acted like a muscle to unlock a canopy or rotate arms and the catapult itself which propelled the seat out of the aircraft. There was frequently a lab-belt initiator mounted on the back of the seat that unlocked the lab-belt and also served to separate the pilot from the seat after ejection.
We had one TF-102 at Edwards when I was there & I don't think I worked on it more than maybe once! She was quite the hangar queen and did not fly that often.
I'd suggest that you try to acquire AF manuals on these models if they have been declassified by this time. Memory fails me, but maybe the -4 for whatever type you are interested in.
Your query brings up a question from me...do the present owners of T-33's still keep the old egress systems operable? What about time changes on the explosives? These items had to be changed out at set intervals, 3 years, 5 years, etc.

[Robbie Roberts]

There is a hobby shop on Rt 38 in Mt Holly NJ- AIR Hobbies- (he specializes in aircraft models from all over the place, but carries most good models and hobby stuff) where the owner collects ejection seats. I suggest looking up their number and giving him a call with your questions- he has a really impressive collection of ejection seats & such

Robbie

PS- I looked it up for ya- Air Hobby Shop-Mount Holly
Address: 1603 State Highway 38, Mount Holly, NJ 08060
Phone: (609) 267-1177

RR

[EDowning]

Chris Wooddul is the director of the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas - he is one of the leading experts in this field. You can reach him at 214-350-3600.

[fritzthefox]

This guy knows more about ejection seats than anyone I know:

http://www.ejectionsite.com

He was of considerable assistance to me determining just what Yeager's ejection seat in the NF-104 looked like. A simple email request to him yielded more information on the topic than I could possibly imagine even existed. (His site is has a lot of good stuff, too)

[SuperGuppy]

Thanks for all of the leads..............

I'll post updates as I go along!