EJECT!

In article , Jon Kraus wrote:
He was really close to the ground when he bailed out. Is there a minimum
altitude to eject? Doesn't look like it. I guess it is better to nurse
some broken bones then die in the wreckage. Thanks.

I believe the modern Martin-Baker ejector seats are 'zero zero' capable
(i.e. you can eject at zero feet, zero airspeed) and have been for some
time.

Minor name dropping: the Ronaldsway Aircraft Company, just 5 miles from
where I live, makes these for MB. They have some amazing pictures on
their walls inside the plant. My favorite is the one which (from the
photographer's point of view) must have been the result of serendipity:
a nicely framed (photography wise, not what it's mounted in!) picture of
a man on a tractor, looking around behind him in awe. He's looking
around in awe becase an English Electric Lightning (50s era twin jet
interceptor) is pointing _straight down_, maybe at 300 feet or so, with
the gear down, and the pilot ejecting, his parachute just starting to
open.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"