PILOT ESCAPING THROUGH UNDERWATER EJECTION

Do you remember that some fighter pilots could safely eject from underwater back in 1965? Could it be survived? One may wonder but a few ejections were reported. The transcript is below the video. Look at that canopy, it looks like it came from an F-8 Crusader:

TRANSCRIPT:

If your aircraft has provision for underwater ejection, you have a ready-made, secondary escape route. Succesful underwater ejections can be made from any aircraft attitude – nose down, tail down, and inverted.

Escape by this method requires no preparation other than that recommended for normal seat ejection. There should be at least ten feet of water above you before you can safely eject. Never eject from the surface. With present systems, the chute cannot open with a zero-zero situation (which means at a height of 0 and at a speed of 0). The effect of free-falling 80 feet to water is little different than falling 80 feet to concrete. True, some lucky ones have lived to tell about it. But it is one hell of a gamble.

When you eject through the canopy underwater, the seat breaks through clearing the way for your body. Because water resistance imposes terrific forces on your head and neck, it is vital to hold the face curtain tight against your head for support. The forces of ejection might cause a momentary blackout. Immediately upon collecting your wits, disconnect yourself from the seat by pulling the emergency release handle breaking your restraints. Now, separate yourself from the seat. This is difficult. You will have to kick and swim violently even though you are disconnected.

If your chute gets hung up on the seat, do not waste time trying to clear it. Release your riser fittings and swim clear off the chute. Do not inflate flotation equipment until clear of the seat. Remember, surface slowly, exhaling as you go. Remove your oxygen mask.

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For Those Who Attended The AERONAUTICAL ENGLISH Class

cours anglais aviation Toni Giacoia FCL .055 OACI en ligne à distance

Cours d’anglais aéronautique sur FCL ANGLAIS

Thank you so much for attending this aviation English class at « Festival des Langues » in Tours today, Sunday, November 24, 2013. Important information: FCL 1.028 and FCL 1.200 have been replaced by FCL .055 and FCL .055 D since April 9, 2013.

Here is the soundtrack we listened to this afternoon. You can download it, then listen directly to 10′ so as to get to the ATIS. Here are the keys (les solutions), see page 4 for the ATIS test, and at the bottom of page 21 for the keys.

Here is a document from the FAA (U.S. Federal Aviation Administration) website that could help you about aircraft vocabulary (click on the picture below):

Man riding a plandAs I have told you, for properly transmitting voice communications, you need read ICAO – DOC 4444 ATM/PANS (Air Traffic Management, updated March, 2010) which costs up to $295.00 here (click on the link below):

DOC 4444 (2016)

However, you can read a previous edition of DOC 4444 (14th Edition, updated on November 24, 2005 for instance) if you type « doc 4444 – air traffic management fourteenth edition » like here below (click on the picture):

ICAO DOC 4444 ATM - Air Traffic Management, 14th edition 2001 updated 2005

It isn’t worth reading everything as just for radiotelephony purpose, just skip to chapter 12 – page 161 until page 196.

Two other documents are important for aviation voice communications, and air traffic control:

Remember:

SARPs = Standard And Recommended Practices
PANS = Procedures for Air Navigation Services

Thank you for your attention, and have a nice week 🙂

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For Those Who Attended The AERONAUTICAL ENGLISH Class

cours anglais aviation Toni Giacoia FCL .055 OACI en ligne à distance

Cours d’anglais aéronautique sur FCL ANGLAIS

First of all, thank you so much for attending this aviation English class at « Festival des Langues » in Tours today, Saturday, November 24, 2012. Important information: FCL 1.028 and FCL 1.200 will be replaced by FCL .055 and FCL .055 D from April 9, 2013.

Here is the soundtrack we listened to this afternoon. You can download it, then listen directly to 10′ so as to get to the ATIS. Here are the keys (les solutions), see page 4 for the ATIS test, and at the bottom of page 21 for the keys.

Here is a document from the FAA (U.S. Federal Aviation Administration) website that could help you about aircraft vocabulary (click on the picture below):

FAA AIRCRAFT PARTSAs I have told you, for properly transmitting voice communications, you need read ICAO – DOC 4444 ATM (Air Traffic Management, updated March, 2010) which costs up to $295.00 here (click on the link below):

DOC 4444 (2016)

However, you can read a previous edition of DOC 4444 (14th Edition, updated on November 24, 2005 for instance) if you type « doc 4444 – air traffic management fourteenth edition » like here below (click on the picture):

 

ICAO DOC 4444 ATM - Air Traffic Management, 14th edition 2001 updated 2005

 

It isn’t worth reading everything as just for radiotelephony purpose, just skip to chapter 12 – page 161 until page 196.

Two other documents are important for aviation voice communications, and air traffic control:

Thank you for your attention, and have a nice weekend  🙂

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SKYDIVER TO BREAK NEW FREE FALL RECORD

 

Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver, performed a challenging test jump on Thursday March 15, 2012.

Felix Baumgartner has the right stuff. He is a well known BASE jumper. B.A.S.E. means Buildings; Aerials; Spans (jumps from bridges); and Earth (jumps from cliffs). He performed numerous stunts such as jumping from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, World Financial Center T101 in Taipei, and the Millau viaduct.

Yesterday’s jump test is just a stage in his attempt to break a new free-fall record. He jumped above Roswell, New Mexico at an altitude of 71,581 feet ie 21.8 kilometers; 13.6 miles; or Flight Level 716. He should then carry out another jump test before leaping again from a capsule lifted by a helium balloon at around 120,000 ft ie 23 miles or 37 km this year, and could become the first man to break the sound barrier while free falling.

 


 

MEDICAL CHALLENGE

This is not a simple leap in the sky. People may not understand how dangerous skydiving at such heights is. The air density is so low that it cannot brake movements as drag becomes poorer up there.

Therefore, a position mistake can make the human body tumble violently or spin very fast. High rotation speeds involve high-G forces due to the centrifugal force, and may lead to G-LOC (G-force induced Loss Of Consciousness), and even to the rupture of blood vessels.

Moreover, if a spacesuit were to leak (due to a dormant seal failure or a cracked/crazed faceplate, for instance), the blood could be boiling (ebullism at 37°C above 63,000 ft or 19 km) because of the very low air pressure, and the body could be swelling, and actually freezing to death as the external temperature can reach down to -70°C, and even lower, not to mention the risk of pulmonary barotrauma.

The current record is held by Joseph Kittinger (a former USAF pilot who is curently advising Felix Baumgartner on his project) who jumped from 102,800 feet in 1960. He temporarily lost the use of his hand which got twice as big as a glove seal was leaking during the final part of the ascent. With this test jump, Felix Baumgartner already belongs to the highest three skydivers along with Joe Kittinger, and Russian Eugene Andreev who performed the longest parachute jump from 83,523 feet (25.5 km).

The following video shows that this feat is not only a matter of pushing limits as researchers are working on this Red Bull Stratos project to prepare flight safety of the future spacecraft:

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US Boeing UAV helicopter tested in Belize

The A160 « Hummingbird » or YMQ-18 – its military designation – is an American unmanned helicopter that is being tested in Central America, in Belize. This VTOL – Vertical Takeoff and Landing – prototype has been developed by the U.S. DARPA & the Boeing’s R&D division, the Phantom Works. The DARPA calls this drone FORESTER – FOPEN (FOliage PENetration) Reconnaissance, Surveillance, Tracking and Engagement Radar. You can watch the video hereafter:

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