Remember the XB-70?
Okay, that’s kind of a trick question: very few people other than military aviation buffs remember the XB-70. It was an amazing concept: a plane capable of sustained flight at Mach 3 and 70,000 feet.
Sadly, the project was overtaken by events: they ended up building only two planes, and one was lost in a mid-air collision. The other one is in the Air Force Museum in Dayton.
I didn’t know that there was video of the XB-70 in flight. Until last night, that is.
Bonus video #1: since that one was a little short, I’m going to go a little long with this one. “Ejection Decison – A Second Too Late!”. Basically, the point of this training film is: decide before you start flying under what circumstances you’re going to eject. There’s some good video of actual ejections, as well as testimony from pilots who planned and followed through.
Bonus video #2: a short history of the ejection seat from Martin-Baker.