I was flying the E in England we were come back through the "Wales Gap" which is a LLTR, according to what I can remember (explain in a minute) and what my WSO told me here are the gorey details. Feel free to share with A4's and HeyJoe.
We were at 400 agl +/- a few doing 380 IAS preparing for a hard right to the range at the end of the valley, entered the right turn approx 70 degree angle of bank, burners on, accellerating to 500 IAS for the turn, was 3.5 plus on the G meter when we injested a seagull in the #2 engine. Engine threw parts all over the place and we lost hydrallics and alot of control response immediately. Because #1 was still in burner and cooking we produced a 25-38 degree of yaw and started to roll past 90 degree's. I was fighting to keep the shiney side up while my WSO was calling out system failures. At this point we are about 4-7 seconds since the bird strike and all the stick input goes dead, plane was at 460kts 79 degrees of bank and 15 degrees nose down, radar alt read out 280, I said and per WSO "oh FUCK, prepare to" and the next think I know I am hanging in the straps, WSO said he knew exactly what I was going to say and at 200 feet and 450+ kts he wasn't going to wait, pulled the handle with switch in "both" position and punched us both. Problem for me was because I was leaning to the right and had my hands on the controls still when the seat went, I still handn't gotten completely back in the seat because was still trying to keep it from rolling past 90 degrees, went out with my back tweaked to the side, and leaning forward so when I hit the slipstream I knocked myself out on the seat, broke arm in 2 places below the shoulder and 1 above, cracked the rotator cuff, broke the rotator ball, compressed 5 disc, crushed 1 and had to have 2 fused together, dislocated my right knee cap and had a concussion and bruised ribs.
All that said I am happy to still be here today, but after that I couldn't go low level anymore because any sharp jar to my lower back and my legs get numb like when you sit on them for a long time except I can possibly loose feeling. Luckily like I said my uncle was CO at Randolph and he had some pull and got me a option to switch to helos, doc cleared me because not as strenuous on the back and also not as life threatening with 2 pilots and slower a/c etc.. etc..
Finally back got tired of helo's and actually so was I at dealing with it so they offered, a desk, a systems instuctor for the E but no flying (yeah right we all know those guys) or a medical release so I took the option to get out.
Now I spend my days harassing newbies and giving shit to Navy guys (which includes half my family)
There's my FAKEstory.
). As I recall, they are funded. The COD's will get them at some point.
