Originally Posted by
galaxy flyer
Yes, went through the last “A” course on the Hun in Tucson; flew it about 500 hours before going to the A-10. No, not a big fan, mostly because how do you keep the ejection seat maintenance up?
I've seen that topic come up quite a bit on warbird forums in the past. It seems to be something of a hot topic. One camp basically says, don't need them. That if such a scenario ever developed, they'd take their chances with the aircraft than trying to survive the potential collision with the canopy. The other camps seems to swing in the exact opposite direction. They rather take their chances with getting clear of the canopy glass and frame on egress than hanging out to see what happens inside the seat.
The other factors seems to be how the aircraft has been certified, as to whether or not hot seats and/or the chute itself is even legal for use. I think most all of the L-39s are designed under "Experimental Exhibition" category here in the US and require FSDO approvals to fly beyond a certain distance from the aircraft's base (at least that's what I hear). But, I understand that many of the sets have been pinned and the pyro removed.
I guess I would favor pinning it. Let's say the pyro works and it ignites/fires. In the L-39, the pyrocartridge is supposed to activate the remainder of the cockpit canopy ejection system. Well, that's mechanical in nature, too. Since these warbirds have not been maintained by their original military units and certainly not under an aircraft manufacturer's maintenance contract, I'd be concerned about whether or not that canopy would break away correctly. And, you won't know until you need to use it. In other words, the crash may not kill you but the ejection could - it all depends. I'm not sure if it is a 50/50 proposition, however.
The Parts are available from reputable sources, but like you imply - it must be maintained by an equally reputable source. I'd deactivate it and go with the flow. It would be part of the acceptable risk of owning and operating a jet warbird, at least in my mind. Another reason to pick one with a
relatively good Civilian Safety Record, I guess.
I've done some homework on it. Not 100% convinced. If I did, it would be the L-39. Plenty of parts and good support for it in the US. Though, I've seen a gorgeous ground-up full restoration of an A4 Skyhawk out there for sale. Restoration circa 2013.