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Comment by Levitating | Hacker News Reader

I think these ejection seats work in more or less any orientation.

I am more surprised that they didn't immediately blow up or lose control after colliding. Or even that the crew took that long to eject.

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The aircraft appear to have become "stuck" to each other perhaps due to aerodynamic forces similar to how a piece of paper gets stuck to a car windshield (probably something to do with one of the Bernoullis). There wasn't much of an impact to cause a destructive event such as compressor stall. Perhaps the pilots were waiting to see if the aircraft would become un-stuck, or to get clear airspace into which they could eject?

That’s my read as well, but I’m looking forward for an official analysis as things often aren’t as they appear.

I actually looks like the vertical stabilizer of the lower plane got lodged into the fuselage of the other.

The ejection seat is going to do its thing regardless of orientation, but if that orientation is pointed at the ground you better hope you have enough altitude. There was one plane where the ejection seats ejected down and away from the plane that was known for low altitude missions. These seats were affectionately known as lawn darts.

I think that plane is the Lockheed Starfighter (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_F-104_Starfighter#Eje...). Fortunately they were eventually replaced with upward-firing ejection seats. And the "lawn dart" moniker refers to the airplane itself - probably because of the absurdly short wings, which are also placed pretty far back.

"We need a plane for bombing, straffing, assault and battery, interception, ground support and reconnaissance. Not just a *fair weather fighter*!"

RIP Bob Calvert.

Putting on my Internet Guy hat: isn’t that the A-10?

Yes, but that wouldn't come along for another 19 years.

G for... G for *Germany*, Herr Minister.

The Starfighter was designed as a light and fast high speed high altitude interceptor, but eventually used as a relatively heavy low level fighter-bomber. It's part of the reason why they killed so many pilots.

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