Does ANYONE know the type of ejection seat used by the Grumman F9F-8 Cougar in the mid-1950’s? Thanks…
Never mind, I found it… Martin Baker Mk.V… just in case anybody needed that little tidbit of information… [:D]
Not so fast, Matt - the F9F-8 was produced with a Grumman seat. The US Navy’s first test with the production Martin-Baker seat was in August 1957 at Grumman using an F9F-8T. It was very successful, so the Navy began a transition to the Mk5 seat developed to their specific requirement (higher g capability, alternate ejection handle) in all their fighter aircraft. The F4H first flew with a McDonnell seat, for example, but the Martin Baker was used in production.(The Navy also bought one for every F11F built, but only two or so were ever retrofitted with it).
Strictly speaking, an F9F-8 in the mid fifties would have had the Grumman seat. It’s easy to tell the difference.
Ah, yes, those golden days when each aircraft manufacturer designed its own seat for every differnent type they built. What a nightmare, all those broken backs, or, if you were lucky, a simple compressed spine. Or maybe a missing kneecap or two. As for the manufacturer’s seats, I’ve only strapped on an older Lockheed design, which wasn’t so bad, I was told, but thank the Lord I never had to find out. I should think anyone feels safer in even an older Martin-Baker or ACES II. Talk about a technology that has come from the dark ages to near perfection in about 40 years! Can you imagine being shot out of a T-Bird with a 37-mm shell? Well, that’s as sophisticated as it got. You were responsible for unstrapping and kicking the seat away once you were airborne from the plane.
As many who know better than I do believe, the Russians make the best human cannonball seats in the world.