Mystery Seat

[THE PILGRIM]

Don't have a picture-
But this is the only ejection seat ever built- I think- that turns 180 degrees.
It was installed in a production airplane.
I have only ever heard of one.
If you know of another, then I will have heard of two!

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Sure it wasn't a barber's chair?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Sure it wasn't a barber's chair?

It could have been. But with a rocket attached?
I have seen this seat, really cannot remember how different it looked
from a nearby regular seat which did not swivel.

 

[Bkreutz]

Like this one?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Like this one?

You are getting warm! Not really.
This seat was in a well known US operational airplane.

 

[H Richard]

It couldn't have been a pilots seat, not enough room in any cockpit I've ever been in.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

It couldn't have been a pilots seat, not enough room in any cockpit I've ever been in.

Good point! This seat was in fact installed in a plane that didn't have much cockpit room.
It did have a layout that provided just enough space to rotate the seat.

 

[REM 3200]

Are you sure you didn't see this spinning seat after leaving "happy hour" at the club?

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[Rastoff]

Did it rotate while ejecting or did it just rotate to ease getting in and out of it?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Did it rotate while ejecting or did it just rotate to ease getting in and out of it?

It rotated during flight do that crew member could perform specific tasks.

 

[LostintheOzone]

Space shuttle?

 

[Rastoff]

Well, the only plane I know of that has ejection seats, and is large enough for that seat to rotate (at any time) is a B52.

 

[smokey04]

B-58 Hustler? I think I remember it had a rearward ejection seat for the navigator? Nick

 

[THE PILGRIM]

You guys are getting warm!
But neither of those.
The B-52 has regular seats. The B-58 started off with regular seats and then went with escape capsules.
Escape capsules- Widow makers, but they were rich widows.
The sued the manufacturer, Stanley.
Ballistic lines were found to be blocked by grease.

 

[glen_farmer]

B-47 co-pilot

 

[THE PILGRIM]

B-47 co-pilot

Correct! The B-47 Co-Pilot turned to the rear to operate the rear guns.
There wasn't much room in a B-47.
When you climbed up the ladder, you could stand in a narrow walkway to the left of the pilots. That allowed enough space to swing the seat.

 

[glen_farmer]

I recall stories that the RB-47 had snoop positions in the bomb bay.

That would have been a really cold and noisy position for whoever did those jobs.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

So, to see if I understand, if the seat happened to be turned to the rear, it would first rotate 180 to the front, then eject the co-pilot? Otherwise, it just ejected normally?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

So, to see if I understand, if the seat happened to be turned to the rear, it would first rotate 180 to the front, then eject the co-pilot? Otherwise, it just ejected normally?

Yes, I think so.