1/48 Italeri Hawk T.1A (On Hold)

[Old Collingwood]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

Good old M-B seats. They work. (Not that I personally experienced them).

My dad used to tell me  that test pilots of MB bang seats  back then in the Meteor  used to grow a few inches then shrink the same amount during firing and  coming down in the chute, how true that is Im not too shure  - but interesting anyway.

 

OC.

[Canute]

Yeah, you could get hurt, but that was/is true of many of those seats. All depends on body position when you fire the seat.

[popeye the sailor]

sit back........tables in an upright position.......nothing sticking out over the edges.  there's a lot of force.....dodge the canopy on the way out! 

[Old Collingwood]

41 minutes ago, popeye the sailor said:

sit back........tables in an upright position.......nothing sticking out over the edges.  there's a lot of force.....dodge the canopy on the way out! 

And enjoy the trip.............

 

OC.

[Canute]

Guys who used the "silk let down" say it hurt for several days. Neck, butt, some times arms. Like Denis says, assume the proper position.

[lmagna]

5 hours ago, Canute said:

assume the proper position

Isn't that any position that gets you out, hopefully alive? Remember Jeffrey Zaun? For some time after people saw him on Iranian TV they were certain he had been beat in captivity. But he later said that they were mostly caused by the process of ejecting.

 There is a pretty long list of pilots who have died from ejecting unfortunately. 

Edited January 9, 2021 by lmagna

[Egilman]

5 hours ago, lmagna said:

There is a pretty long list of pilots who have died from ejecting unfortunately. 

Yep, it was definitely a last option to live choice...... 

[Canute]

Ejecting at high speeds will do things like that. Wind blast, arm flail, spinal compression fractures. Not a pretty picture. Flying is a dangerous game, folks.

 

Most newer jets have 2 sets of handles to initiate ejection sequencing. In the F-4, sitting in the trunk, I planned on ejecting using the overhead loops around takeoffs, since the stick was almost in my lap when we rotated the nose up and blocked the loop on the seat kit, between my legs. Lower handle was better at controlled bailout at our normal cruising speeds. It kept one's arms tucked in toward the legs, reducing the risk of arm flail injuries. At high speed, I'd go back to the overhead loops, because it also allowed me to pull a face screen over my helmet to kind of keep my head centered in the seat back parachute container. And I'd start saying my prayers,...

[lmagna]

Wasn't there some kind of leg restraint system that was attached to the ankles to draw them up tight to the seat when it was activated? 

[Canute]

Yep, there was. Those leg straps went away with the F-15 and later jets, I believe. Maybe leg flailing was no longer an issue.

 

We had straps just above the knee and down by the ankle. They were usually laying on the floor of the cockpit, when we strapped in. I think the Thud had similar; they had to put their straps on under the g-suit and they had big D rings on the insides of their legs. I know the F-104 had strap on "spurs" near the ankle, for clipping their feet into the base of the seat.

 

I did some practice "ejections" in pilot training. Strapped into T-33 seat attached to some almost vertical rails. The ground-crew popped a 37mm charge into the seat bottom and we were told to raise arm rests and fire the seat. Heck of a bang and we went 30 or so feet up the rails. Yahoo, a red ticket ride!

[Old Collingwood]

5 hours ago, Canute said:

Yep, there was. Those leg straps went away with the F-15 and later jets, I believe. Maybe leg flailing was no longer an issue.

 

We had straps just above the knee and down by the ankle. They were usually laying on the floor of the cockpit, when we strapped in. I think the Thud had similar; they had to put their straps on under the g-suit and they had big D rings on the insides of their legs. I know the F-104 had strap on "spurs" near the ankle, for clipping their feet into the base of the seat.

 

I did some practice "ejections" in pilot training. Strapped into T-33 seat attached to some almost vertical rails. The ground-crew popped a 37mm charge into the seat bottom and we were told to raise arm rests and fire the seat. Heck of a bang and we went 30 or so feet up the rails. Yahoo, a red ticket ride!

You would have no fear of roller coasters then Ken.

 

OC.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Old Collingwood

[Roger Pellett]

When I was in the Navy I lived in a house with three other guys that had been passed along for so many years that supposedly a letter was received one day addressed to “Rickover’s Rookies, Washington, DC.”  One of my house mates had a buddy who had returned from Vietnam to teach at the Navy’s jet training school in Meridian, MS.

 

Every so often there would be a pile of flight gear by the front door and I knew that this guy was visiting.  I once asked him how he was able to take the plane and to refuel it along the way.  He said that this was a perk to keep fliers from leaving for the Airlines and if you landed at a military base with the plane they figured that you were entitled to the fuel.

 

He offered to take me flying if I would get qualified in an ejection seat.  I believe that there was a set up at Andrews AFB.  Unfortunately I never took him up on the offer; something that I have regretted ever since.

 

Roger

[lmagna]

9 minutes ago, Old Collingwood said:

You would have no fear of roller coasters then Ken.

I have never understood why #1 people would have a fear of amusement park rides and #2 would find enjoyment on riding something that causes one deep seated fear.

 

Those rides transport people hour after hour for years, even decades on end with no issues or injury to anyone. Yes, like everything else, something COULD go wrong but the odds of getting hurt getting to the amusement are far greater than any chance of getting hurt, or even inconvenienced on the ride. As for the other part about being on a ride that causes you nothing but fear, I again come up with a big WHY?  It's not like people being afraid of flying and still get on an aircraft that is going to take you somewhere, especially if it is somewhere halfway around the world. The rides in amusement parks take you nowhere except back to the start a few minutes later.

 

I can't go on rides with my wife at amusement parks. Anything that goes fast, upside down, or twists a lot is out of the question for her. She will go on the Farris Wheel so long as it is not the type that has the cages that you can rock or make go upside down. She screams at me if I try to do anything other than just sit and watch the world go by. She won't even go on the spinning cup and saucer type rides! To me it's not even a ride unless it does some, or preferably all of those things.

[mtaylor]

Lou,

I think the fear is part of their psyche and that's the "fear of falling" and the disorientation from being tossed about.  Maybe they got that fear as child being tossed in the air by dad?  

[Canute]

Lou, you'd have liked the Tilt-a-whirl or Wild Mouse rides. I love coasters and similar rides.

 

Back when amusement parks were relatively close to cities, we had Palisades Amusement Park, on top of the palisade ridge on the Jersey side of the North (Hudson) River. It had rides, a fun house and even a large pool with a wave-making machine. Great way to spend time. Had a wooden roller coaster that I always went on and and the already mentioned Wild Mouse. This thing had you whipping around and at one point you are looking at the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with nothing else around. Then, you got whipped a very hard 90 degree left and continued the ride. Eye-watering fun.

 

Many folks don't like feeling their inner ear balance center opposing what their bodies are telling them. Part of our training as aviators was to overcome that fear and trust our eyes looking at our instruments. I've had it happen to me on a clear night, flying at low altitude over the Everglades. We both thought the Keys were the horizon, but couldn't understand why we were turning right.  Check all the gauges and believe what you're seeing, not what you are feeling.

[lmagna]

20 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Maybe they got that fear as child being tossed in the air by dad?  

That would be especially true if it was someone like my older grandson. When he was about six months old his father came over and was throwing him in the air and catching him. The boy LOVED it. The only problem was that my son was walking at the same time and at one point was standing under a beam that crosses the ceiling between the living and dining rooms. The boy's head hit with a THUNK and all fun was over. I couldn't believe my son had not been paying attention.

 

Another thing I always did with my kids was let them ride on my shoulders when we went somewhere. When we first got our youngest grandson at 3 years old I tried doing that and he freaked out! He had never been carried that way before it appears.

4 hours ago, Canute said:

Many folks don't like feeling their inner ear balance center opposing what their bodies are telling them.

I can understand that as well as the other fears that might be present. What I don't understand is the people who knowing they have these major fears go on the ride anyway. Maybe they think it will be different this time.

 

I have been on all those rides you mentioned and I think a few more. I have not found one yet that was too fast, twisty, or turney for me. But then I have never flown in an F-4 either! But I also repeat that riding on amusement rides with my wife is kind of like kissing my sister. Not much thrill at all.  

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, lmagna said:

I have been on all those rides you mentioned and I think a few more. I have not found one yet that was too fast, twisty, or turney for me. But then I have never flown in an F-4 either! But I also repeat that riding on amusement rides with my wife is kind of like kissing my sister. Not much thrill at all.  

Prior to 1946 The Eyerly Aircraft Company designed a ride called the Orientator to train people to fly, After early success and selling four Orientators to the Cuban government, sales lagged and the Orientator floor model gathered dust on Eyerly’s property. Then, one day someone suggested giving it a fresh coat of paint, taking it to the local fairground and charging 25 cents per ride. Called the Acroplane, The Orientator was an instant hit and was proclaimed by some as the best thrill ride since the advent of the roller coaster. The device gave riders the experience of flying and was renamed the Acroplane -- the first in a long line of amusement park and festival rides manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company. The originals traveler (set up and teardown rides were the Rock-o-plane, Roll-o-plane and the Loop-o-plane) Those were based upon pilot training devices Eyerly made for the USAAF during WWII to familiarize pilot trainees with the gyroscopic forces involved in high speed maneuvering aircraft for the Army Air Corps......

 

Those who couldn't handle the rides were washed out early that way..... The whole traveling amusement ride show started when they were selling the equipment off for scrap after the war and a bright guy thought he could make money setting them up and offering the public rides...

 

The Acroplane -- 

 

the first in a long line of amusement park and festival rides manufactured by the Eyerly Aircraft Company. Eyerly developed and patented many amusement rides which would become common at carnival midways, including The Loop-O-Plane (1933), the Roll-O-Plane, the Fly-O-Plane and the Rock-O-Plane (1947). But arguably their most popular design was the Octopus....

 

Fly-o-Plane... 

Rock-o-plane...

Roll-o-plane...

And finally, the Loop-o-plane....

Those are what got it all started, now in this last pic you can the the classic flat pig iron ride, the Tilt-a-Whirl.... 30,000 lbs in a trailer...

 

I broke in as a second man on that towering green bone shaker in the background, the Zipper, 78,000 lbs of pig iron......

 

At 19, I had one of the kids dream jobs..... Being a ride foreman at 20.... those were the days......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Egilman

[Canute]

Lou, in your mind's eye, you gotta make believe it's 1965 and you're on a date. Otherwise, yeah, it's like kissing yer sister. (Guess you lost some spark with the wife, eh?)

[Old Collingwood]

This was the first and last roller coaster I went on its called the corkscrew  - 😨

 

OC.

[Canute]

Wow, that looks like fun!

[Old Collingwood]

8 minutes ago, Canute said:

Wow, that looks like fun!

At the time back in the early 80s  it was Britains fastest  rollercoaster  with the most twists, my old mate forst me to go there and on it.😬

 

When I got off it  I was like ..................🥴🤯😱😰

 

OC.

[Canute]

A wee bit green around the gills, Mate? 😞

[Old Collingwood]

12 minutes ago, Canute said:

A wee bit green around the gills, Mate? 😞

Yep, one of  Two things I dont like  them and hights.

 

OC.

[lmagna]

2 hours ago, Canute said:

(Guess you lost some spark with the wife, eh?)

When it comes to riding in amusement park rides with her, YES! Not high on my list of things I like doing together.

 

Just for those who can get to them and have the desire here is a bucket list of sorts:

https://rollercoaster.fandom.com/wiki/Highest_G-Force_on_a_Roller_Coaster

 

The note about older roller coasters built in the past that pulled up to 12Gs is intriguing. That is some serious Gs. I wonder if anyone ever passed out?

 

I have been on every one of the rides you showed at one time or another except the one in the film EG. I think some of them may have had different names though. One I did get on once was at the Pacific Science Center. They strapped you into a framework that looked like a gyroscope with you in the middle and when they let you go you could twist and turn in any direction. It was not powered but I could make myself spin or roll faster or slower but try as I might, I could not stop it and was only able to change direction slightly. It was supposed to demonstrate moving in a vacuum. Obviously without a jet pack!

 

I think I like the looks of the coaster you show OC. That may be one of the fun ones. 

 

[Old Collingwood]

12 minutes ago, lmagna said:

When it comes to riding in amusement park rides with her, YES! Not high on my list of things I like doing together.

 

Just for those who can get to them and have the desire here is a bucket list of sorts:

https://rollercoaster.fandom.com/wiki/Highest_G-Force_on_a_Roller_Coaster

 

The note about older roller coasters built in the past that pulled up to 12Gs is intriguing. That is some serious Gs. I wonder if anyone ever passed out?

 

I have been on every one of the rides you showed at one time or another except the one in the film EG. I think some of them may have had different names though. One I did get on once was at the Pacific Science Center. They strapped you into a framework that looked like a gyroscope with you in the middle and when they let you go you could twist and turn in any direction. It was not powered but I could make myself spin or roll faster or slower but try as I might, I could not stop it and was only able to change direction slightly. It was supposed to demonstrate moving in a vacuum. Obviously without a jet pack!

 

I think I like the looks of the coaster you show OC. That may be one of the fun ones. 

 

Not for me mate   guess they are a bit like Marmite  you either love or hate.

 

OC.

[Roger Pellett]

Many years ago when we were living in Ohio the Columbus Zoo took over a small amusement park and water park adjacent to their grounds.  My wife and I and our two kids visited the Zoo and of course the kids wanted to go on the rides.  My son was about 7 and my daughter 10.

 

The first ride that we came to was called the Black Squid, probably similar or the same as the Octopus; seats that spun around while the arms that they were mounted on rotated and moved up and down.  My son insisted that we try it, my daughter declined.  I agreed to go with my son.  The thing started up and I wound up being completely disoriented.  After it was over we got off, sat down and waited for the nausea to pass.  

 

That was the end end of the rides.  The water slides were much more fun.

 

Roger

[Old Collingwood]

5 minutes ago, Roger Pellett said:

Many years ago when we were living in Ohio the Columbus Zoo took over a small amusement park and water park adjacent to their grounds.  My wife and I and our two kids visited the Zoo and of course the kids wanted to go on the rides.  My son was about 7 and my daughter 10.

 

The first ride that we came to was called the Black Squid, probably similar or the same as the Octopus; seats that spun around while the arms that they were mounted on rotated and moved up and down.  My son insisted that we try it, my daughter declined.  I agreed to go with my son.  The thing started up and I wound up being completely disoriented.  After it was over we got off, sat down and waited for the nausea to pass.  

 

That was the end end of the rides.  The water slides were much more fun.

 

Roger

I loved the Log Flumes   so much fun   could manage them no problem.

 

OC.

[Canute]

Impressive, that one coaster ride got to a skosh over 6 G. I've been on a few of those rides, too. Fun stuff.

 

As aviators, we had to do centrifuge rides (aka spin-dry). And they were intense; some of us "took naps" as Lou called it. I didn't, but came pretty close. If you did conk out, the recovery period was a few seconds and could be critical. At that point, the jet was not under control.

[lmagna]

It turns out that the 6G ride was "As built". It was redesigned sometime later and now is reported as maxing out at about 4Gs.

[Old Collingwood]

Back to my other hobby  - what I am able to get out of my rig  -  flying over on airways  from Amsterdam to the US  at roughly 35K.

 

OC.