Unique Rocket escape system from a plane's cockpit (NOT an ejection seat or capsule).

A Non-Ejection seat method for "rocketing" pilots out of a plane in an emergency.

They didn't name it "Yankee" because it was from Up Nawth. It was from out westerly way.

[video=youtube;8Yw8g1Soigk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Yw8g1Soigk[/video]

Really, this is a neat tractor rocket system. Something similar has been used for pulling thin cables near-horizontally across long distances (across valleys, or ships at sea). NASA even tested something like it as a possible crew bailout system, firing laterally to get crew members one by one out of a gliding orbiter that could not land safely, from the hatch past the left wing.

Could be an interesting thinkg to model someday, maybe not pulling simulated dummies, but but the twin engine spinny thing.

Whoa baby! This is the first time I've heard of the thing!

Really interesting! Three or four canted, skewed spinning rocket motors popping off a model rocket on the pad with a tow line would be spectacular. Maybe a guide rod would only be needed for the rocket portion. Maybe it wouldn't be needed at all. So when is the build thread, George?

So that help with spinal compression after ejection, now you have stretching?

Now that I think about it, the reason why this never caught on is probably that it would be more efficient and economical to design an escape system that can be deployed at all air speeds, rather than one for low speed and one for high subsonic/supersonic speeds. This reminded me of a video I saw years ago of a Russian test pilot doing a slow maneuver at an air show when one of his engines stalled. He ejected in the nick of time. Found the video on YouTube:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...96CA90597F28BDF4CADF96CA90597F28BDF&FORM=VIRE

Found some more info. It was retrofitted to A-1 Skyraiders. Not practical for supersonic aircraft (which the Skyraider certainly was not).

https://tailspintopics.blogspot.com/2011/10/yankee-tractor-rocket-escape-system.html

Image below from a test using a T6 Texan trainer (2-seater, pilot in front stayed aboard and flew it back to landing).



https://www.ejectionsite.com/yankee.htm

Installation of the system in the rear canopy (as seen in the video, it raised up to near vertical for firing when the canopy was jettisoned).

In the magazine we had some boxes with Yankee motors, they were nailed closed so I never really laid eyes upon them. Eventually the Air Force took them for disposal.
Years later The State Department wanted new motors for a special program. All our tooling has been scrapped and would have had to been recreated so they didn’t like the price.
Yankee did work as advertised and was in some Skyraiders.

M

The link to the drawings on the ejectionsite.com page is disabled. I would have loved to see the details and schematics of the rocket section.