"Mark" wrote:

Certainly one needs to make the attempt.... even in the world's best
ejection seat!!!!!!! So as you point out, the technical question of whether
it would or would not have been successful is moot.

vr
No, the question is not moot. Once the formation had passed
approximately 45 degrees below the horizon inverted on the back side
of the loop, they were out of the ejection seat envelope for the T-38
seat. As they passed through vertical nose-down, 90 degrees, they were
committed to a pull-through in some direction, even with a "break"
call. Again, they were passed the point of no return.

The T-38 ejection seat was good, but not "zero-zero"--it required some
forward velocity at ground level, with no downward vector to guarantee
survival. In a downward flight vector, the window narrows
considerably. Below a couple of thousand feet with a committed
downward flight path, nothing good is still in the option bag.


Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (ret)
***"When Thunder Rolled:
*** An F-105 Pilot Over N. Vietnam"
*** from Smithsonian Books
ISBN: 1588341038