Talk:Folland Gnat

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Ejection seats

The article states that Martin Baker seats were used in the Gnat, but I'm sure my dad said that Folland had used, or copied Saab lightweight seats as Martin Baker units were much too big and heavy. 109.150.167.144 (talk) 06:49, 3 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

There is something amiss there. I was trained on Gnat T.1s and the seat in the photo is the one that I remember, zoomed in the Folland plate can clearly be seen. This seat is displayed next to the Gnat F.1 at the RAF Museum Cosford. It differed in many ways from Martin-Baker seats but the most obvious is the lever with the red knob, in the photo it is in the safe position, to arm the seat it was rotated 90 degrees to be in line with the seat back, the idea being that the lever stuck in your neck while seated unless it was in the armed position. Martin-Baker seats of the period used separate safety pins (five or six) that were often dropped on the cockpit floor or not fitted correctly (worse, not removed for flight), 'safe for parking' was generally just the two operating handles and 'safe for servicing' was all the remaining pins fitted (rocket pack sear, drogue gun, canopy jettison etc).

In 2017 the article text said 'Martin-Baker-built' which is different to 'a Martin-Baker seat', the original text implies a Folland designed seat built under contract by Martin-Baker. The Flight source would need to be found to clarify. Nimbus (Cumulus nimbus floats by) 10:33, 3 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

The source just says "ejection seat" at archive.org. GraemeLeggett (talk) 11:09, 3 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Indeed and that article is quite speculative as the aircraft was still in the design phase. Martin-Baker's product page lists the Mk 4 seat as being used by the Gnat, I created the Martin-Baker Mk.4 article in 2011 and the Gnat wasn't listed by MB at the time as I would have added it (source is a rotted link now) but they did list the HAL Ajeet which does appear to have used an MB Mk4 seat. Think we are fixed now with the manufacturer being removed. Nimbus (Cumulus nimbus floats by) 11:38, 3 November 2022 (UTC)[reply]