Exclusive Video: Behind the Scenes of That Amazing Thunderbird Ejection/Crash Photo



When we first saw the photo of Capt. Chris Stricklin's ejection from a doomed U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 a few years ago, most of us here at AVweb thought it was a fake. But the more we looked at it, the more it seemed possible that someone had actually snapped Stricklin's moment of truth in what must be one of the greatest aviation photos ever shot. Well, it wasn't long before we learned that Staff Sgt. Bennie J. Dennis III had actually captured the drama at an air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.



In this week's AVweb original video, Video Editor Glenn Pew looks at the circumstances surrounding the dramatic accident ¬ combining still photos, in-cockpit and outside-of-cockpit video, and narration including the investigation's findings and changes in procedure for the T-birds.





YouTube - Thunderbirds Eject/Crash -- How It Happened

 

Now THAT was a good find!

 

Martin Baker ejection seats have saved over 7,300 lives to date, with 19 saved so far this year.
The MB site has an interesting video on its home page and it is well worth a look.
Martin Baker - Home