If you eject at Mach 2, do you die?

Answer 1

In modern aircraft which have the Mach 2 capability, the egress system is designed to be activated at the designed maximum speeds. The ejection seats have rocket boosters which can clear the fin safely in case of an ejection. Further the leg restraints pull the feet together against the seat, therefore, legs splaying out is ruled out. There is a face curtain attached to the overhead election handle which has to be pulled down to eject. The pilots hands are gripping this handle which prevents the arms from flying away and the face curtain protects his face/head against the sudden blast. Once the seat is clear of the aircraft, it slows down very quickly and the ejection sequence is so programmed that it will bring the seat to safe lower levels and speeds before separating the seat from the pilot and activating the parachute mechanism. The parachute will also deploy at a safe height and speed. Keeping the above in mind, I would consider that it is safe to eject at Mach 2.

Answer 2

Modern ejection seats behave like a capsule. The seat has rocket propulsion and stabilisation, the OnBOGS is connected to the seat, the pilots G suit is connected to the seat. If the pilot hits the "Mummy" handle, he's outta there faster, safer and further away than the old "Bang out" days. I suppose the key question is mathematical....is the ejection speed enough for the seat (And Pilot) to clear the Fin....the Fin doing Mach 2, the pilot doing considerably less than mach 2 as he hits the breeze.

Answer 3

In a word, yes. Actually, any ejection over about 400kts is going to break you. However, you may actually survive. The F111, B58, XB70, and B1a had escape capsules to enable one to punch out at high speeds with a good chance of surviving.
The good news is that eventuality is unlikely, since hardly anybody can travel that fast, for an extended period of time. Assuming you survive the hit/malfunction (not too promising an eventuality) you will start decelerating immediately. If you can maintain control, you would start climbing to slow down, then again assuming the jet's not coming apart around you, get as close to the heart of the ejection envelope as you can.

Answer 4

Apparently the SR-71 had an ejection system capable of protecting the pilot in an ejection at Mach 3.2.

Answer 5

Probably.
When I was the service, the stated max punch-out speed was 600 mph. Over that speed, they claimed you'd rip your arms/legs off (I kind of doubt that, though).
There was a news article about a pilot ejecting at about 800 mph, and was in serious condition.
Certain planes you could eject at a higher speed. The F-111 had an ejectable crew module, that kept the crew encased in the cockpit, and also they didn't need to strap into a parachute, as it was attached to the module.

Answer 6

Hmmm. I won't say yes or no. It depends on all the variables.

Kind of like asking "If you get shot, would you die?.

There have been pilot's that have survived this force of ejection. So I think we should check out the odds.

Answer 7

its really fast, i am not even sure if u can clear the plane at those speeds, and passing the sound barrier would be really unpleasant for sure, and mach 2 will most likely rip u apart, humans are not aerodynamic, 500kts is really skecky already, u need a capsule

Answer 8

You would need to be protected in an escape capsule of some sort to eject at that speed.

Answer 9

Eject what?

Answer 10

It depends on what you're riding when you 'eject'!