As President Emmanuel Macron tells his nation the current lockdown will continue until 11 May, the media have grown
bored with the Covid-flu project and decided to publish articles from a year ago. The trick is to only let the reader know
when they've reached the bottom of the piece.
bored with the Covid-flu project and decided to publish articles from a year ago. The trick is to only let the reader know
when they've reached the bottom of the piece.
Quote:Pensioner thrown from fighter jet after accidentally pulling ejector lever mid-flight.Metro:
'As far as retirement gifts go, a ride in a £70 million fighter jet is up there as one of the most memorable.
Especially if you pull the ejector seat part-way through the flight. That is exactly what happened to a 64-year-old Frenchman
who was sent up in a Rafale-B at an airbase in Saint-Dizier, north western France, despite the fact he had ‘never expressed
a desire to take part in a flight like this’, according to an incident report.
As the plane started a sudden and rapid ascent, he gripped on for dear life… to the ejector seat lever.
At 2,500ft, he shot out of the top of the plane at high speed, losing his helmet in the process, before landing with minor injuries
in a field near the German border.
A report by the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis, in Paris, also found that it was only by good fortune that the pilot had not also
been ejected as a result. Investigators found that the need to keep the flight, which was given the green light by the Defence
Ministry, a surprise was risky, particularly with regard to the preparation for the trip.
He gripped on for dear life, but didn’t realise he was holding the ejector seat lever until it was too late.
The pilot should have been ejected from the plane as well but good fortune meant he could land the plane.
The report said: ‘This situation generated a feeling of stress for the passenger, and this was particularly felt during the ejection
seat briefing where he had to assimilate a large amount of information in a very short time. ‘In addition, the stress of surprise
has been magnified by the complete lack of military aviation experience.
‘The passenger said he had a complete lack of knowledge of the aeronautical environment and its constraints, having never flown
on a military aircraft.’ It was also found there was pressure to complete the flight, despite his fears, because four of his colleagues
had turned up with a professional photographer and put a Go-Pro on his helmet.
The report continued: ‘Faced with a fait accompli on the day of the flight, it was very difficult for him to refuse to participate in the flight.
‘Analysis of radio recordings show that the pilot was in control of the situation. Once informed that his passenger had ejected, the pilot
realises that he should have been ejected too.
‘He then demonstrated a certain calm to pilot following the loss of the rear seat and the canopy.’ The incident happened on March 20
last year when the plane climbed at 47 degrees – standard passenger planes climb at 10 to 15 degrees.
The French Air Force and Defence Ministry are reviewing their procedures.
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.