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A-7E Corsair ejection seat


hink441
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When I saw that other set sell, I figured it must be you!    Id been watching it for a long time, was considering replacing the rougher shape ones in my OV-10 RSSK kit.  Those raft covers aren't seen too much or or often tossed aside if you don't know what the heck it is.  The original bag that came in my kit is crazy stained from a dye marker or something, but it looks terrible. It was marked RSSK or HSSP like both the bags above. I found another bag that is just marked Equipment, same bag though that I replaced it with.  My raft cover has some stains on it as well, I think my whole kit sat in a display aircraft that got very toasty in the desert or something.  The seat pad has sun faded spots from the lap belt.

 

Note on the URT, if you get one of those ejection seat cable switches for you, you might need to mod the spot where that plug and lanyard is attached.  The NAVAIR manual mentions a mod you have to do with a little tool I think that is made locally to pull out a threaded sleeve or something.  Check it out if you have one of the manuals on survival kits.  If you need a manual, I might have a epub I can send.  I guess when originally shipped from the factory, even the Navy URT-33As came with the plastic plug and long lanyard that used to clip to parachute risers for activation.  The C/M you got has some other plug and short lanyard I haven't seen before.   Might be for rigging in the ACES II seat kits.   Did you just pick that up from a guy in TX that had a bunch of survival radio stuff for sale?  I snagged a nam era radio for a really good price, no idea why no one else bid.

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Yes, the URT-33/C was purchased from a guy in Texas. It only went for $15 and I saw he had a bunch of survival radio equipment for auction. 
 

The URT-33/C had 560 TFS scratched into the side of the beacon. I think it possibly came out of a T-38 jet. 
 

Yes that was me again!! I felt lucky to get the equipment bag and the raft cover. The raft cover is in great shape and the equipment bag is a little more used but still very nice. 
 

Chris

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If that is the unit and from a T-38, it was installed in the BA-22 auto type back chute.  Pretty cool, I always like getting things that are unit or acft SN marked where you can track its history a little.

 

I got a URC-64 Air Force survival radio from that guy for cheap.  It was just an impulse, someone else will def outbid me bid, but nope.  Doesnt have the battery, but still.

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Yes I was surprised at how cheap I got this beacon. The dealer still has some items on eBay. I will have to check on his auctions now and then. 
 

The beacon was marked “560 FTS” not “TFS”. The squadron is at Randolph AFB in Texas flying the T-38. 
 

Still on the hunt for an Inertia Reel and a female Koch fitting. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Found an old inflation bottle for the one man raft. The bottle is in rough condition and should be fun to refurbish. Still in the mail. 
 

Chris

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  • 4 months later...

Finally got another Koch fitting and the inertia reel installed.
 

The seat is now looking somewhat complete. I need a lower O2 seat block and the two straps that connect the parachute to the seat kit. Both items are now on order. 
 

Would like to get new upper and lower handles replaced. 
 

 

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  • 1 year later...
HI guys,
Yet another A-7E Escapac IG2 being turned (slowly) into the office chair of doom.

So I just got it, and have a couple of questions that haven't been addressed in any of the threads I've found.
A) has anybody turned up an IG-2 manual?

B) Does anybody know what the mounting structure in the A-7 looked like? (Rails and a mast, sure, but I'd like to see what it looked like before I start faking one up.)
My plan is to build something roughly akin to the original mount as the interface between the seat and the office chair wheel bits. At least as much as I can.

C) The face shroud. I've got two, and they're both loose. Does anybody have pictures of what they look like in their properly stowed position? There's one 'obvious' place for the cross bar... that's about .750" too narrow. So I can't figure out where the thing's supposed to anchor when properly installed.

D) The seat. I've got the RSSK hardshell case. What I don't have is the padded cover. Anybody have either a decent one to sell/trade, or a really roached one to use as a pattern? This thing is going to be a chair, so I have no problems making up a seat cover, I'd just like to know what the issue one looked like first.
D2) Anybody know what that fake sheep shearling stuff you see on some later long-endurance seats is/was? Or where to get it?

E) in various threads, there are mentions of someone who was selling sheets of replacement stickers, but that they'd disappeared. Have they resurfaced? Is anybody currently selling 'new' stickers?

F) and just for funzies, how do you reset/disconnect the canopy breakers once they've fired? I assume the one-way-ratchets are the little silver things at the end of the spring tube. Any way to ease them loose without dismounting the entire spring tube? (It was fired before I got it.) I'm guessing that it's a good idea to disconnect the main springs on the breakers if you're forced to take them apart. Confirm?

Sorry, I know it's a bunch of questions, but there were 32 escapacs on that trailer in Texas. I'm pretty sure I've got one of them. Which leaves 31 other people out there who will eventually have most of the same questions.

Thanks,
Brian
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20 hours ago, Alberic6 said:

HI guys,
Yet another A-7E Escapac IG2 being turned (slowly) into the office chair of doom.

So I just got it, and have a couple of questions that haven't been addressed in any of the threads I've found.
A) has anybody turned up an IG-2 manual?

B) Does anybody know what the mounting structure in the A-7 looked like? (Rails and a mast, sure, but I'd like to see what it looked like before I start faking one up.)
My plan is to build something roughly akin to the original mount as the interface between the seat and the office chair wheel bits. At least as much as I can.

C) The face shroud. I've got two, and they're both loose. Does anybody have pictures of what they look like in their properly stowed position? There's one 'obvious' place for the cross bar... that's about .750" too narrow. So I can't figure out where the thing's supposed to anchor when properly installed.

D) The seat. I've got the RSSK hardshell case. What I don't have is the padded cover. Anybody have either a decent one to sell/trade, or a really roached one to use as a pattern? This thing is going to be a chair, so I have no problems making up a seat cover, I'd just like to know what the issue one looked like first.
D2) Anybody know what that fake sheep shearling stuff you see on some later long-endurance seats is/was? Or where to get it?

E) in various threads, there are mentions of someone who was selling sheets of replacement stickers, but that they'd disappeared. Have they resurfaced? Is anybody currently selling 'new' stickers?

F) and just for funzies, how do you reset/disconnect the canopy breakers once they've fired? I assume the one-way-ratchets are the little silver things at the end of the spring tube. Any way to ease them loose without dismounting the entire spring tube? (It was fired before I got it.) I'm guessing that it's a good idea to disconnect the main springs on the breakers if you're forced to take them apart. Confirm?

Sorry, I know it's a bunch of questions, but there were 32 escapacs on that trailer in Texas. I'm pretty sure I've got one of them. Which leaves 31 other people out there who will eventually have most of the same questions.

Thanks,
Brian

Does that RSSK still have the label on it showing which type it is?   Will be a RSSK-# for a Navy type kit and a CNU-### if its an AF type kit.   Those various seat pads can be found at Flighthelmet.com usually.

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On 4/28/2022 at 12:01 AM, Alberic6 said:

HI guys,
Yet another A-7E Escapac IG2 being turned (slowly) into the office chair of doom.

So I just got it, and have a couple of questions that haven't been addressed in any of the threads I've found.
A) has anybody turned up an IG-2 manual?

B) Does anybody know what the mounting structure in the A-7 looked like? (Rails and a mast, sure, but I'd like to see what it looked like before I start faking one up.)
My plan is to build something roughly akin to the original mount as the interface between the seat and the office chair wheel bits. At least as much as I can.

C) The face shroud. I've got two, and they're both loose. Does anybody have pictures of what they look like in their properly stowed position? There's one 'obvious' place for the cross bar... that's about .750" too narrow. So I can't figure out where the thing's supposed to anchor when properly installed.

D) The seat. I've got the RSSK hardshell case. What I don't have is the padded cover. Anybody have either a decent one to sell/trade, or a really roached one to use as a pattern? This thing is going to be a chair, so I have no problems making up a seat cover, I'd just like to know what the issue one looked like first.
D2) Anybody know what that fake sheep shearling stuff you see on some later long-endurance seats is/was? Or where to get it?

E) in various threads, there are mentions of someone who was selling sheets of replacement stickers, but that they'd disappeared. Have they resurfaced? Is anybody currently selling 'new' stickers?

F) and just for funzies, how do you reset/disconnect the canopy breakers once they've fired? I assume the one-way-ratchets are the little silver things at the end of the spring tube. Any way to ease them loose without dismounting the entire spring tube? (It was fired before I got it.) I'm guessing that it's a good idea to disconnect the main springs on the breakers if you're forced to take them apart. Confirm?

Sorry, I know it's a bunch of questions, but there were 32 escapacs on that trailer in Texas. I'm pretty sure I've got one of them. Which leaves 31 other people out there who will eventually have most of the same questions.

Thanks,
Brian

Brian,

 

A) I haven't seen a manual for the IG-2.  I bought a manual for the IE-1 seat off eBay a while back. Not the same seat, but there are a bunch of similarities. 

 

C) I can take a few close up pictures of my seat when I am home later, hopefully that will help you. 

 

F) I believe you are correct about the "little silver things" being the locking mechanism.  I have two seats, one of them these pieces are removed and the canopy breakers are free to go up and down.  I didn't remove them, although I would like to on my other seat.  I also need to figure out how.

 

Hope some of that helps,

Jason

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2 hours ago, Crow929 said:

Brian,

 

A) I haven't seen a manual for the IG-2.  I bought a manual for the IE-1 seat off eBay a while back. Not the same seat, but there are a bunch of similarities. 

 

C) I can take a few close up pictures of my seat when I am home later, hopefully that will help you. 

 

F) I believe you are correct about the "little silver things" being the locking mechanism.  I have two seats, one of them these pieces are removed and the canopy breakers are free to go up and down.  I didn't remove them, although I would like to on my other seat.  I also need to figure out how.

 

Hope some of that helps,

Jason

HI Jason,

 

Yes, please take pictures.  I figured out that the crossbar for the upper ejection handle compresses to fit into the 'obvious' spot, so that's sorted.  What I can't quite figure out is what the proper folded/stowed position for the face shroud itself is.  (As in: how does it fold up, and what bits of the seat does it tuck into/behind etc.)

(Anybody had any luck cleaning the yellow bit?  Mine's "OK but sunburnt" and scuzzy as hell. )

 

I'm going to take my breaker springs apart and deactivate them.  When I do, I'll post pictures of how I got them apart, and what's inside, so the next guy down the line can see.

 

Many thanks for the help.

Regards,

Brian

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Brian,

Attached are a couple pics of each of my seat's face curtain.  I'm not sure how the cloth is folded/stored, you can't actually see very much of it.

The IE-1 manual isn't much help.  The instruction is "Stow face curtain in compartment and return handle to detent position".

Good luck with the breaker springs, I'm looking forward to see how you remove the ratchet pieces.

 

Jason

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page 40.pdf page 46.pdf

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Hi Brian. Glad you got one of those seats in Texas. They were a great deal.

 

I don’t have any manuals and my face curtain was still intact when I bought mine, so it appears I’m not very helpful with your questions. I look forward to seeing your pics and your progress with your restoration. 
 

I saw this seat stand online and I like it a lot.  I think I will try to get one built for my seat. 
 

Chris
 

 

DEA978CF-EE62-4B66-BCC7-79B2619DDA73.jpeg

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