[size=4]Lt. Keith Gallagher’s Story
Irish Luck - Surviving Partial Ejection from A-6 Aircraft
USS Abraham Lincoln Aircraft Carrier (CVN-72)
Indian Ocean, July 1991[/size]
Read the full story at [url]http://www.gallagher.com/ejection_seat/[/url] …amazing!
wilf_san
Fantastically interesting story wilf. Very enjoyable indeed.
Non unlike the BA (I believe) pilot who was sucked out the window of his MD-80 (Again, I believe) when the cockpit window blew out.
That’s exactly what I thought of…there’s been at least one full documentary on ‘Aircraft Investigations’, the pilot was pulled almost totally out of the front cockpit, and the wind was so bad his pilot’s shirt was shredded away to nothing. He got a terrible battering, in the snow, for a lot longer than the 6mins here. At least a flying suit would have protected the Navy flyer a little bit.
You know, in some ways I was actually surprised to read that the USN Intruder jet was pressurised at all… what caught me out was, of course, that fighter pilots normally wear oxygen masks, and I was thinking that the cockpit was unpressurised, in the classic original style.
But, obviously for warmth/condensation, it makes sense for the crew compartment on fighter jets to be pressurised. So saying, are they all? And are they always normally pressurised? My guess is yes…
This is maybe a Funkletrumpet question, if said person happens to be on the new forum. Unless someone else can pitch-in with detail…?
wilf_san
ps I think I could almost do with an oxygen mask right now myself, but that’s another story…
I would assume the cockpit is constantly pressurised in the same way a civil airliner is. With the high rates of climb and more importantly descent I would assume a fast jet uses not having a pressurised cockpit would make flying extremely uncomfortable with the rapid changes of pressure.
Though maybe if there are any ex-cadet FJ pilots or ex-FJ pilot staff lurking, they could clarify. Interesting question.
But isn’t that what the pressure vest/anti-G trousers are for?
My guess is that you’re right, they all are probably pressurised, all the time, for comfort and also to prevent canopy misting. So the mask will be for oxygen only on eject, then, at altitude, as there will be plenty of O2 in the cockpit for breathing? And also in case of unexpected depressurisation…like the Intruder pilot.
G-Pants restrict blood flow to prevent black-out. My thought process was based on the knowledge that the average airliner cabin is pressurised to c.8000ft (usually), you can feel the pressure change quite considerably throughout descent and that depressurises fairly slowly, often not fully until after touchdown. Imagine that pressure change occurring much more quickly, and possibly from a much greater pressure altitude. But hey, I’m just guessing, could quite easily be wrong, wouldn’t be the first time! 
p.s. I guess the mask may also have something to do with delivering oxygen under pressure during high-G manoeuvres, during which the pilot may have difficulty breathing.
[quote=“rockape3” post=1618]
p.s. I guess the mask may also have something to do with delivering oxygen under pressure during high-G manoeuvres, during which the pilot may have difficulty breathing.[/quote]
Yes, of course, good point.
wilf_san
[quote]NATOPS (OPNAVINST 3710.7) forbids flight above 25,000 feet in unpressurized aircraft. The A-6 can certainly fly above 25,000 feet. Its listed service ceiling was at 40,000 feet.
So yes, the cockpit is pressurized.[/quote]
Delved into the subject a little deeper on pprune, and this reply sort of clears it up, though specific to the A-6 I can guess most fast jets would have a service ceiling above 25,000 ft.
alternatively, lack of oxygen tends to forbid flight above 15,000 feet. generally, commercial aircraft are pressurised to around 8,000 feet. military aircraft are also pressurised, but I can’t remember to what height, and can’t find my uni textbook to check
[quote]Typically partially pressurised so that pressure breathing is not routinely required.
Even at 100% oxygen, at high altitude there is not enough pressure to avoid hypoxia.
But compared to an airliner, where the air is just a standard oxygen /nitrogen mix and thus has to pressurised a lot, to keep the cabin down at 8000’, a fj cockpit does not need to be pressurised as much. Saves weight and air bleed load, thus minimising performance penalty.[/quote]
Another helpful quote from prune, my guess is since pressure breathing is required above 40,000’ and pure oxygen above 33,700’ the cockpit of the jet would be pressurised to something not far below this, assuming flight anywhere near this altitude, most fast jets seem quite content far below FL100 (10,000’).
Thanks for sharing 
RAF Tucanos aren’t pressurised (it was apparently an option they didn’t buy, in order to save cash), which is why (so my aircrew friends tell me) doing a rapid descent in a Tucano is such a deeply unpleasant experience.