Amazing FA-18 Crash photos

[*MAD DOG*]

How anyone managed to photograph all that is beyond me. You can only imagine the speed of an FA-18 Fighter, even only on one engine. Check out the sequence of the canopy leaving the scene, the pilot in his rocket-powered seat coming out, the parachute opening sequence, and the separated seat falling away. Modern technology at its best. All of this happened in about two seconds from canopy off to the fireball.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/MADDOGZONER/f1_zpsbbfce10d.jpg

Check out all the smoke from the canopy rocket motors.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/MADDOGZONER/f2_zps214fa2fd.jpg

There he goes! So that's what the striped handle does!
The left engine has the nozzle fully open, showing that #1 engine was developing no power.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/MADDOGZONER/f3_zpsade1bdc2.jpg

The white thing is the seat-stabilazing drogue chute. Notice the pilot’s head pinned to his chest from the severe “g” forces produced by the solid rocket motors in the ACES II seat. They burn for about 2/10ths of a second . . enough time to propel him at least 60 feet clear of the aircraft. Hellova ride.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/MADDOGZONER/f4_zps9dc57fa5.jpg

One millesecond from eternity for a beautiful FA-18.
Check out the now-unoccupied ejection seat following the aircraft to glory.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/MADDOGZONER/f5_zps2b76ff98.jpg

The moment-of-impact photo shows flame shooting out of the left engine . . its “last gasp”. There goes the seat above the fireball. The pilot will be downing his first of several shots within the hour, soon as his hands stop shaking.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb65/MADDOGZONER/f6_zps788d8214.jpg

And the pilot lived happily ever after . . .

[tk1971]

Thanks...

That's one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[cali yaris]

wow. It was a CF-18 jet, at an air show:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10748900

[cali yaris]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/2010wintergames/3316236.bin?size=620x400

[Golddeenoh]

live happily ever after except being a few million in debt for crashing a jet.

[tk1971]

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/2010wintergames/3316236.bin?size=620x400

Wow, aside from feeling all hot from almost dying... imagine how hot it was right there?

I remember how hot it was in the Backdraft attraction at Universal Studios, and that's just a few flames.

This was considerably larger. Glad the pilot's ok, and no spectators were hurt.

[JumpmanYaris]

A CF-18 is the same as a FA-18

CF= Canadian Forces, however the jet it self is American

[cali yaris]

^ Good to know, mechanically speaking....but for Google searches, articles about this crash come up way better if you type "CF-18 crash". Since it was in Canada, it is a CF-18.

[xnamerxx]

Odd piece of random trivia but the American ejection seat is technologically inferior to the russian ejection seat because it lacks an airblast shield which prevents pilots from having their legs broken during higher speed ejections.

[JumpmanYaris]

^It's only if you compare it to the old aircrafts. It can't be said the same from a F-35A F-35B F-35-C or F-22R

[xnamerxx]

I don't believe the F22 seat is any better than the f18 seat, you have to remember the f22 was designed before the fall of the iron curtain with its design dating back to the early 1980's. Doing a quick google search shows what appears to be leg braces on the f35 seat.

Ejection seats aren't really all that high tech as it is since they only really have one main function which is GTFO of the aircraft when required so making them better hasn't been a top priority so more of a design philosophy difference between Russian and American designs which the Russians anticipated supersonic ejections and the American's did not. I guess we figured if your ejecting at that speed the wind blast is likely to kill you so saving the limbs isn't a priority.


Surviving an ejection at 800 mph.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HecyxhXDepU

[cali yaris]

I love it when you talk jet to me....

[JumpmanYaris]

Lol ^

[JumpmanYaris]

Dafuq

[MadMax]

Odd piece of random trivia but the American ejection seat is technologically inferior to the russian ejection seat because it lacks an airblast shield which prevents pilots from having their legs broken during higher speed ejections.

Where do you get that specific piece of nonsense? In no way are US ejection seats "technologically inferior" to Russian ones because of the lack of an "airblast shield." The ACES II seat--which has been the standard in the A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22, B-1B, and B-2 aircraft and is a zero-zero seat (meaning it can be successfully used at zero altitude and zero airspeed--has never caused damage to pilot's legs from the ejection process. Most times that occurs from a bad landing when the pilot hits the ground.

Most ejection seat injuries involve the neck and back.

So it's not odd trivia, it's fiction.

[shinlee]

800mph ejection.... that dude was messed up bad, tough sob...

[instantninja]

That jet was from my base. the new seats in them are pretty good, its a 2 stage rocket that cuts down on back injuries. also the straps are on a balistic recoil that pulls the legs in and cranks the pilot into the seat.
he was out at the bar that night.