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It says something about waning American confidence
during the latter part of the Vietnam War that the US government
seemed to show less interest in how to beat the Communists and more
in how to get downed pilots back to friendly territory as quickly as
possible. A bit like shipping out on a liner with a captain
who's overly keen on lifeboat drills, I'd say.
One of the most ambitious answers to this problem
was the Kaman Corporation's SAVER (Stowable Aircrew Vehicle
Escape Rotoseat). This was an ejector seat that
unfolded into (wait for it!) a turbofan-jet powered gyrocopter capable
of flying at 100 knots for a distance of fifty nautical miles and
could even deploy itself and steer toward home automatically if the
pilot was knocked unconscious-- which is all too possible after being
blasted out of a cockpit.
Needless to say, nothing ever came of the James
Bond ejector seat; very likely because the thing took up space and
payload weight needed for more immediate purposes and the practicality
of such a short-range machine must have been questioned by resident
killjoys at the Pentagon. Nevertheless, it does get ten out of
ten for looking really cool, and that's what really counts. |
