FAA issues ATIS for MANPADS threat LA area

///AMG said:
I think the general public thinks we just chuck jets at will when things go wrong, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
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QFT. I think this is an enormous misunderstanding about the military ejection seat pilot mindset amongst the civilian population.
 
Hacker15e said:
QFT. I think this is an enormous misunderstanding about the military ejection seat pilot mindset amongst the civilian population.
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I'd say that some part of not wanting to use it is pride, or wanting to save an aircraft and by nature believing that I can. Another consideration for me (not sure if others feel this way) is that I don't know what it would be like, or even if it will be successful. I'm used to staying with an airplane and landing it, even if I have to deal with an emergency to do so, and that approach thus far has always worked out. I'm not used to ejecting, and while I've never done it, I'm pretty sure it sucks a lot. It wouldn't suck more than dying, but it also very well could cause my death. Those are big odds to play when you aren't absolutely, positively sure that it is the only hope of survival. That's my mindset I'd say. I'll use it as an absolute last resort, but even then, I'm figuring there is a pretty decent chance I will be seriously and possibly permanently injured, if not killed. I know a couple guys (in separate events) that never flew again, and now "fly" crutches or wheelchairs after being permanently disabled in a big way after ejecting. It isn't something to take lightly at all.
 
... a little late to this party.

This isn't really something I'd worry about. Simply stated, the range and effectiveness of shoulder-launched missiles would be such that blasting an aircraft short final or just after takeoff is what I see happening. We discussed this extensively in the helicopter community in the last decade, largely due to the number of shoot-downs occurring in central Iraq.

Odds are, no matter what you do, you'll never see it coming, and when it happens, based on aircraft configuration, missile detonation, and shrapnel impact, you might lose some control authority, but most likely you'll experience catastrophic engine failure. A shootdown for an Army Blackhawk near Fallujah produced a debris field that allowed impact analysis- the missile hit the #2 engine so hard that the engine was forcibly separated from the fuselage. Considering that the engine compartment is partially blended with the fuselage, that gives an idea of missile velocity.

Long story short, there's nothing to worry about, because there's likely nothing you can do to prevent it. Just remember your memory items if it happens. Keep Calm, and Carry On. Cheers.
 
Hacker15e said:
There is a natural human resistance to making the decision to leave the warm, comfortable womb of the cockpit. There is a binary finality of it that goes against a pilot's human instinct to try and fix whatever the problem is -- with ejection being an admission that he/she cannot save the ship.
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Yep ...I can agree with that:

http://a4skyhawk.org/?q=2d/tins/tins-glider_ron-marron.htm

Incident occurred back about 1966 ...published about 2006 (or so). LOL!!
 
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