How to bail out an aircraft?

[Andre B]

Most of us knew how to bailout from an Spitfire or Messerschmitt. But how to get out from an Beufighter or Mosquito in an emergency? Did actually someone survive that experience? How many Lancaster or Wellington pilots did surviive an emergency? I think it was rather more easyer for the navigator or gunners to get out quick from the aircraft than for a pilot in most cases...

/André

Edited August 25, 2015 by Andre B

[MilneBay]

Quickly.

[Oldynewby]

I think most aircraft with a framed canopy had an ejectable panel as an emergency escape hatch. Certainly the Lancaster and Mosquito did.

[Knight_Flyer]

I do remember reading an article years ago about a Lancaster tail gunner bailing out by rotating his turret round. The story was remarkable in that his parachute failed to open and he survived the fall due to the snow being quite thick on the ground.

[Stonar]

Some research was done into the survivability of aircrew of the Lancaster, Halifax and Stirling. Once shot down 13.2% survived from the Lancaster, 21.9% from the Halifax and 24.0% from the Stirling (a small sample). There are many factors influencing these figures but the Lancaster's small escape hatch (22"x26.5") must have been a factor and this was acknowledged, though the hatch was never altered, at the time.

The survival rate from USAAF B-17s shot down and abandoned in the air (i.e. excluding forced landings) albeit in rather different circumstances was over 70%, which gives food for thought.

Cheers

Steve

[Tbolt]

I think most aircraft with a framed canopy had an ejectable panel as an emergency escape hatch. Certainly the Lancaster and Mosquito did.

On the Mosquito the canopy escape hatch is designed to be used on the ground or in the water though it may have been used in flight as a last resort, but the parachute exit is officially the entrance door.

Edited August 25, 2015 by Tbolt

[Mike]

On the Mosquito the canopy escape hatch is designed to be used on the ground as the recommendations in the pilot manual is aircraft stopped and engines off, though it may have been used in flight as a last resort.

I'd have thought that rules and regs would be the last consideration in an emergency. I'd imagine in a Mossie you'd try to get inverted and wriggle/fall out of the panel

[Tbolt]

I'd have thought that rules and regs would be the last consideration in an emergency. I'd imagine in a Mossie you'd try to get inverted and wriggle/fall out of the panel

Obviously any way you can if it is that bad, just pointing out thats not what it's designed for and the parachute exit is the entrance door and I'm quessing that if they say that then you probably have more chance of survival going out this way. Edited August 25, 2015 by Tbolt

[bootneck]

There has been talk/conjecture in the past that the pilot flips the aircraft to get out; however, the reason for bailing out is usually that all controls are lost and that would preclude changing the attitude of the aircraft. This could include trying to remain straight and level to allow the aircrew to get out safely.

[Mike]

That was running through my mind as I typed my last post, but if they still had enough control authority in the ailerons, it would be worth a go! Are there any accounts of pilots that successfully left their aircraft in the air? That's the only way to be absolutely sure.

[Nigel Bunker]

Some research was done into the survivability of aircrew of the Lancaster, Halifax and Stirling. Once shot down 13.2% survived from the Lancaster, 21.9% from the Halifax and 24.0% from the Stirling (a small sample). There are many factors influencing these figures but the Lancaster's small escape hatch (22"x26.5") must have been a factor and this was acknowledged, though the hatch was never altered, at the time.

The survival rate from USAAF B-17s shot down and abandoned in the air (i.e. excluding forced landings) albeit in rather different circumstances was over 70%, which gives food for thought.

Just a thought but maybe the B-17 rate has something to being shot down in daylight as opposed th being shot down at night - I doubt there was much if any lighting in a bomber fuselage which may have made exiting problemmatical..

[bentwaters81tfw]

Beaufighter crew exited via the crew doors underneath. They hinged into the slipstream and offered some protection to the crewmen. The pilot also had a sliding roof panel.

Many B-17 and B-24 crews escaped via the bomb bay. Not possible on most British bombers.

[NAVY870]

Having spent some time in both Beaufighter and Mosquito cockpits I found them both somewhat

difficult to clamber in and out off. This being done in normal work attire with the aircraft sitting on its gear in the barn.

Having to vacate the premises whilst wearing flying kit over Indian country with the thing coming apart around your ears

reminds me of what I was told when I foolishly asked how to abandon the RAN Historic Flights Firefly back office in the

event of a kerfuffle

"Fly with it die with it"

[noelh]

I've read a number of accounts of pilots getting out of Lancasters and other similar aircraft. But invariably that involved some kind of control of the aircraft. Loss a wing or control made the whole thing very problematic. Even recently there was parachute plane crash in Belgium. The Pilatus Porter lost a wing and it spun in. Nobody got out because they were pinned by the G forces even though there was a big parachute door and everyone was ready to jump. Imagine the same incident at night with only a tiny escape hatch. Perhaps not!

There had to be an element of luck and perhaps adrenalin involved in some escapes.

[Selwyn]

I do remember reading an article years ago about a Lancaster tail gunner bailing out by rotating his turret round. The story was remarkable in that his parachute failed to open and he survived the fall due to the snow being quite thick on the ground.

The rear gunner on lancasters had his parachute stowed in the fuselage behind the turret. in an emergency the procedure was to;

Turn the turret fore and aft, (difficult if the hydraulics were out.)

Open armoured turret doors

Unstow chute from fuselage .

Clip chute to his harness

Rotate turret to 90 Degrees(ish)

Bale out backwards out of opened armoured doors.

One of the reasons the Rose Rice turret was popular was that it was much larger inside so the gunner could wear his chute all the time, and due to the low mounting position of the guns and the large cut out in the perspex between the guns he could bale out through there.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kIWY2DV0KnE/SIP5oDMbn5I/AAAAAAAAA8Q/5NWSUqCweGw/s1600-h/Gunner+baling+out+of+Rose-Rice+turret.jpg

Selwyn

[The original Kit Builder]

Sliding or jettisonable roof panels are only for use after ditching or wheels-up landings.

Multi-engined aircraft crews especially gunners and those required to move around the aircraft rarely had the parachute attached to the harness in the aircraft. The pack was stowed in the fuselage and clipped to the harness prior to bail-out.

[wellsprop]

I recall watching a programme about the Mosquito, it mentioned that it was a very difficult aircraft from which to bail out and very often took over 30 seconds to get out, all too often this was too late...

Interestingly, a few Spitfire pilots bailed out in a very similar way; they jettisoned the canopy and undid their straps before trimming the aircraft full nose down whilst holding the stick back into their bellies. Upon releasing the stick, the Spitfire would plummet down and fall away from the pilot who'd then be away from the tail.

Ben

[Graham Boak]

The problem with going out of the top of an aircraft is that you are likely to hit the fin or the tailplane, which are of course bigger on twin and multi-engine aircraft. Even on single-seaters there are cases of pilots hitting the fin - Marseille was one example, I believe? Which is one reason why there are stories of pilots opening the canopy then banging the stick forward to be thrown out. Which does depend upon some retention of control, but this will generally be required anyway for survival.

[Aeronut]

Out of interest you may appreciate this account of a Lancaster crew bailing out during a daylight raid on le Harve during September 1944. The events were witnessed by my father who was with the 51 Highland Division on the ground and mentioned its loss in his letters to my mother. Incidentally this particular aircraft was one that my mother would have has a hand in building at AVRO's Newton Heath factory. The aircraft (PA970) belonged to the Master Bomber and came from 405 Sqn RCAF.

The Lancaster broke cloud at 2000 feet above Le Havre, below which were the German anti-aircraft batteries that quickly opened fire. In a matter of seconds the aircraft was hit three times. The first hit in the bomb bay knocking out two of the crew and setting off the target indicator flares as well as setting fire to a header tank. Immediately the aircraft filed with smoke and flames. Hit a second time ten feet of the starboard wing was torn off. The third hit went right through the same wing between the fuel tanks tearing out another large hole.

To aid visibility the pilot opened a window and ordered the escape hatch jettisoned. He feathered the two starboard propellers, dumped the bomb load and ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft while he tried to maintain enough altitude to allow them to jump safely. The Bomb aimer and Navigator managed to revive the two knocked out crew and see them safely over the side. The Flight Engineer, the only RAF member of the crew, accidentally pulled his parachute and tangled it with the Pilot’s controls. They helped him gather it up in his arms and assisted him to the escape hatch. But the hatch had jammed half way. They pulled and pushed and finally, the door, Engineer and parachute all dropped from sight. The rest of the crew then followed.

By the time the pilot got out the aircraft was down to 600 feet and his parachute opened just before he hit the ground and he landed on one shoulder bruising it badly. That was the only injury suffered by any of them!

[Greenshirt]

I was lucky enough to chat with a RAAF tail gunner who flew in Lancs during the war; that was over 25 years ago...

He stated they trained a routine to get out in less than 30 seconds, any more and they figured they'd be spinning and unable to get out. Procedure is critical and only thrown out when it fails. Practice practice practice so that when an emergency occurs response is automatic. Still how we fly today.

I was able to crawl through that Lanc at the museum and at 6-2 I'm glad I never had to fight in one. I instantly had very high respect for all those men who did.

Tim

[Don McIntyre]

Good comment about practicing, Tim. As much as I'm sure most of us hated bailout, ditching and "fire of unknown origin" drills, when the real thing came up (fires in my case) we were ready.

[cmatthewbacon]

I'm sure I remember reading that one of the problems with the Lancaster was that the crew had to scramble over the main spar to get their parachutes and get out, whereas there was a lot more space in a Halifax. Certainly, the fact that the Halifax (when you also take into account the better performance versus the Stirling) was the bomber that gave aircrew the best chance of surviving was well known to said aircrew during WW2 (oddly, a plot point in the most recent Kate Atkinson book...).

bestest,

M.

[Stonar]

Just a thought but maybe the B-17 rate has something to being shot down in daylight as opposed th being shot down at night - I doubt there was much if any lighting in a bomber fuselage which may have made exiting problemmatical..

Yes, daylight and the nature of the attack if by a fighter.

It may well be that a B-17 crew had more time to prepare to abandon the aircraft. It was a pretty tough aeroplane judging by the survivable damage sustained by some. I've also read several accounts of crew members exiting via the bomb bay, a substantial hole through which to fall, not possible from the British types.

Cheers

Steve

[Dana Bell]

The Mosquito was a terrible aircraft to exit in an emergency.

The report I've read on exiting a bomber-version noted the slipstream pinning the observer's legs before he could get fully through the hatch - the pilot kicked him out, then somehow escaped. There were back injuries from hitting the aircraft.

The Mark 30 R/O I've interviewed had the same problem, and again was kicked out by the pilot - though without injuries. The pilot also made it out, but passed away before I could interview him. Fighters had the additional attention-getter of an engine nacelle - seemed you were either close to a spinning prop or jumping past a flaming nacelle...

Cheers,

Dana

[Selwyn]

Reading the accounts of escapes from ww 2 aircraft its no wonder that the Martin Baker company is held in such high regard. The ejector seat was really a giant leap forward in aircrew safety.

I understand Bernard Lynch who as a MB employee was effectively the first "ejection seat test pilot" with 30 live ejections in his career, never ever paid for a beer in any RAF officers mess!

Selwyn