Warbird Information Exchange

Someone today in Australia has let people know on facebook that a new buyer of a former USAF aircraft cockpit which made it out of the US and into Australia, has only just now found that the cockpit still has the rocket packs intact on the ejection seats.

Some people thought the issue of rocket packs was a joke and funny.
Others are letting everyone know it is a dangerous issue. I tend to lean towards dangerous and consider it as not funny.
I would suggest that it is a dangerous issue as unintended ejections processes can seriously injure and at the extreme can kill.
Active military personnel have died in cases where seats were thought to be safe..... but they werent.

Having rocket pack stored for 30-40years which it seems is this case now being discussed, in a seat bottom without knowing it was there is a concern. If it was fully loaded with packed rocket propellant, that is a hazard. Every day functional Aviation Life Support Equipment are maintained by professionals with many required to be serviced under time expired processes..ie the items / components have to be removed as they can become unstable, wont work as intended or decay in the long term. (That information was given to me many years ago by several knowledgeable former USAF ALSE personnel).

If someone pulled the handles on a old stored long term ejection seat - which let say has been pinned for safety.......but still loaded with a rocket pack - it still has the potential in that could as some suggest, maybe result in the ejection process setting of the rocket pack as a explosion.
For people who dont know, there is some significant explosive force in these propellants in the rocket packs which push the seats up the guide rails.......
These forces are evident in ejection seat testing photos.
At the extreme the seat could ride the rails and go up..........with a person "having fun/joke" in them.......unsecured.... and.....well we all know the potential could be a loss of life.

Having dealt with Martin Baker, the UK manufacturer and associated other companies on my own ejection seats, 1 which arrived into Australia fully disarmed with no rocket pack or drogue propellant installed, and the other which was only a trainer seat and fully demilled, I take this facebook story as a serious reminder as to how people need to be always aware when handling cockpits and ejection systems.

I do wonder if the people making jokes about the rocket pack as humour would be laughing now if their mates were injured or killed .......instead of sending out a warning notice. It is suggested always treat any Aviation life Support Equipment item unless you know it is 100% safe/secured, as "live" and take care.
This be a flare/gun, a life preserver unit, a parachute or an ejection seat.

People have died in active service working on ejection seats when they thought it was safe.
Wheres the humour there?..................................

Liberator: To answer your question, there is no humor there.

These things are deadly serious.

VL

This thread has the potential to descend into a war of opinions. Humor is subjective, and black humor/gallows humor especially so. I was directed to the Facebook thread in question, and nowhere was anyone suggesting that it was a trifling matter, nor were they suggesting that armed ejection seats should be played with in the future. I understand that Aussies have always been able to laugh at themselves, particularly in grim situations.

Ejection seats are serious, let's please remember that.

So, as we're adults who are aware of the risks, yet may have a different idea of what is amusing, we'll leave this thread here. Vlado, your point is welcome, and I don't believe that the comments in question were suggesting otherwise. Before a war of words erupts, let's leave it here.

I am restoring this thread to the WIX Hanger but locking it --- Scott WRG Editor