In this U.S. Air Force training film (TF6164b) from 1968, viewers learn about the ejection, recovery, and landing of the General Dynamics F111 Aardvark Crew Module Escape System, an “escape crew capsule system that allows one or more occupants of an aircraft or spacecraft to escape from the craft while it is subjected to extreme conditions, such as high speed or altitude.” The film opens with a shot of a test F111 Crew Module taking off and the crew escape capsule parachuting to the ground. A test ejection from a simulated F111 sled cockpit on a ground track is conducted (01:30), with crewmen being ejected individually at 300 knots. The men parachute to the ground, lacking clear stability. The crew module is ejected at this point, demonstrating a more stable ejection than the previous test. An officer speaks to the camera about the automated ejection system of the F111 crew escape module (02:30). A crew prepares a 3,000pound static module for a test run (03:00). The module is ejected, and the recovery chute is quickly deployed. A sled ejection system flies down the track and the crew module is ejected (03:44), peaking at about 1,200 feet. The module safely parachutes to the ground. The officer stands in front of a crew module in a hanger (04:34), and he shows off aspects of the module, including the rocket nozzles for boosting the ejection (05:22), the stabilization glove of the module (05:50), and the pitch flaps and stabilization flaps (06:15). He then shows where the recovery chute is stored and deployed from (06:58). Animation is used to show the full eject system of the F111 (07:40): how the rocket motor is initiated, tightening of the crew’s harnesses, the severance of recovery gear, the deployment of the stabilization break chute, the stabilization of the module, the deployment of the recovery chute (14:25), and the inflation of impact attenuation bags. The crew module safely lands on the ground. The officer holds a small model of the crew module and speaks to the camera about the manual method to sever the recovery chute once the module has landed and how to initiate a manual ejection without the rocket severance system. An F111 taxis on the ground (18:28), and the film ends with the aircraft taking off and flying off into the distance.
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