My Weapons Technician course was the first to have the Type 10 “gas seat” available to train on at RAF Cosford, this was in 1998. From there I was posted to Aircraft Maintenance Flight at RAF Lossiemouth where I was involved in a lot of seat removals and fits on Tornado. This was very valuable experience when I later moved to a GR4 Sqn in Germany, I may have been the new guy but I was way ahead of my peers in AAES tasks.
Next I was involved in the introduction of Typhoon to RAF service and soon found the Type 16 to be a very different beast to the 10. Having served my time in the RAF I’m now fitting and removing Typhoon CESS for a middle eastern Air Force and mentoring their airmen in those tasks.
No seat I have installed or carried out Vital or Independent Inspections on has been called upon (thus far) for emergency escape. The photo attached is of me either fitting or removing a rear Type 10 on a Tornado in Kuwait, it was Xmas day 2001 and I couldn’t even have a beer at the end of the day 🙁
