Page 24 - Volume 17 Number 5

22 • TWIN & TURBINE MAY 2013From the Flight Deck by Kevin R. DingmanPulling the HandleBefore my military flight training began, I held a civilian commercial certificate, had logged about a thousand hours, and was the owner of a ’59 straight-tail C-150. I’d flown all of the Piper singles, a handful of Cessnas, Beeches, Mooneys, and the Bellanca Viking. I had preformed basic aerobatics in a Cessna Aerobat such as loops, rolls, spins, and snap rolls. Military flight training repeated all civilian training associated with airmanship, instrument flying, and aircraft systems. Since I was already civilian trained, I can say this with confidence: Military flight training was a more detailed and intense education on all aspects of the vehicle, the environment, and the procedures.Two PartsMilitary aerospace vehicles have all the usual GA systems, but also many that don’t exist on a civilian airplane: weapons, aerial refueling, secure communications, air- to-air and air-to-ground radar, and both physical and electronic countermeasures, for example. In the fighter community, the environment includes very high-speed, low-altitude flying and threats from the enemy. Instrument procedures include some non-civilian techniques like flying fix-to-fix with DME and RMI only, using on board air-to-ground radar as an instrument landing system, and IMC formation landings, to name a few. Just as we civilians develop tactics to avoid or deal with the environment, so it is with military tactics involving the environment and the enemy. Flying a military aircraft is always a two-part endeavor: flying the plane, like we do at the airlines and all of GA, and using the plane to accomplish the mission.All military pilots are officers first and pilots second. Once you are trained in your weapon system (that’s what a military aircraft is called), you learn how to be an officer in the military corporation as well. These support positions are called additional duties. While flying the F-16, I heldseveral of these additional duties, including bombing range officer, flight scheduler, functional check flight pilot, flight examiner, and Life Support Officer (LSO). The LSO is responsible for the management of enlisted personnel in the life support shop, where helmets, oxygen masks, G-suits, parachutes, and parachute harnesses are maintained. Additionally, the LSO conducts recurrent training for pilots on all equipment and, in the case of fighters, the ejection system.A Ride to the GroundEject, pull the handle, bail out... expressions that have become synonymous with quitting, running away, leaving, or simply getting out of Dodge. When discussing retirement: “How long before you pull the handle?” And when it’s time to leave a place or event: “Let’s bail.” This time however, we’re talking about the real deal – employing the emergency escape system of an airplane. The ejection system is one of the many qualifications you must maintain as a military pilot, and there’s a bit more to it than a ride to the ground. I ran across a briefing paper I had written for the F-16 ejection system; it’s submitted to you, as an example of the level of detail associated with training for the simple act of “pulling the handle.”Ejection procedures when aircraft is under control:3 Autopilot on3 Autopilot heading select, away from congested areas 3 ATC call if appropriate3 Wingman call3 Chin strap tighten3 Oxygen mask tighten3 G-Suit hose disconnect3 Airspeed reduce (less than 250 kts)3 No later than 10,000 feet AGL3 Call for GPS mark3 Feet on rudder pedals3 Elbows in3 Head against rest3 Ejection handle ring - pull3 Hang onto ring until forced from your handsFailure modes:Nothing happens3 Proceed with each step until ejection is successful.3 Pull ejection ring again, harder.3 Canopy unlock handle, open3 Canopy electric open switch, up3 Canopy jettison “T” handle, push one button and pull up (there are two buttons)3 Canopy manual crank, one turn at a time, counter-clockwise3 (After each of steps 2-5above, quickly re-grab the ejection ring to keep your arms from flailing should the ejection sequence resume. Wait two seconds between steps.)Canopy jettisons successfully, seat does not:3 Pull ejection ring again, harder3 Insert a large amount of rudder trim