Blast Off and Out

Timing Ejecting from a plane takes no more than four seconds from the time the ejection handle is pulled. The exact amount of time depends on the seat model and the crewmember's body weight.

Pulling the ejection handle sets off an explosive cartridge in the catapult gun. This launches the ejection seat into the air. As the seat rides up the guide rails, a leg-restraint system is activated. These leg restraints are designed to protect the crewmember. Without protection, his or her legs could be caught or harmed by debris during the ejection.

The seat, parachute and survival pack are also ejected from the plane along with the crewmember. Many seats have a rocket motor fixed underneath the seat. After the seat and crewmember have cleared the cockpit, this rocket will lift the crewmember another 100 to 200 feet, depending on the crewmember's weight. This added propulsion allows the crewmember to clear the tail of the plane.

Photo courtesy NASA The parachutes opening on a Martin-Baker ejection seat during a test. The small parachute at the top is called the drogue parachute.

Once out of the plane, a drogue gun in the seat fires a metal slug. The slug pulls a small parachute, called a drogue parachute, out of the top of the chair. This slows the person's rate of descent and stabilizes the seat's altitude and trajectory. After a specified amount of time, an altitude sensor causes the drogue parachute to pull the main parachute from the pilot's chute pack. At this point, a seat-man-separator motor fires and the seat falls away from the crewmember. The person then falls back to Earth as with any parachute landing.

The use of an ejection seat is always a last resort when an aircraft is damaged and the pilot has lost control. However, saving the lives of pilots is a higher priority than saving planes. Sometimes an ejection is required in order to save a life.

Racers Aid in Research Many racecar drivers wear ear pieces that let them talk to their pit crew during a race. According to the Associated Press, Indy Racing League drivers must wear the earpieces. Why is that? There's something special about these earpieces. Yes, they do keep information flowing between driver and pit crew. But that's not all they do. Accelerometers are embedded in these special earpieces, and are used to measure the speed of a racer's head during a crash. These measurements can be used to make the cars and the racecar driver's helmets safer. As it turns out, this is valuable information for Air Force scientists, too. It can be used to help create better escape systems -- including ejection seats, harnesses and helmets -- for Air Force pilots.