Fairey A-43A Gannet USAF Korean War Service

[zenrat]

The rocket apparently fired at an angle, just so that the exhaust missed the pilot's head (see photos in the link below). Of course, the pilot better hope that the rocket's erection mechanism as installed in the single-seat Spads had not malfuctioned, because otherwise the rocket would be shooting him at the back of the head. Which probably still beats burning alive or being crushed to death At least in the wide-body Spads the rocket was already in the upright position to begin with.
http://tailspintopics.blogspot.fi/2011/10/yankee-tractor-rocket-escape-system.html
http://tailhooktopics.blogspot.fi/2017/03/a-1e-yankee-escape-system.html

Looks fun.

Providing it works right.

[AS.12]

Quite what the USAF would have made of the Double Mamba I hate to think but the idea is brilliant.

Roads not trodden: Wright took a license on the Mamba, Double-Mamba and Python in 1950 along with the Sapphire.

The Python was heavier and less powerful than its US contemporaries but Wright had high hopes for the Mamba types.

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[Weaver]

USAF Skyraiders got an 'interesting' retrofitted escape system in the Stanley Yankee, which basically had a rocket stowed at an angle behind the seat which stood itself upright and then dragged the pilot out by his straps, leaving the seat in the plane. Unfortunately, I still can't see how this could be applied to the Gannet.

Jeepers, that sounds dangerous. 

How come the rocket exhaust didn't cook the pilot when it fired?

The rocket in the Skyraider was hinged and was pivoted to the upright position by a pyro charge after the canopy was jettisoned. The rocket was a 'back-to-front' or tractor design, with the solid fuel grain burning from the front to the back and exhausting through nozzles at the nose which turned it through 180 deg.





Pics from here: http://www.456fis.org/EJECTION_SEAT_HISTORY.htm and here: http://tailspintopics.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/yankee-tractor-rocket-escape-system.html

[b29r]

Wonderful to see all of this Gannet/Spad/pocket rocket discussion . . . . hope some of this takes root!

Best regards,
Kem