Parachutes. Military aircraft, who gets one?

[Vickers McFunbus]

Only seen 'chutes on a Herc,Andovers,Argosy's on the Para's backs. Belfast VC10s,Comets,Brits, no, imagine 139 PAX on a VC10 watching the front end boys and coffee jockey's waving goodbye shouting 1000,2000 etc. I wouldn't fancy their chances if they had .There was a charged/explosive emegency exit on the FWD PAX door on the VC10 K 2s & 3s,not the K4 (I don't think anyway) with extending chute tunnel to slide out and clear the aircraft. I think the system was decommisioned but could be wrong.Heath Robinson thing.Originally the K2&3 fleet were designed to use them

Very late to reply, but yes, the K3s certainly had the "escape system" (never commissioned) and an associated "Abandon Aircraft" switch on the captain's side of the flight deck. K2s were before my time.

The K4s didn't. By the time BAe did their conversions the system had already been discounted!

[exdraken]

if I remember right test pilots on Airbus A350 first flight did carry chutes and there were marked escape hatches

not military though, sorry!

--> should be possible then for other transport types as well!

[hairystick]

if I remember right test pilots on Airbus A350 first flight did carry chutes and there were marked escape hatches

not military though, sorry!

--> should be possible then for other transport types as well!

I was a little surprised with the Concorde prototype at Yeovilton. It had dedicated escape chute/hatches fitted (even a specific system for the flight recorder to be ejected too). The Duxford example didn't appear to have this same system.

[At Sea]

I was a little surprised with the Concorde prototype at Yeovilton. It had dedicated escape chute/hatches fitted (even a specific system for the flight recorder to be ejected too). The Duxford example didn't appear to have this same system.

It makes sense on an aircraft as advanced as Concorde was.

And when you see some of the trials done they were pretty hair raising!