What does this button do?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6480818/Plane-passenger-accidentally-activates-ejector-seat---and-survives.html

Plane passenger accidentally activates ejector seat - and survives A civilian passenger in an air force display plane accidentally activated the ejector seat while reaching for something to steady himself during a mid-air manoeuvre. The novice flier instantly shot through the jet's perspex canopy and was blasted 100 metres into the sky by the rocket-powered emergency chair. Experts said the man was lucky to escape unharmed following the bizarre incident, which happened on Wednesday in South Africa. It is thought he activated the ejector seat after lurching forward during an aerobatic manoeuvre and accidentally pulling on the black and yellow emergency handle between his legs. The lever is fitted as standard in the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II jets to allow pilots and their passengers to eject from the aircraft in the event of an emergency. As soon as it was activated, the ejection sequence activated two rockets attached to the back of his chair. The man, who has not been named, later floated back down to Earth on a parachute which opened automatically. South African Airforce bosses scrambled a helicopter to pick up the passenger after the blunder near Langebaanweg airfield, 80 miles north of Cape Town. The incident happened shortly after he took off for a joyride with an experienced pilot from South Africa's Silver Falcons air display team

I'm not sure why they are surprised he lived, isn't that the idea behind ejector seats?

That's got to be one hell of a ride.

I wonder if he gets billed for the canopy and seat, or the whole plane?

Wally wrote: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6480818/Plane-passenger-accidentally-activates-ejector-seat---and-survives.html

Plane passenger accidentally activates ejector seat - and survives A civilian passenger in an air force display plane accidentally activated the ejector seat while reaching for something to steady himself during a mid-air manoeuvre. .... South African Airforce bosses scrambled a helicopter to pick up the passenger after the blunder near Langebaanweg airfield, 80 miles north of Cape Town. The incident happened shortly after he took off for a joyride with an experienced pilot from South Africa's Silver Falcons air display team

I'm not sure why they are surprised he lived, isn't that the idea behind ejector seats?

The word in the article (vice the headline) is un-harmed, which is quite different than alive.

Ejection seats are a very shaky tight-rope walk between "getting the hell out of a plane with a rocket under your butt" and "breaking your back because the rocket was too big".

It's supposed to be safer than crashing in an airplane, that doesn't mean it's safe.

davidjs wrote: It's supposed to be safer than crashing in an airplane, that doesn't mean it's safe.

lol

John Brown wrote: I wonder if he gets billed for the canopy and seat, or the whole plane?

Assuming the pilot landed safely, the passenger would probably only be liable for the gear he damaged. And very little on jets can be economically repaired...

Shouldn't the pilot have told him "No matter what happend don't pull that unless I tell you to!"?

Kia_racer wrote: Shouldn't the pilot have told him "No matter what happend don't pull that unless I tell you to!"?

Yes.

When I got ejection-seat training, I was warned that, while it might be easier to step on the seat when entering the cockpit, so doing can set off the rockets. This in spite of a safety interlock on the seat handle.

Wally wrote: I'm not sure why they are surprised he lived, isn't that the idea behind ejector seats?

Because he accidentally punched out through the canopy. It's traditional to blow the canopy off first and then eject.

I spent a lot of time at airshows as a kid helping my father perform as part of the AMA model show team. I remember seeing an incident in the mid '70s at (I think) Willow Grove NAS where a kid punched out of a parked fighter in the static display area. The kid was killed, probably instantly from hitting the raised canopy, but he wasn't strapped in of course so the seat's chute didn't save him. The pilot was also badly injured by the ejection as he was standing on the ladder presumably showing the kid what not to push.

Duke wrote:

Wally wrote: I'm not sure why they are surprised he lived, isn't that the idea behind ejector seats?

Because he accidentally punched out through the canopy. It's traditional to blow the canopy off first and then eject. I spent a lot of time at airshows as a kid helping my father perform as part of the AMA model show team. I remember seeing an incident in the mid '70s at (I think) Willow Grove NAS where a kid punched out of a parked fighter in the static display area. The kid was killed, probably instantly from hitting the raised canopy, but he wasn't strapped in of course so the seat's chute didn't save him. The pilot was also badly injured by the ejection as he was standing on the ladder presumably showing the kid what not to push.

Spot-on. Think of that one scene in Top Gun. Punching through a canopy is painful at best.

And where is/was NAS Willow Grove?

JetMech wrote: And where is/was NAS Willow Grove?

Just north of Philadelphia. Unfortunately it's getting BRACked next year, so it will probably become ANG only.

Duke wrote:

JetMech wrote: And where is/was NAS Willow Grove?

Just north of Philadelphia. Unfortunately it's getting BRACked next year.

East Coast--no wonder I was clueless. And the BRACked almost prompted me to make an easy jab...

Some ejection system are designed to go through the canopy. I know some older Migs do that, not sure if any do these days though.

They did not say in the story, but I would be a bit surprised if the pilot wasn't ejected also. Besides having to fly a plane with parts missing, ejecting both when one goes allows a pilot to eject an injured or passed out one.

That's like me brining an M-777 to a parade with a shell in it and a lanyard attached.

I dare you not to pull this cord.

The Pilatis PC-7 isn't a jet. It's a piston-powered prop plane.

And the ejection seats are designed to eject through the canopy.

Providing he was still conscious when he ejected....you have to wonder what thoughts were dancing through his head, especially before the chute deployed. I assume some new underwear will be added to his expense list.

CrackMonkey wrote: The Pilatis PC-7 isn't a jet. It's a piston-powered prop plane.

True, the PC-7 is not a jet. Thank you for bringing that embarrassing oversight to my attention. I should have said, "Very little on aircraft can be economically fixed."

The PC-7 is not, however, piston-engined. It is powered by a turboprop, as stated in the first sentence underneath the cutaway view seen on the Pilatus Web site.

Quite a few ejection seats send you through the canopy. The A-6 is one of them. The canopy is huge. Lot less chance of going "Goose" when you go through the glass. See?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xFm051bQmM

sachilles wrote: Providing he was still conscious when he ejected....you have to wonder what thoughts were dancing through his head, especially before the chute deployed. I assume some new underwear will be added to his expense list.

"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!"