Chapter 6, Problem 38P

Assume Eq. 6-14 gives the drag force on a pilot plus ejection seat just after they are ejected from a plane traveling horizontally at 1300 km/h. Assume also that the mass of the seat is equal to the mass of the pilot and that the drag coefficient is that of a sky diver. Making a reasonable guess of the pilot’s mass and using the appropriate v_t value from Table 6-1, estimate the magnitudes of (a) the drag force on the pilot + seat and (b) their horizontal deceleration (in terms of g), both just after ejection. (The result of (a) should indicate an engineering requirement: The seat must include a protective barrier to deflect the initial wind blast away from the pilot’s head.)