EJECTION SEAT
FIRST MK3 EJECTION WAS ON 1ST NOVEMBER 1955
255 LIVES SAVED USING A MK3 EJECTION SEAT
EJECTION SEAT
FIRST MK3 EJECTION WAS ON 1ST NOVEMBER 1955
255 LIVES SAVED USING A MK3 EJECTION SEAT
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
The Mk2 automatic seats were successful in providing safe escape from the aircraft in service at the period, but there was still room for improvement at very low altitudes and very high speeds. In addition, the advent of aircraft such as the Javelin and the V bombers with their high-fin projections and higher operating speeds made it necessary to increase the height of the ejection trajectory, any increase also improving the chance of a successful ejection at low altitudes.
NEW SEAT INSTALLATIONS & RETROFITS
Looking to install a new seat into your aircraft? Let us help you find your perfect solution – check out our New Seat Installations & Retrofits page for more information.
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
- Operating Ceiling: 40000+ ft (12,192m)
- Minimum height/Speed: Unknown
- Crew boarding mass range: 70.4 to 101.7kg
- Crew size range: 5th to 95th percentile
- Maximum Speed for ejection: 400+ KIAS
- Parachute type: Irvin I 24
- Parachute deployment: Drogue assisted
- Drogue parachute type: Duplex drogues 22 in. and 5ft
- Drogue deployment: Drogue gun. Cartridge generated gas. Initiated by 0.5 sec clockwork time-delay, tripped during ejection sequence
- Harness type: Separate parachute, seat harness
- Ejection seat operation type: Ejection gun
- Ejection gun: 80ft/sec. One primary cartridge, two or four, secondary cartridges, 72 in. stroke
- Ejection initiation: Face screen and seat pan firing
- Barostatic time-release unit: Yes, tripped during ejection sequence
- Manual override handle: No, but provision for manual separation
- Timers: Time-release unit for man/seat separation
- Seat adjustment: Up/down
- Arm restraints: No
- Leg restraints: Yes, two garters
- Oxygen supply: Bottled oxygen
- Personal survival pack: Liferaft pack
- Aircrew services: Personal equipment connector (PEC) provides connections for main oxygen, emergency oxygen, air ventilated suit, anti-g suit and mic/tel
- Canopy jettison: Option, aircraft variant dependent
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
Featured in:
- Canberra
- Hawker Hunter
- Valiant
- Vampire
- Supermarine Swift
- Javelin
- Vulcan
- Victor
- Fairey Delta 2
- Bristol 221
- Handley Page
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
- The pilot pulls the face screen seat firing handle
- Canopy jettison initiated (if fitted)
- Ejection gun fires and the seat moves up the guide rails
- Emergency oxygen tripped
- As seat rises, static line initiates time-delay which fires drogue gun after 0.5 seconds
- As seat rises, static line initiates time-release unit
22 in. dia then 5 ft dia drogues stabilise and slows the seat down
ABOVE 10,000FT
- Barostat prevents operation of time-release mechanism
BELOW 10,000FT
- 1.5 sec (3 seconds on earlier Mk3 seats) after initiation of time-release unit the plunger releases scissor shackle to transfer pull of drogue to lifting lines of parachute, releasing it from seat
- Release face blind
- Drogues deploy main parachute and pilot separates from seat
- Normal descent
- In the event of failure of time-release unit, aircrew pulls D ring on parachute harness. This pulls slide disconnect pin which disconnects withdrawal line from parachute
- Pulling D ring also removes canvas flap from second D ring
- Pilot pulls second D ring to operate parachute
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
The Mk2 automatic seats were successful in providing safe escape from the aircraft in service at the period, but there was still room for improvement at very low altitudes and very high speeds. In addition, the advent of aircraft such as the Javelin and the V bombers with their high-fin projections and higher operating speeds made it necessary to increase the height of the ejection trajectory, any increase also improving the chance of a successful ejection at low altitudes.
NEW SEAT INSTALLATIONS & RETROFITS
Looking to install a new seat into your aircraft? Let us help you find your perfect solution – check out our New Seat Installations & Retrofits page for more information.
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
- Operating Ceiling: 40000+ ft (12,192m)
- Minimum height/Speed: Unknown
- Crew boarding mass range: 70.4 to 101.7kg
- Crew size range: 5th to 95th percentile
- Maximum Speed for ejection: 400+ KIAS
- Parachute type: Irvin I 24
- Parachute deployment: Drogue assisted
- Drogue parachute type: Duplex drogues 22 in. and 5ft
- Drogue deployment: Drogue gun. Cartridge generated gas. Initiated by 0.5 sec clockwork time-delay, tripped during ejection sequence
- Harness type: Separate parachute, seat harness
- Ejection seat operation type: Ejection gun
- Ejection gun: 80ft/sec. One primary cartridge, two or four, secondary cartridges, 72 in. stroke
- Ejection initiation: Face screen and seat pan firing
- Barostatic time-release unit: Yes, tripped during ejection sequence
- Manual override handle: No, but provision for manual separation
- Timers: Time-release unit for man/seat separation
- Seat adjustment: Up/down
- Arm restraints: No
- Leg restraints: Yes, two garters
- Oxygen supply: Bottled oxygen
- Personal survival pack: Liferaft pack
- Aircrew services: Personal equipment connector (PEC) provides connections for main oxygen, emergency oxygen, air ventilated suit, anti-g suit and mic/tel
- Canopy jettison: Option, aircraft variant dependent
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
Featured in:
- Canberra
- Hawker Hunter
- Valiant
- Vampire
- Supermarine Swift
- Javelin
- Vulcan
- Victor
- Fairey Delta 2
- Bristol 221
- Handley Page
MK3 EJECTION SEAT
- The pilot pulls the face screen seat firing handle
- Canopy jettison initiated (if fitted)
- Ejection gun fires and the seat moves up the guide rails
- Emergency oxygen tripped
- As seat rises, static line initiates time-delay which fires drogue gun after 0.5 seconds
- As seat rises, static line initiates time-release unit
22 in. dia then 5 ft dia drogues stabilise and slows the seat down
ABOVE 10,000FT
- Barostat prevents operation of time-release mechanism
BELOW 10,000FT
- 1.5 sec (3 seconds on earlier Mk3 seats) after initiation of time-release unit the plunger releases scissor shackle to transfer pull of drogue to lifting lines of parachute, releasing it from seat
- Release face blind
- Drogues deploy main parachute and pilot separates from seat
- Normal descent
- In the event of failure of time-release unit, aircrew pulls D ring on parachute harness. This pulls slide disconnect pin which disconnects withdrawal line from parachute
- Pulling D ring also removes canvas flap from second D ring
- Pilot pulls second D ring to operate parachute