Eglin Egress is charged with the responsibility of ensuring the safety of F-35 pilots in the training pipeline. Our job could not be more important as these pilots are flying a new airframe and do not have the experience of thousands of flying hours. Each and every day our maintainers inspect, handle, and maintain US16E ejection seats for our pilots,…

After being promoted in 2009 I was posted to XV(R) sqn which at the time was the Tornado GR4 OCU. I had never worked on first line at the time and it was certainly an eye opener with around twenty aircraft out on the dispersal and a few more in the hangers. After learning the more simpler tasks on the…

I served in the Royal Air Force from 1975 – 2006, attaining the rank of Flight Sergeant. During this time, I worked on differing MB Ejection Seats. After basic training I was posted to Hunter Wing at RAF Wittering, 1976. This was made up of 45 and 58 Squadron Hunters. This was my first introduction to fitting and removing the…

I was an armourer in the RAF from 1979 – 1988, and in the Sultan of Oman’s Air Force from 1988 – 1990. I never had the honour of working in a seat bay, but I did work on the line, with the Hawks of 63 squadron at Chivenor, and 6 and 8 squadrons (Hunters and Jaguars) at SOAF Thumrait.…

I joined the Royal Air Force as a weapons Technician straight from school and over my eventual 30 year career I worked on and maintained many different types of ejection seat and crew escape systems. I spent a few years working on the Mk7 seat as fitted to the FGR2 Phantom where removing seat pans for access was a daily…

Throughout my 31 years in the Royal Air Force, as a weapons mechanic and Technician, working on Martin-Baker Escape Systems are among some of the highlights of my career. My first real introduction to seat maintenance was helping to remove and refit the Mk 9 in the Jaguar whilst on No’s 31 and 20 Squadrons serving in Germany in the…

I first started my close relationship with Martin Baker ejection seats in 1986 on the Harrier OCU until 2007 on 41Sqn (R) OEU. Those magic words, Loose article reported. You look, you look again, you go upside down, you look again. No, still can’t find it. Walk in to rects control and drop the bomb. Sorry can’t find it, so…

I joined the RAF as an Armourer in 1987 and it was not until completing my Technicians course at RAF Cosford in 2000 that I was lucky enough to be posted to an Ejection Seat Bay. This was the Harrier Seat Bay at RAF Wittering where I spent 3 years servicing 12H Seats. Great years as I was finally at…

My name is Dave Georgeson I was an Armourer in the RAF from 1980 to 2003. During my service I worked on Mk 9 and Mk 10 seats fitted to the Jaguar, Tornado and the Hawk aircraft. I really enjoyed fitting and removing seats on the Hawk aircraft although lock wiring the command ejection breech was a nightmare to do…

My name is Martin Kendrick and I have been in the Royal Air Force for almost 12 years as an ‘Armourer’. My first posting after trade training was to 12(B) Sqn at RAF Lossiemouth, working on Tornado GR4, which used the Mk10 Ejection Seat. Within a few weeks of being on the squadron I was sent to the Weapon Training…