7ECA wrote: ↑Wed May 13, 2020 8:43 am
The story also keeps changing in the media, first it was the helicopter crashed during training near one of the Greek Islands, then it was within 2 miles of the HMCS Fredericton when it suddenly crashed - then later it was less than 2 kilometres away...
There's something very odd about this whole situation, certainly the lack of any definitive release as to where the helicopter was in relation to the Fredericton and what was going on, makes it seem as though the military or the Government are trying to bury facts.
For starters, it's the media. How often do they get the crucial details wrong? The cynic in me says every time they do a 'story'. For the just the facts part, you will have to wait for the FSR = mil equivalent of an SMS report. The detailed one can take ages. It's soooo tempting to regurgitate what you heard via the grapevine, but it's best to just wait.
Here is an example: One fine day in Moose Jaw a student on trip #1 with his instructor in the back with the canopy closed and the seats armed and just about to taxi - ejected. We all figured that the kid was fiddling with the ejection handle and accidentally pulled it a little too far. It was the consensus of most of us Monday morning QBs that that was the only way it could happen. Flash forward and the report comes out and finds that he ejected by turning his head to clear left. Whaaat? On the Hornet, there is a thin piece of material sewn around the loop of the ejection handle. You could drive your fingers through it if required, like in an actual ejection. It prevents anything from getting entangled with the ejection loop. On the Harvard II there is no such material. The loop is open. The instructor will watch you do most of the preflight on flight #1 (CH1) but when it comes time to hop in you're basically on your own and hopefully learned it well enough in the sims. Like any ejection seat aircraft, you literally tie into it. Your oxygen hose clips into part of your harness on the right and then you connect the O2 hose and the comms cord to the airplane. Somehow the kid managed to feed the comms cord THROUGH the ejection handle loop. Arm the seat, start the engine, get the ATIS etc, taxi clearance, clear left and BOOM....start your impromtu parachute lesson.
I know the guy who led the FS investigation. In fact he is one of my resume references. He told me the full back story. The kid had no idea how it happened and swore he wasn't playing with the ejection handle. Kid was telling the truth. Reason they knew? They found small chunks of the insulation of the comms cord embedded in the ejection loop. Accidental ejection, but you had to wait for the FS team to do their thing.
Sidebar note: I also know the instructor who was in the back when it happened. He got minor burns from the rocket blast of the seat since he hadn't clipped his mask on fully. It certainly got his attention. "So what did you do"? "Well, I shut down the airplane called the tower and called it a day in a nutshell." "What did you give the student for ground handling on the assessment card, a zero or a five?"
I'll let you guys fill in the blank
Wait for the FSR and no the government will not bury this one. Check back to this link from time to time.
http://airforce.forces.gc.ca/en/flight- ... ports.page