# Luftwaffe éjection test



## sunny91 (Feb 12, 2009)

Sunny


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## Venganza (Feb 12, 2009)

Fascinating video! I love the stop-motion animation sequence. I suppose the ejection seat hitting the Stuka fin in the inflight tests was a bit of a problem. If I remember correctly, the first emergency ejection occurred with an He-280 prototype in 1943, and the pilot survived. I've always wondered why the Me-262 didn't have ejection seats. No doubt, some of the folks on this site have information on that.

Venganza


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## FlexiBull (Feb 12, 2009)

Ouch! Think someone must have been a bit skinny with the charges

Or were they spring loaded?


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## FLYBOYJ (Feb 12, 2009)

Pretty Cool!

I think these early seats used compressed air


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## Airframes (Feb 12, 2009)

You're right Joe, they did use compressed air. I might be wrong, but I think the very early experiments tried using a very powerful spring! There was certainly an early British design that used a spring-loaded lever, hooked through a loop on top of the pilot's parachute harness! The idea was that, once initiated, this lever, or arm, would fly back, rather like a reversed mouse trap, and hurl the pilot out of the cockpit. Thankfully, it was never tried with a real pilot, only dummies! Needless to say, the tests were abandoned in favour of Mr. Baker's developments!
Terry.
EDIT: Oops! Forgot to say thanks Sunny, great post!


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## Venganza (Feb 12, 2009)

Using a spring, sounds like the PIAT, which I believe used a spring to launch its anti-tank projectile. Terry, you mentioned Mr. Baker - I have a decal set for one of the two M.B. Gloster Meteors they use for tests. I intend to do the silver one, though after seeing the black one I'm tempted to do that one. It's on my ever-growing list of projects. Do they still use them, and are they still on the R.A.F. roll, since they have the insignia and military registration numbers?

Venganza


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## johnbr (Feb 12, 2009)

I read that they some test's ejection on a 262 but Messerschmidt was not big on them and thought his planes did not need them.


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## Airframes (Feb 12, 2009)

Hi V. The Meteors were retired some time ago, and as far as I know, one is in a museum somewhere in the UK. I saw it on the web recently, but can't remember where! I might still have a magazine article on the last one, which was red, although it might have been black at some time. The Martin Baker web-site is quite good, and an e-mail to them might get you some info; they seem very cooperative. I've got some old shots of Bernard Lynch and the ejetion tests from the first Meteor if they'd help.


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## CharlesBronson (Feb 12, 2009)

Beautiful video !!


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## Venganza (Feb 12, 2009)

Yes, Terry. I wouldn't mind seeing some shots of M.B.'s Meteors. Thank you in advance. Believe or not, I have it on my plate of things to do, to make a model of every production Meteor variant, and also the prototype, the High Speed F.4 and one of the M.B. ejection seat testers. I've got all the kits together, now *all* I've got to do is make them. Simple.

Venganza


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## Airframes (Feb 13, 2009)

OK V, it might take a bit of time (days, not weeks!), but I'll find the pics and post them asap. Don't forget the prone-pilot research Meteor!


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## Venganza (Feb 13, 2009)

Airframes said:


> OK V, it might take a bit of time (days, not weeks!), but I'll find the pics and post them asap. Don't forget the prone-pilot research Meteor!



Great, you had to bring that one up! Actually, I think there was a conversion kit for it at one time. I can probably find it on eBay, which has gotten quite a bit of bob from me lately as I've created my unbuilt collection of Meteors. I even found a resin F.4 from Argentina (unfortunately no decals). Actually not a bad little kit, but it's nearly solid resin so it weighs a ton. I'll be looking forward to the pictures - I can add them to my three-ring binder full of Meteor info.

Venganza


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## Airframes (Feb 14, 2009)

Right V, rather than invade this thread, I've posted some Meteor pics in the Aircraft Pictures section.
Terry.


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