"(""bail out""), and in many cases this was difficult due to injury, the difficulty of egress from a confined space, ""g"" forces, the airflow past the aircraft, and other factors. The first ejection seats were developed independently during World War II by Heinkel and SAAB. Early models were powered by compressed air and the first aircraft to be fitted with such a system was the Heinkel He 280 prototype jet-engined fighter in 1940. One of the He 280 test pilots, Helmut Schenk, became the first person to escape from a stricken aircraft with an ejection seat on 13 January 1942"
"by the ""Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug"" (German Institute for Glider Research). ""Heinkel Flugzeugwerke"" built the first ejection-seat-equipped combat aircraft, the Heinkel He 219. ""Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug"" flew the Heinkel He 176 rocket plane (in 1939), and the DFS 228 research aircraft, both of which had a jettisonable nose. The British design for a supersonic test aircraft Miles M.52 of necessity had a jettisonable pilot capsule at the front of the aircraft. The aircraft progressed no further than a nearly complete airframe before cancellation in 1946, although a one-third scale remote control model successfully broke the sound barrier in 1948."
"to use ejection seats. Heinkel's He 280, the firm's only twin-jet aircraft design to fly never reached production, however, since the RLM wanted Heinkel to concentrate on bomber production and instead promoted the development of the rival Messerschmitt Me 262. Very late in the war, a Heinkel single-jet powered fighter finally took to the air as the Heinkel He 162A ""Spatz"" (sparrow) as the first military jet to use retractable tricycle landing gear, use a turbojet engine from its maiden flight forward, and use an ejection seat from the start, but it had barely entered service at the time of"
"performed shortly after the war. The Germans had pioneered the development of ejection seats early in the war, the first-ever emergency use of an ejection seat having been made on 14 January 1942 by Helmut Schenk, a ""Luftwaffe"" test pilot, when he escaped from a disabled Heinkel He 280 V1. American interest in ejection seats during the war was largely a side-issue of the developmental work done on pusher aircraft such as the Vultee XP-54, the goal being to give the pilot at least some slim chance of clearing the tail assembly and the propeller of the aircraft in the"
"The first test in the air was on a Saab 17 on 27 February 1944, and the first real use occurred by Lt. Bengt Johansson on 29 July 1946 after a mid-air collision between a J 21 and a J 22. As the first operational military jet in late 1944 to ever feature one, the winner of the German ""Volksjäger"" ""people's fighter"" home defense jet fighter design competition; the lightweight Heinkel He 162A ""Spatz"", featured a new type of ejection seat, this time fired by an explosive cartridge. In this system, the seat rode on wheels set between two pipes"
"first use of an ejection seat in a practical application by a British pilot involved the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52 flying wing experimental aircraft in May 1949. Martin-Baker was a pioneer in expanding the operational envelope of the ejection seat to enable it to be used at low altitudes and airspeeds, leading eventually to a ""zero-zero"" capability. Martin-Baker Mk.1 Martin-Baker Mk.2 Martin-Baker Mk.3 Martin-Baker Mk.4 Martin-Baker Mk.5 Martin-Baker Mk.6 Martin-Baker Mk.7 Martin-Baker Mk.8 Martin-Baker Mk.9 Martin-Baker Mk.10 Martin-Baker Mk.11 Martin-Baker Mk.12 Martin-Baker Mk.14 NACES (SJU-17) This ejection seat is used by the US Navy and is often designated Martin-Baker NACES (Naval"
"explosive-powered ejection seat was the best solution. In particular, Baker's death in 1942 during a test flight of the MB3 affected Martin so much that pilot safety became his primary focus and led to the later reorganisation of the company to focus primarily on ejection seats. In 1944, James Martin was asked by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to develop methods for fighter pilots to escape their aircraft. Martin decided that the best method involved ejection of the seat with the occupant sitting in it, aided by an explosive charge. After ejection, the pilot would separate from the seat and"
"20 pre-production test aircraft, to be followed by 300 production machines. Engine problems continued to plague the project. In 1942, the RLM had ordered Heinkel to abandon the HeS 8 and HeS 30 to focus all development on a follow-on engine, the HeS 011, a more advanced and problematic design. Meanwhile, the first He 280 prototype was re-equipped with pulsejets and towed aloft to test them. Bad weather caused the aircraft to ice up, and before the jets could be tested, pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to put an ejection seat to use. The seat worked perfectly, but"
"designs. Before the war, the Heinkel He 112 had been rejected in favour of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Heinkel's attempt to top Messerschmitt's design with the Heinkel He 100 failed due to political interference within the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM — Reich Aviation Ministry). The company also provided the Luftwaffe with an outstanding night fighter, the Heinkel He 219, which also suffered from politics and was produced only in limited numbers, but was the first Luftwaffe front-line aircraft to use retractable tricycle gear for its undercarriage design, and the world's first military aircraft to use ejection seats. By contrast, the only"
"early inventor of parachutes, patented an ejector seat using compressed air. The modern layout for an ejection seat was first proposed by Romanian inventor Anastase Dragomir in the late 1920s. The design, featuring a ""parachuted cell"" (a dischargeable chair from an aircraft or other vehicle), was successfully tested on 25 August 1929 at the Paris-Orly Airport near Paris and in October 1929 at Băneasa, near Bucharest. Dragomir patented his ""catapult-able cockpit"" at the French Patent Office. The design was perfected during World War II. Prior to this, the only means of escape from an incapacitated aircraft was to jump clear"
"the Elliotts Primary EoN; its version first flown in 1948 and used by the RAF as the Eton TX.1. DFS SG 38 Schulgleiter The Schneider DFS 108-14 SG-38 ""Schulgleiter"" () is a German high-wing, cable-braced, single-seat primary glider that was designed by Schneider, Rehberg and Hofmann at Edmund Schneider's factory at Grunau in 1938, hence the designation. It was produced by several builders, including Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS). The SG 38 was designed to be a training glider for basic flight training by the Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps (NSFK). The usual launch method was by bungee cord from a sloped hill."
"Ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an ejectable escape crew capsule has also been tried. Once clear of the aircraft, the ejection seat deploys a parachute. Ejection seats are common on certain types of military aircraft. A bungee-assisted escape from an aircraft took place in 1910. In 1916 Everard Calthrop, an"
"however, selected the Martin-Baker seat from the United Kingdom for its new fighter jet. For improved pilot survivability, the Russian Kamov Ka-50 ""Black Shark"" helicopter is fitted with a NPP Zvezda K-37-800 ejection seat, which is a rare feature for a helicopter. Before the rocket in the ejection seat kicks in, rotor blades are blown away by explosive charges in the rotor disc and the canopy is similarly jettisoned. Also, there is a special ejection seat made for L-39 known as K-93. The company has patented a lightweight ejection seat for general aviation aircraft, such as SKS-94, KS-2012. The company"
"structural failures. Only two of the 13 aircraft were actually shot down. The He 162's 30-minute fuel capacity also caused problems, as at least two of JG 1's pilots were killed attempting emergency deadstick landings after exhausting their fuel. During its exceedingly brief operational service career, the 162's cartridge-type ejector seat was employed under combat conditions by JG1 pilots at least three times. The first recorded use was by Lt Rudolf Schmidt on April 20, with Fw Erwin Steeb ejecting from his 162 the following day. Finally, Hptm Paul-Heinrich Dahne attempted an ejection on April 24, but was killed when"
"aircraft components, including retrofit improvements to the ammunition belt feeds and armoured seats for Supermarine Spitfires, throughout the Second World War. James Martin also designed and manufactured explosive bolt cutters fitted to bomber wings to cut barrage baloon cables that were fitted to many aircraft and saved a number of aircraft. In 1944 the company was approached by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to investigate ejection systems enabling pilots to bail out safely from high-speed fighter aircraft. Martin-Baker investigated ejection seats from 1934 onwards, several years before Germany and Sweden proposed similar systems in 1938. The company concluded that an"
"Heinkel He 219 ""Uhu"" night fighter in 1942. The Hungarian RMI-8 experimental interceptor fighter had two DB 605 engines in a push-pull configuration in order to achieve 800 km/h top speed. To save pilots a spring-driven catapult seat was developed in a few months time, but the prototype has been destroyed in 1944 during an air raid, shortly before its maiden flight. No one other prototype was finished before the fall of Budapest. In Sweden, a version using compressed air was tested in 1941. A gunpowder ejection seat was developed by Bofors and tested in 1943 for the Saab 21."
"at the Paris Air Show in 1973 was a production model, and did not have ejection seats. The only spacecraft ever flown with installed ejection seats were the Space Shuttle, the Soviet ""Vostok"" and American Gemini series. Ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an ejectable escape crew capsule has also been"
"Heinkel He 219 The Heinkel He 219 ""Uhu"" (""Eagle-Owl"") was a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It was also the first operational military aircraft to be equipped with ejection seats and the first operational German World War II-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear. Had the ""Uhu"" been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect on the"
"the cockpit floor. The first German jet engines built during the Second World War used a mechanical APU starting system designed by the German engineer Norbert Riedel. It consisted of a two-stroke flat engine, which for the Junkers Jumo 004 design was hidden in the intake diverter, essentially functioning as a pioneering example of an auxiliary power unit for starting a jet engine. A hole in the extreme nose of the diverter contained a manual pull-handle which started the piston engine, which in turn rotated the compressor. Two spark plug access ports existed in the Jumo 004's intake diverter to"
"case of an emergency escape, but little progress had been made since World War II era pusher aircraft development had never really gotten past the drawing board or the initial prototype stage. However, the development of high-speed jet-powered aircraft made the development of practical ejection seats mandatory. Initially, an ejection seat was ""borrowed"" from a captured German Heinkel He 162 and was installed in a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star in August 1945. However, it was decided that the single-seat P-80 would not be suitable for these tests, and it was decided to switch to a three-seat Black Widow. A P-61B-5-NO"
"Bücker Bü 182 The Bücker Bü 182 ""Kornett"" (""Ensign"") was a single-seat advanced trainer developed in Germany for Luftwaffe service shortly before the outbreak of World War II. A single-seat low-wing cantilever monoplane, it was intended to give student pilots some experience with an aircraft with performance approaching that of a contemporary fighter, and could carry practice bombs. Production was shelved at the outbreak of war, and only about four examples were ever constructed, all of them destroyed around 1943. The last aircraft designed by Anderson, the Bü 182 Kornett, of which only three were built, found no support in"
"16,500 seats currently in service. The Martin-Baker Aircraft Company is still run by the Martin family today. Anastase Dragomir Anastase Dragomir (1896–1966) was a distinguished Romanian inventor, most famous for his ""catapultable cockpit"" patent (with Tănase Dobrescu) as an early form of ejection seat, although preceded by Everard Calthrop's 1916 compressed air ejection seat, and others. Anastase Dragomir, born 6 February 1896 in Brăila, Romania, was the sixth child of his family. He worked in France at several aircraft factories where he perfected a system to save pilots and passengers in case of accidents. On 3 November 1928 he applied"
"Martin-Baker Mk.1 The Martin-Baker Mk.1 is a British ejection seat designed and built by Martin-Baker. Developed in the late 1940s it was the first in the line of production Martin-Baker seats for military aircraft. Ground and air testing of earlier designs resulted in the first successful test ejection of a company employee in July 1946. A seat type designed for the Saunders-Roe company was known as the Pre-Mk.1. The death of Valentine Baker in an aircraft accident in 1942 prompted James Martin to investigate new methods for aircrew escape and survival. Martin had previous experience of aircraft survival systems and"
"Martin-Baker Mk.4 The Martin-Baker Mk.4 is a British ejection seat designed and built by Martin-Baker. Introduced in the 1950s, the Mk.4 has been installed in combat and training aircraft worldwide. The Mk.4 seat was designed as an improved, lightweight version of earlier Martin-Baker seats for installation in a range of lighter, smaller aircraft types. Improvements included a single combined seat and parachute quick release fastener (QRF) and a snubber mechanism to allow crews to lean forward without loosening the harness. The first successful ejection using a Mk.4 seat took place in March 1957, the aircraft involved being a Fiat G.91."
"be manufactured in Colorado Springs, Colorado. ACES II ACES II is an ejection seat system manufactured by the United Technologies Aerospace Systems (UTAS) division of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC). ACES is an acronym for Advanced Concept Ejection Seat. It is used in Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, Rockwell B-1 Lancer, WB-57, and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit aircraft. Over 10,000 ACES II seats have been produced with over 5,000 actively flying throughout the world as of 2013. It is known throughout the industry as"
"the seat moved further up and out of the aircraft a lanyard attached to the cockpit floor fired a steel rod, known as the drogue gun, this extracted two small parachutes to stabilise the seat's descent path. The occupant then released themselves from the seat harness and operated the main parachute manually by pulling a ripcord. At some stage in their development examples of these aircraft were fitted with Martin-Baker Mk.1 ejection seats. ""List from Martin-Baker."" Martin-Baker Mk.1 The Martin-Baker Mk.1 is a British ejection seat designed and built by Martin-Baker. Developed in the late 1940s it was the first"
"Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German aircraft manufacturing corporation (AG) named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in particular the Bf 109 and Me 262. The company survived in the post-war era, undergoing a number of mergers and changing its name from Messerschmitt to Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm before being bought by Deutsche Aerospace (DASA, now part of Airbus) in 1989. In February 1916, the south German engineering company MAN AG and several banks purchased the unprofitable aircraft builder Otto-Flugzeugwerke, starting a new company, ""Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG"" (abbreviated ""B.F.W.""). The articles of"
"the Air Ministry of the Reich, even though it combined technical progress and low-cost. The Bü 182 Kornett was a highly innovative model, fitted with a low-priced high-performance engine, that would have made a good trainer for the Luftwaffe. Bücker Bü 182 The Bücker Bü 182 ""Kornett"" (""Ensign"") was a single-seat advanced trainer developed in Germany for Luftwaffe service shortly before the outbreak of World War II. A single-seat low-wing cantilever monoplane, it was intended to give student pilots some experience with an aircraft with performance approaching that of a contemporary fighter, and could carry practice bombs. Production was shelved"
"Junkers Ju 288 The Junkers Ju 288, originally known within the Junkers firm as the EF 074, was a German bomber project designed during World War II, which only ever flew in prototype form. The first of an eventual 22 development aircraft flew on 29 November 1940. The Ju 288 was the winner of the Bomber B contest, although the contest was started by Junker's submission of the EF 074 and their selection was never really in doubt. Bomber B intended to replace the Junkers Ju 88 with a design that was larger, offer cabin pressurization for high altitude work,"
"ACES II ACES II is an ejection seat system manufactured by the United Technologies Aerospace Systems (UTAS) division of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC). ACES is an acronym for Advanced Concept Ejection Seat. It is used in Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, Rockwell B-1 Lancer, WB-57, and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit aircraft. Over 10,000 ACES II seats have been produced with over 5,000 actively flying throughout the world as of 2013. It is known throughout the industry as the lowest life cycle cost third"
"Junkers Ju 49 The Junkers Ju 49 was a German aircraft designed to investigate high-altitude flight and the techniques of cabin pressurization. It was the world's second working pressurized aircraft, following the Engineering Division USD-9A which first flew in the United States in 1921. By 1935, it was flying regularly to around 12,500 m (41,000 ft). The Junkers Ju 49 was developed entirely to investigate techniques for flight at high altitude. To this end, it had a specially developed engine and the first pressurized cabin in a German aircraft. The engine was the Junkers L88a, which combined two six-cylinder inline"
"and were happily accepted by Ernst Heinkel, who had started German jet development when he set up a lab for Hans von Ohain in 1937. The two teams worked on their designs in parallel for some time, von Ohain's as the HeS 8 (or 109-001), and the Junkers team as the HeS 30 (109-006). Heinkel's efforts were later re-organized at Hirth Motoren. Helmut Schelp, who had taken over from Mauch, felt that the BMW 003 and Junkers Jumo 004 would reach production at about the same power levels long before either of the Heinkel projects would be ready, and cancelled"
"Akaflieg München Mü22 The Akaflieg München Mü22 is a single-seat research glider designed and built in Germany from 1953 The first aircraft built by Akaflieg München after World War II was the Mü22, with typical 'Munich School' construction of steel tube fuselage with wooden wings and tail-unit. Design of this high performance glider with 30% laminar flow forward swept wings and vee tail started in 1953 with construction complete in late 1954 at the Akaflieg München workshops at Prien. Use of the laminar flow NACA 63 (3)-618 aerofoil section imbued the Mü22 with a good glide ratio at a high"