was waiting on you, Driving :). will begin on my post AGAIN
The Mage said
Also, does anyone know if a fighter pilot can survive a crash?
Silverwind Blade said
There's a true story on the 'net somewhere about a Strike Eagle pilot who ejected, and his seat got stuck with his head outside of the cockpit. He managed to fly back to base and even land, but had serious whiplash due to the air blasting him in the neck the whole time.
Lost Cause said
I thought seats were designed to smash the canopy if the aircraft isn't fitted with an MDC in the canopy?
Wikipedia said
The 1983 Negev mid-air collision was an accident in which the right wing of an F-15D was sheared off in a mid-air collision. Pilot Ziv Nedivi managed to land the F-15 safely due to the F-15 Eagle's unique aerodynamic characteristics.
It's not unusual for a pilot to suffer career-ending injuries from ejection: Roughly one-third of pilots who eject suffer compression fractures to their spine. It's typical for a pilot to be an inch or two shorter after ejecting. That's right: There's a "make me shorter" handle in your jet.
Read more: http://www.cracked.com/article_20991_5-reasons-flying-fighter-jet-way-crazier-than-top-gun.html#ixzz2wLUS8Oet