# What was this aviation movie (ejection seats)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-aviation-movie-ejection-seats/685869>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 11, 2014, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-aviation-movie-ejection-seats/685869 "2014-04-11T13:47:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-aviation-movie-ejection-seats/685869/21 "2014-04-14T22:41:14Z")

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> [@AskNott](#):
>
> It’s probably reckless for me to post this without any cites. Just exiting the cockpit is dangerous. Captain John McCain got a broken arm ejecting from his wounded plane before his time as a POW. I’ve seen a picture of a fighter plane’s canopy, and there’s a zigzag line of explosive along the top seam, that’s triggered with the ejection seat.
> 
> If this is non-factual, feel free to straighten me out.

Not every plane uses canopy splitters. Some planes eject the whole canopy and frame before seat ejection (see: Top Gun).

However, despite my last post, sometimes injury is “designed in”. I was in the process of deciding if I was going to make the Navy my career, and I asked about flying fighters. As I am 6’2" I wondered if they’d take me. They told me that yes, I was within the height limits, but, off the record, if I ever had to eject I would likely lose my knees! While the choice between potentially crippling injury and death is an easy choice, the choice between flying and risking it and not flying was harder. I ultimately chose the ground.

(At least they’d made improvements since the early days-I once sat in an F-86 cockpit, and I couldn’t even see the panel! My knees were up in my chin. It was like I was flying a kiddie car. I don’t think the canopy would have closed, either.)

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**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-aviation-movie-ejection-seats/685869/22 "2015-11-02T15:54:59Z")

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Bumped because TCM is showing _Bailout at 43,000_ on the 12th. At least, I’ll know one way or the other if this was the movie I remembered.

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [November 2, 2015, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-aviation-movie-ejection-seats/685869/23 "2015-11-02T16:09:23Z")

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> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#):
>
> I agree. What if it isn’t the movie? What if it is and it sucks? 🙂 I’ll have to try the viewing site at home.
> 
> Maybe _Forbidden Planet_ would be worth $20. I may have paid that when DVDs were new. But I’d balk at that price now, that’s for sure.

The Blu-ray of _Forbidden Planet_ is less than ten bucks, and well worth it.

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