“Ejection Decision: A Second Too Late!” Is a 1981 US Air Force training film for aircrews who fly aircraft with ejection seats. The film shows scenes from real life ejection scenarios and interviews with pilots who have made emergency ejections to help emphasizes the importance of making timely ejection decisions. Here, psychology is important, as escape technology cannot make up for the fact that pilots can make poor decisions about leaving an out-of-control aircraft.
The film starts with footage of an F-4 Phantom in a deadly spin, forcing the air crew to eject from the plane. An officer from the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center explains at mark 01:50 that the decision when to eject from an out-of-control aircraft could mean the difference between life and death. From 1949 to 1980, we are informed via a pie chart that there were 4,626 ejections — 82% of them success. Yet from 1976 to 1980 the survival rate had fallen (mark 02:25) due to delayed ejection. A horrific accident involving an F-100 fighter jet careening out of control is seen at 2:40. At 3:30, POV footage from inside an aircraft as an ejection occurs is shown. The ACES II Ejection Seat is seen at 3:48. As the film continues we see numerous crashes, look at the design of an ejection seat, and review statistics on fatality rate by altitude (mark 04:42). The training film continues with detailed narratives on ejection scenarios and archived combat footage from the Vietnam War (07:15) followed by a look at statistics on 1967-1973 combat and mishap ejection survival rates. In peacetime, we are told at mark 07:50, that there seems to be an increase in delayed ejections including failed attempts to gain altitude and lack of confidence in the ejection system. At mark 09:15, a pilot offers a first-hand look at what it’s like to eject from an aircraft as his F-4 lost all hydraulics and started taking an uncontrolled bank. At 11:00, a female pilot who was flying as a student recounts having to eject from a T-38 Talon with her instructor, followed by images of T-38 Talon wreckage. Several more pilots share their experiences starting at mark 11:05 with those interviews accompanied by scenes of aircraft in flight and in crisis. Stressing that time is everything, an officer concludes at mark 21:33, “Wasting those few precious seconds can not only be critical; in the ejection world it can be fatal.”
ACES II is an ejection seat system manufactured by the United Technologies Aerospace Systems (UTAS) division of the United Technologies Corporation (UTC). ACES is an acronym for Advanced Concept Ejection Seat. It is used in Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, Rockwell B-1 Lancer, WB-57, and Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit aircraft. Over 10,000 ACES II seats have been produced with over 5,000 actively flying throughout the world as of 2013. It is known throughout the industry as the lowest life cycle cost third generation seat due to the USAF owning the rights to the seat, facilitating competitive replacement part procurement. In addition, the buying power of 5,000 in-service seats and previous service life extension programs have further driven down support costs.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
