Lightning Ejection Seat

A Martin Baker ejection seat, from a Lightning jet, that has been stripped of its paint and polished to a mirror finish. With working seat height adjustment motors powered by re-chargable batteries, circa 1960. The seat is attached to a new custom made polished aluminium sled foot base.

Dimensions: 52 cm/20½ inches (width) x 96 cm/37¾ inches (depth) x 138 cm/54¼ inches (height).

The Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. was originally founded as a British aircraft manufacturer in 1934 by Captain (later Sir) James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker later becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats. The high speeds achieved through the development of jet powered aircraft made the need for assisted bail-out in an emergency increasingly apparent. Early seats like this example had an 'ejection gun' that used cordite cartridges to eject the pilot and seat by igniting the charge inside a telescopic tube attached to the back of the seat. In the right circumstances, from pulling an ejection handle to being on the end of a fully deployed parachute could take less than three seconds, depending on the type of seat.

The English Electric Lightning was a supersonic jet interceptor designed in the United Kingdom. It is one of the most famous supersonic planes of the Cold War period and flew at speeds in excess of Mach 2. Most famously it had an exceptional rate of climb, being capable of covering an astounding 50,000 feet per minute and was also famous for its ability to rapidly rotate from takeoff to climb almost vertically from the runway.

The Lightning F1 entered service with RAF 74 Squadron in 1960. The aircraft’s acceleration coupled with its phenomenal rate of climb contributed greatly to its effectiveness as an all weather interceptor fighter and its air defence role. The Lightning went on to serve with the RAF for 28 years in a number of geographical areas officially leaving front line service on 30 April 1988.