Jet War bird owners.

Tom-D

Tom-D

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Tom-D
Every jet war bird I've ever encountered has an Ejection seat.
How do private owners cope with the explosive cartridges in the these seats?
I know in the NAVY they under go a what is known as a 210 day inspection where the seat gets removed, the survival equipment get swapped out with new, the cartridges get changed.
Do the private owner do this?

I ask because every cartridge I seen has a age date on it.
 
i believe many fly them without hot seats. Personally I'd never fly a mid 20th century military fighter/trainer without one. Things are death sleds without the cooker lit. Most of those airplanes cannot be dead sticked off runway at speeds that allow a survivable ground roll. The cost of recurring inspection and mx on a hot seat are not insignificant for a fleet of n=1. Likewise, retrofitting to a newer manufactured ejection seat is prohibitive in most civilian owned applications that are not used for revenue and backed by government contract money (read: bum deal for govco, good deal for the contractor).

But im no longer surprised at what kind of scratch these 1%ers can come up with for a toy, so I'm sure some have the budget to maintain a hot seat a la carte. It's certainly an expense I would consider a sunk cost if I had the means and serious interest to privately own a vintage jet.
 
hindsight2020 said:
But im no longer surprised at what kind of scratch these 1%ers can come up with for a toy, so I'm sure some have the budget to maintain a hot seat a la carte. It's certainly an expense I would consider a sunk cost if I had the means and serious interest to privately own a vintage jet.
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I'm saving my pennies for a Thud, F-105D style to be exact. :D

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hindsight2020 said:
i believe many fly them without hot seats. Personally I'd never fly a mid 20th century military fighter/trainer without one. Things are death sleds without the cooker lit. Most of those airplanes cannot be dead sticked off runway at speeds that allow a survivable ground roll. The cost of recurring inspection and mx on a hot seat are not insignificant for a fleet of n=1. Likewise, retrofitting to a newer manufactured ejection seat is prohibitive in most civilian owned applications that are not used for revenue and backed by government contract money (read: bum deal for govco, good deal for the contractor).

But im no longer surprised at what kind of scratch these 1%ers can come up with for a toy, so I'm sure some have the budget to maintain a hot seat a la carte. It's certainly an expense I would consider a sunk cost if I had the means and serious interest to privately own a vintage jet.
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You could always just wear a parachute and bail out if necessary :eek:
 
MassPilot said:
You could always just wear a parachute and bail out if necessary :eek:
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im sure you were being facetious, but for those who truly wonder about that, its aerodynamically impractical to attempt manual bailouts in aircraft that complain any time they're under 200kcas. you should see the sheer amount of buckles i have to wrap around my body every time i strap into my work plane. its not a fashion statement either, you should see what 200 knot wind blast does to your pink mushy body. coming down like a lawn dart, manual bailout will only get you to the crash site next to the airplane as opposed to in it. in all seriousness you wont have the ability to climb out of the cockpit in the first place.

Shepherd said:
Not possible in many military jets.
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indeed, and an understatement.
 
I have wondered the same thing. Are there civilian overhaul facilities that will overhaul an ejection seat?
 
hindsight2020 said:
im sure you were being facetious, but for those who truly wonder about that, its aerodynamically impractical to attempt manual bailouts in aircraft that complain any time they're under 200kcas. you should see the sheer amount of buckles i have to wrap around my body every time i strap into my work plane. its not a fashion statement either, you should see what 200 knot wind blast does to your pink mushy body. coming down like a lawn dart, manual bailout will only get you to the crash site next to the airplane as opposed to in it. in all seriousness you wont have the ability to climb out of the cockpit in the first place.



indeed, and an understatement.
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Wrong. Capt “Buzz” Harley bailed out in a T-38 back in 1971.

 
I don't know what goes on inside their hangar but several years back the guys with the bucks to support their fantasies bought and remodeled to their taste a hangar on my home drome that supports their war bird cravings. Got a walk through and the toys were impressive. Those dudes do not have to worry about their next meal. I should have been so blessed.
 
Tom-D said:
How do private owners cope with the explosive cartridges in the these seats?
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Was told a few years ago that when the aircraft is issued its AWC, part of the requirement is to verify if explosive devices are installed and if so they are covered in the aircraft's inspection program. There is also a requirement for any PIC in that aircraft to develop/receive ejection seat training whether the seat is active or not. Was told there was even an AC on developing a training program??? The plane in question was a L-39 and from what I remember the seat was active.
 
I saw an ejection seat in an aviation mag a long while back - lightweight "civil" seat, for aerobatics. Not sure they actually sold any. . .

I got some time in a L-39 a few years back, and the seat was cold; we just wore chutes; not sure I'd want to use a Eastern Bloc seat from that time period anyway.
 
mscard88 said:
I'm saving my pennies for a Thud, F-105D style to be exact. :D
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A Thud, sweeeeeet. If you scrounge up an F-105, I have gas money for a ride! But just one. I'd have to sell my house for and more than one tank full...
 
FlySince9 said:
I started the "Jet-for-Jerry Fund" years ago... not one donation yet...what am I doing wrong? :(
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Start a go fund me. But first make a face book account. Put in a lot of pictures of big and shiny jets. Whine about how it is hard to have to work all the time just to pay for things. Ask that others pay for you. That seems to work.
 
Zeldman said:
Start a go fund me. But first make a face book account. Put in a lot of pictures of big and shiny jets. Whine about how it is hard to have to work all the time just to pay for things. Ask that others pay for you. That seems to work.
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Thanks...never thought of that... I'll let you know how it turns out...LOL
 
^^^ wow - that thing is friggin' gorgeous!
 
Tom-D said:
Didn't know those had ejection seats.
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Sorry for the thread drift, but I couldn’t let a post about a Lewis Bearcat go without a reference to the ‘Bear...
 
Believe it's $5,000 annual inspection to keep the seats hot........L-39 and then you have to work the stuff correctly.....I have problems with just a parachute....most of the L-39 guys have the seats disabled
 
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