Fall F-16: Sotirium the ejected seat for the pilot – How it works

Sotirio proved to be the 29-year-old of the Block 52+ fighter aircraft that fell yesterday, Wednesday (20.03. 24) in a marine area near Psathura, the expanding ACES II type seat of Collins Aerospace. The 29-year-old Lieutenant of the F-16, as OnAlert.gr revealed, phoned 337 Phantom Squadron, in which he serves, to inform them of the incident, with him being inside the boat and fighting the waves, however having the necessary temper to manage the situation despite adverse conditions. Clearly, the reflexes and training of the Greek pilot were decisive, so that he could make the right decision at the right time to abandon the F-16 Block52+ fighter aircraft, but the fact that the proper operation and effectiveness in ejecting the seat played a great role to save must not be omitted. But how do the ejected seats work? Essentially, when a significant malfunction or technical error occurs perceived by the fighter aircraft pilot, the procedure for ejecting the seat begins. The pilot pulls a handle – lever, which results in the explosion of the material that causes the launch and consequently the ejecting of the seat, with the parallel detachment of the cockpit dome (kockpit). Once the seat is released and removed from the aircraft, its propulsion system (engine) is in place in combination with a stability mechanism so that the pilot does not rotate in the air, due to high speed and air, and can land at controlled speed and safety on the ground or at sea. In the whole process, critical importance is the right timing to avoid any pilot injury, which may even be fatal. Technology has advanced in recent years and the rates of both malfunctioning ejected seats and deaths have dropped despite successful flight from aircraft for other reasons. However, injuries are relatively likely, with pilots reporting mainly that they have suffered spinal problems. Source: OnAlert.gr