Mk5 MB Ejection Seat

Bri,
it IS a CAC Sabre, A94-983.
We passed some of our Sabres to Indonesia and also to the Malaysian AF, the main reason we passed Sabres to Indonesia was to try and improve what were at the time very very strained relations between Australia and Indonesia, as we had more or less come to the brink of war during the 1960’s.

It also benefitted the RAAF as they knew that should it have come to a shooting match again during the Sabre’s service with the TNI-AU that we would have the superior fighter in the form of the Mirage III.

I know about the strained relations, as I was involved, serving in RAAF Darwin at the time! Not a lot of people know this, but one week we had the biggest exercise ever, with virtually every aircraft the RAAF had visiting. Canberras, Sabres, Hercs, Dakotas the lot.

The ‘enemy’ leader (!) transitted the base while it was on. Then, as soon as he left, all the planes were flown back to base. I understand he was given a tour of the bases after he left us. Presumably all this was to make him think we had a much larger air force!

Incidentally, it was touch and go whether the CAC Sabres would make it to Darwin. We were told that if there was a more than 5 knot headwind, they would have to turn back. As it was, they landed with only kerosene fumes in the tanks and some had to be towed off the runway.

I was doing turn-around servicing on the Hercs, and spent so much time working, fell asleep standing up when entering fuel states!

Bri 🙂

PS: I worked on A84-232 on 2 Squadron and at 3AD. I remember it well!

MB Mk5 seat

I’d be interested to see where the search for a Mk.5 seat and its equipment ends up. I’ve got a MB Mk.5 from an early Phantom (before they were fitted with the rocket-powered Mk.7 series) and I’m looking for all the gear that goes on it.
I do know for a fact, if it’s of any help or interest, that a Phantom Mk.7 PSP shell fits the Mk.5 as they share basically the same seat pan.
If anyone has a contact for time-ex Mk.5 seat equipment (such as the Mk.58 fabric-type para packs) I’d be interested to hear.
Phantom pilots in Mk.5 & US Navy Mk.7 seats had to wear the MA-2 skeletal or torso harness as the Mk.5 seat didn’t have the fully belted set up as did the later RAF Mk.7’s The primary difference between US Navy and Air Force seat pilot harnesses seemed to be that they used opposite halves of the Koch attachments on each version i.e. the Navy had the male sided connectors on the pilot harness whereas the Air Force had the male side on the parachute risers attached to the seat.

I don’t know if this is useful, but I read in the Aeroplane magazine that the Indian Air Force Ajeets (their developed Gnat) were fitted with MB seats instead of the Folland variety.

Don’t know why HAL did this, as the Folland seats were very good and much smaller and lighter than the MB ones. Perhaps they had supply problems, with Follands ‘dead’.

Maybe someone in India has an MB seat you could have. Try HAL?

Bri 🙂

Yes, it is a CAC Sabre we are restoring, A94-983. We are trying to find a better seat than the NAA seat. Martin Baker is a better wat to go.
The 12 or 13 CAC Sabres that the Indo’s got now belong to K Weeks along with the spares and are all stored in the desert.
MB themselves do not have a seat we can use, happy to supply the parts to overhaul the seat, but we need to come up with a seat.
Please keep looking for me.
Peter
www.aviationmuseum.com.au

Sorry to labour the point, but I’m wondering why you are going for a Canadair Sabre to represent the RAAF?

CAC Sabres were quite different from other Sabres, because they had a Rolls Royce Avon engine and twin Aden cannon. The engine intake was bigger, with much more ‘suck’, because of the much more powerful engine. We always said our Sabres were the fastest and deadliest of Sabres.

As I understand it, in their wisdom, the Australian government gave the CAC Sabres to Indonesia when the RAAF replaced them with Mirages. So aren’t any still available there?

Bri :confused:

Bri,
it IS a CAC Sabre, A94-983.

You are correct on the Avon and Aden fronts, but in reality a NA or Canadair built Sabre has very little in common with a CAC built example, IIRC CAC redesigned over 70% of the original Sabre to accomodate the Avon and various other improvements, making it effectively a new aircraft.

We passed some of our Sabres to Indonesia and also to the Malaysian AF, the main reason we passed Sabres to Indonesia was to try and improve what were at the time very very strained relations between Australia and Indonesia, as we had more or less come to the brink of war during the 1960’s.

It also benefitted the RAAF as they knew that should it have come to a shooting match again during the Sabre’s service with the TNI-AU that we would have the superior fighter in the form of the Mirage III.

The Honduran Sabres are derelict at various bases so the possibility of getting a seat isn’t out of this world.

is IS a CAC sabre. He’s looking for an MB seat that was fitted to canadair sabres to put into the CAC one. Have you tried contacting MB themselves?

Sorry to labour the point, but I’m wondering why you are going for a Canadair Sabre to represent the RAAF?

CAC Sabres were quite different from other Sabres, because they had a Rolls Royce Avon engine and twin Aden cannon. The engine intake was bigger, with much more ‘suck’, because of the much more powerful engine. We always said our Sabres were the fastest and deadliest of Sabres.

As I understand it, in their wisdom, the Australian government gave the CAC Sabres to Indonesia when the RAAF replaced them with Mirages. So aren’t any still available there?

Bri :confused:

You are correct,CAC Sabres had NAA seats, pyro is unavailable. Next best would be a MB seat, at least MB will support it. Idealy a Mk10 seat from a Honduran F86 would be the ultimate. Zero zero and thru canopy. Some one knows someone that can help. Please let me know.
Peter

On the Sabres fitted with MB Mk.5 seats, the canopy was modified to lift as it slid backwards.

John

I was in the RAAF when CAC Sabres were part of the inventory, but they all had North American seats. Pigs of things that killed more of our pilots than they saved.

Some modifications to improve them made them even more dangerous.

Armourers told me MB seats were too big to fit a Sabre.

So were CAC Sabres re-engineered with Martin Bakers?

Bri :confused:

Air-con on seats? :diablo:

I think I’ll fetch my coat…. 😀

Hi all,
Once again I am on the search for a Martin Baker Mk5 seat that was fitted to a Canadair Sabre 6 that was used by the Luftwaffe or the Airforces of the Dutch, Greek and Norweigens. Any leads would be greatly appreciated.
The seat will be going into the RAAF Sabre A94-983 currently being restored back to airworthy at the Temora Aviation Museum.
Thanks in advance.
Peter

Will you require the seat to be cold or hot?