CHAPTER 6
EJECTION SEAT SYSTEMS
Terminal Objective: Upon completion of this chapter, you will be
able to recognize the components of and maintenance procedures
for the removal, installation, and operational test and check of ejection seat
systems.
Today’s modern high-performance naval air-
craft make extreme demands on emergency escape
devices. The most critical time for ejection from
aircraft is at low altitudes, especially on takeoffs
and landings. The ultimate in seat reliability y is one
that safely ejects the occupant at zero airspeed and
zero altitude or at low altitudes under high sink
rate and/or adverse attitude conditions. Today
there are a number of different seats in the
inventory of naval aircraft. Each of these seats
is produced in various models to fit the escape
requirements of many aircraft. As aircraft evolve,
new needs and criteria dictate changes to seat
systems. You will see many of these equipment
changes during the time you spend in the Navy.
As examples of ejection seats, this chapter will
cover the following three types of seat systems:
Section 1 - ESCAPAC lE1 ejection seat
Section 2 - MARTIN-BAKER SJU-5/A ejec-
tion seat
section 3 - STENCEL SJU-8/A ejection seat
ESCAPAC lE - 1 EJECTION SEAT
Learning Objective: Recognize the com-
ponents, maintenance requirements,
emergency survival equipment, and
cartridge-actuated devices (CAD) for the
ESCAPAC 1E-1 ejection seat.
The lE-1 ESCAPAC ejection seat is a rocket
assisted ejection system that provides a quick and
safe means of escape from an aircraft. The
ESCAPAC seat provides escape capability from
ground level at zero-knots airspeed to all altitudes
and airspeeds within the operational limits of the
aircraft. The ESCAPAC seat has several
variations between models. Seat modifications
have been incorporated to give the occupant an
improved escape and recovery system that assures
directional stability during ejection and positive
seat-man separation. A manual backup is
provided to allow over-the-side bailout as well as
emergency egress from the aircraft. In this section
we will discuss the ESCAPAC 1E- 1 ejection seat
used in the S-3 aircraft.
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
Following ejection initiation, the lE-1
ESCAPAC system is fully automatic through
rocket thrust and burnout, seat-man separation,
and parachute opening. The 1E- 1 ejection seat
is a very reliable seat system that is initiated
by pulling either the primary (face curtain)
or secondary (lower) ejection control handle
(fig. 6-1). Two cables attached to the primary ejec-
tion control handle, or a single cable attached to
the secondary ejection control handle, cause the
firing control disconnect assembly to pivot for-
ward. Two attached arms move two firing rods
aft to actuate the acutating mechanism, which
fires the M99 initiator(s) located between the guide
rails. Through the aircraft-attached sequencing
system, the power inertia reel hauls back the
shoulder harness and stows the tactical air
coordinator (TACCO) and sensor operator
(SENSO) INCOS trays. Simultaneously, hot gas
pressure from the M99 initiators(s) activates an
6-1
