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Martin-Baker Ejection Seat Made Its First of 7,722 Saves 75 Years Ago Today

Jo Lancaster escaped from a stricken flying-wing test plane almost 75 years to the day that a Martin Baker seat saved an F-35 pilot.

In January 1942, German test pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to escape from a stricken aircraft using an ejection seat, when they lost control of their Heinkel He 280 experimental jet fighter, which was flying as an unpowered glider at the time. Showing exceptional bravery, Lynch followed this up with a mid-air test ejection from a modified Gloster Meteor jet fighter, successfully propelling himself out of the rear cockpit at a speed of 320 miles per hour and an altitude of 8,000 feet, in July 1946. But the egress system in the stealth jet can be traced all the way back to World War II and, in particular, the commitment of Sir James Martin to improve aircrew safety in direct response to the loss of his colleague and friend.

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