The canopy thingie

[Black_Hawk]

Maybe it is one of those things you've always wanted to know but were afraid to ask. Or maybe it's just me :music_whistling:

 

But what's the cord-like-thingie you can see on the canopies of some aircraft? It is a window heater like they have in cars or is it some kind of an explosive cord used while ejecting? Those two are the only things coming to my thought now. You can see that on the JSF (F-35) in a star-like pattern and in some french planes spreading through the whole length of the canopy.

 

:joystick:

[Ukr_Alex]

I bet its heaters.

[Corsair7662]

Yeah if you are talking about what I think you are talking about, not sure but I think its the automatic canopy de-froster.

 

 

Is the little thin line behind the canopy what your thinking?

[S77th-konkussion]

Yeah if you are talking about what I think you are talking about, its the automatic canopy de-froster

 

I'm sorry. I'm going to need to see some I.Q.

 

It's det cord, man! It blows the piss out of it -preferably- at the start of an ejection sequence. But it will certainly defrost it when you heat it up, to be sure.

[Corsair7662]

I editted my answer before you posted.....

[Mobius1]

I'm sorry. I'm going to need to see some I.Q.

 

It's det cord, man! It blows the piss out of it -preferably- at the start of an ejection sequence. But it will certainly defrost it when you heat it up, to be sure.

 

I like that answer. :thumbup:

[504MrWolf]

dont you pull it if ya wanna get off the bus ?

[Black_Hawk]

You can see it here at the top: http://www.screaming-eagles.org/Pictures/Tomcat%20Rear%20Cockpit.jpg

[Deadman]

Hey keep your thingy in your pants:pilotfly:

[Black_Hawk]

All you guys did was confusing me even more about the thing :D

 

So, is there anyone who actually KNOWS what it is for? :joystick:

[159th_Viper]

Hope this Helps... edit-will not in this instance it seems as your picture is of a Tomcat and I might be mistaken, but no Detcord in Tomcat canopy - doesn't canopy just get released prior to ejection seat firing?

 

"Many aircraft types (e.g. BAe Hawk and the Harrier line of aircraft) have an explosive cord (MDC - Miniature Detonation Cord) embedded within the perspex of the canopy, which shatters it simultaneously with the firing of the seat."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ejector_seat

 

"Another Buccaneer innovation was the miniature detonating cord (MDC) in the canopy which would fragment the canopy in the event ejection was necessary, making ejection through the canopy much safer (since used on the Harrier, Hawk, Tornado, etc). Initially designed to help underwater ejection it was soon realised how useful it could be out of the water as well!"

 

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.uk/buccaneer/history.html

[504MrWolf]

Its definatly the det-cord for shattering the canopy prior to ejection.

[Corsair7662]

Its definatly the det-cord for shattering the canopy prior to ejection.

 

ok to my knowledge, the canopy glass doesnt "shatter", the whole darn thing just gets blown off once the det-cord pulverizes the lock.

 

 

Still intact isnt it? Seen TOPGUN? I am sure you have, their canopy blows right off doesnt it?

[ARM505]

Some get blown clear, others get fragmented. If there's MDC in the canopy - it gets fragged.

[MiGMadness]

In order to exit the aircraft, there has to be an opening in the top of the plane. Most jets have a canopy, or a hinged window over the pilot's seat. Bolts filled with an explosive charge blast the canopy from the aircraft, and small rocket thrusters on the edge of the canopy push the clear window out of the ejection path. Other systems are designed to shatter the canopy with an explosive; airflow and pressure sweep the fragments out of the way. Planes without canopies may have escape hatches built in to the roof of the plane. They function much like an upside-down trap door. These hatches are blown away with a small explosive to make room for the escape.

 

http://www.nasaexplores.com/show2_912a.php?id=02-039&gl=912

 

 

 

As some people have said..... think before you post. ;)

 

Some canopies are blown off before you eject..... some shatter.

[Force_Feedback]

I always wondered if the thing in the tomcat is really mdc, because it lacks any electrical lines running from it, but what is the stripe above the backseater in the cat?

 

Usually it's MDC, it's usually used with systems when time counts, or when a jettisonable canopy is too much of a weight penalty (thickness also matters), it helps reduce injuries during ejection, however, the canopy rarely shatters as predicted, and crewmembers still get severe cuttings by the sharp plexiglass edges.

 

MDC is an annoyance when cleaning canopies, and the gel layer gets easily damaged, so it's hard to clean those canopies :|

[sojourner]

Man you guys can get downright mean!

 

Would you eat the moon if it were made of ribs? It’s a relatively simple question, just answer it and we can move one.

 

Now to throw some more fuel on this one. If I am not mistaken, there are some ejection systems that have a barb or pole that elevates out of the top of the seat to puncture the glass as well. I don't know which aircraft have this.

 

Also, the old versions of the high altitude SAC bombers had ejections that fire the crew down through the bottom of the aircraft instead of up.

 

And I believe the B-1 has a command capsule ejection doesn't it? Where the whole cockpit gets blown off on rockets and then slowly lowered. Oh, I think it was the F-111 that did that too.

 

Most of this has long been updated I am sure into a different system. I just seem to remember some of this stuff from 20 years ago.

 

And personally, I would not use the movie "Top Gun" for any sort of factual information as that was pure Hollywood popcorn.

 

Oh and I do remember this as well since we are talking about ejection systems. The A-6 Intruder did not have a linked system. So if one guy left, the other was on his own. I know pilots would take extra shoestrings and tie them to the face curtain of the ejection handle of the guy next to him. That way, if they had to eject their friend, they would pull that and not get their arm torn off from the rapidly vacating seat. And I believe the A-6 had the post on the top of the seat to just smash through the glass on ejection.

 

Reference another Hollywood popcorn movie, "Flight of the Intruder". Great book, bad movie!

 

I am ready for my ritualistic beating now

[sojourner]

scratch that firing down through the floor bit. That may have just been a dream I had.

[MiGMadness]

No, you are correct.

 

Navagator and radar navagator in the B-52 are ejected downwards in the event of a bail-out.

 

[sojourner]

Holy crap your right, they did go out the bottom.

 

http://www.ejectionsite.com/b-52.htm

 

It wasn't a dream afterall!

 

Figures, there were no hot chicks

[Force_Feedback]

Holy crap your right, they did go out the bottom.

 

http://www.ejectionsite.com/b-52.htm

 

It wasn't a dream afterall!

 

Figures, there were no hot chicks

 

Too bad on some occasions their seat created lift (it only has a catapult, no rocket) and met up with the aluminum, ouch!

[britgliderpilot]

ok to my knowledge, the canopy glass doesnt "shatter", the whole darn thing just gets blown off once the det-cord pulverizes the lock.

 

Depends on the aircraft. Yes, some aircraft jettison the canopy intact.

 

 

STOVL aircraft have a big problem with that (no forward airspeed in the hover, the canopy will just sit there if you try and jettison it) - so the Harrier and JSF both have detcord in the canopy.

 

Not so sure about the Hawk - perhaps the stepped up rear seat makes it more difficult to jettison the canopy without it clobbering the instructor?

 

 

The single line on the French canopies is interesting. I'm not sure if it's actually detcord, looks like it'd split a line rather than smash a hole . . . . .

Perhaps an aerial of some kind.

[504MrWolf]

Yeah Black hawk if you want an accurate answer then state which aircraft your actually talking about.

 

The F-14 ejects the whole canopy others have det cord in all shapes and sizes and as these other replies show there are other methods of getting the hell outta Dodge when it all goes wrong. :D

[Black_Hawk]

First, I get irritated when people put my nick the wrong way, it is Black_Hawk

Second, why do you guys always have to mock everyone about the things they want to know?

If it were up to me, I'd ban anyone who would violate forum rules and policies without the WARN. And the moment people get through your next alias you'd get banned again. But it is not up to me and I cannot do anything about it.

 

So, to end the discussion, none of you actually know what the cord is used for in general... You could have stated that at the begining of thread instead of spamming.

Sometimes the forums were places where you could actually find something out. Now it's just about making fun of ignorant ones.

[Shaman]

First, I get irritated when people put my nick the wrong way, it is Black_Hawk

Roger that, Hawq :D