Originally Posted by
minitour
Help settle a bet. What's the max aircraft speed one can safely use an ejection seat?
"The other guy" says Mach .99.
I'm saying it's got to be significantly higher than that (or else what's the point in a lot of cases?).
Thanks.
-mini
You're both wrong... and both right to a lesser degree. I believe there have been successful supersonic ejections, but in general, with a modern "zero-zero" (airspeed-altitude) seat, the slower the better to prevent "flail" type injuries.