Martin-Baker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited

Type	Private
Industry	Aircraft ejection systems
Founded	1934
Founder	Sir James Martin Valentine Baker
Headquarters	Denham, Buckinghamshire, England

Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited is a British company that makes special safety equipment for airplanes. They are most famous for making ejection seats. These seats help pilots escape from planes in an emergency.

The company started by building airplanes. But then, they became leaders in making ejection seats. Their main office is in Higher Denham, England. They also have offices in other countries like France, Italy, and the United States.

Martin-Baker provides ejection seats to 93 air forces around the world. Their seats are used in over 200 types of aircraft. This includes modern jets like the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Since the first live test in 1945, Martin-Baker says their ejection seats have saved 7,674 lives. That's a lot of people!

The company also makes "crashworthy" seats for helicopters and other planes. These seats are designed to protect people during a crash. Over 20,000 of these seats have been delivered. Martin-Baker is still a family-run business. It is now managed by the twin sons of the founder, Sir James Martin.

History of Martin-Baker

The story of Martin-Baker began in 1929. That's when James Martin started his "Aircraft Works" in Denham. He later teamed up with Captain Valentine Baker. Together, they formed the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company in 1934. They wanted to design and build new airplanes.

Their first aircraft was the MB 1. It was a two-seat plane designed for touring. In 1938, they flew their first military plane, the Martin-Baker MB 2. This was a fighter plane.

Focus on Safety: Ejection Seats

A very important event changed the company's path. In 1942, Captain Valentine Baker was killed while testing a new fighter plane, the Martin-Baker MB 3. This accident deeply affected James Martin. He decided that pilot safety would become his main goal. This led the company to focus mostly on making ejection seats.

During World War II, Martin-Baker also made other important aircraft parts. They made special armored seats for Supermarine Spitfires. They also designed tools to cut barrage balloon cables. These tools helped save many planes from crashing.

In 1944, the British government asked Martin-Baker to find a way for pilots to escape from fast fighter planes safely. This was the start of their work on ejection systems.

Developing Ejection Seats

Martin-Baker started looking into ejection seats even before other countries. James Martin believed that an explosive charge could push a pilot and their seat out of a plane. After leaving the plane, the pilot would separate from the seat and open their parachute.

Early Tests

To make sure this was safe, they needed to know how much force a human body could handle. They built a special 16-foot tall test rig. It was like a giant slingshot. A seat was shot up the rails using an explosive cartridge.

On January 20, 1945, they did the first test with a dummy. Just four days later, a brave company worker named Bernard Lynch did the first "live" test. He was shot up the rig to a height of 4 feet 8 inches. They slowly increased the power until he reached 10 feet. Lynch reported it was uncomfortable at that height.

The first real ejection from a moving plane happened on July 24, 1946. Bernard Lynch again was the brave person. He ejected from a Gloster Meteor jet flying at 320 miles per hour (515 km/h) at 8,000 feet (2,400 m) over Chalgrove Airfield. This was a huge step forward for pilot safety!

A Gloster Meteor jet, like this one, was used for early ejection seat tests.

Another Meteor jet used by Martin-Baker for testing.

A Martin-Baker Ejection seat MK.GT5 from 1961.

Zero-Zero Ejection

Martin-Baker kept improving their seats. They worked to make them usable even at very low altitudes and speeds. This led to the "zero-zero" capability in 1961. This means a pilot can eject safely even when the plane is on the ground and not moving, or flying very low and slow.

Types of Martin-Baker Ejection Seats

Martin-Baker has developed many different types of ejection seats over the years. Each "Mk." (Mark) number represents a new design or improvement. Here are some examples of planes that use Martin-Baker seats:

• Martin-Baker Mk.1
  • Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck
  • English Electric Canberra
  • Gloster Meteor

• Martin-Baker Mk.2
  • de Havilland DH.112 Venom
  • Hawker Hunter
  • Supermarine Attacker

• Martin-Baker Mk.3
  • Avro Vulcan
  • Fairey Delta 2
  • Gloster Javelin

• Martin-Baker Mk.4
  • Aermacchi MB-326
  • Dassault Mirage III
  • English Electric Lightning

• Martin-Baker Mk.5
  • Douglas F4D Skyray
  • Grumman A-6 Intruder
  • Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star

• Martin-Baker Mk.6
  • Blackburn Buccaneer
  • Fiat G.91
  • IAI Kfir

• Martin-Baker Mk.7
  • Grumman F-14 Tomcat
  • McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
  • Northrop F-5

• Martin-Baker Mk.10
  • BAE Systems Hawk
  • Dassault Rafale
  • McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet
  • Panavia Tornado
  • Saab JAS 39 Gripen

• Martin-Baker Mk.14 NACES (SJU-17)

This seat is used by the US Navy.

• • Grumman F-14D Tomcat
  • McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet

• Martin-Baker Mk.16
  • Eurofighter Typhoon
  • Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II
  • Pilatus PC-21

• Martin-Baker Mk.17

This is a very light and compact ejection seat.

• • Grob G 120TP

• Martin-Baker Mk.18
  • KAI KF-21 Boramae

Operations and Testing

Martin-Baker uses its own airfield, Chalgrove Airfield, in Oxfordshire, England. This is where they test their ejection seats. They even fly their own Gloster Meteor jets, WL419 and WA638, for these tests. These jets are like flying laboratories for safety. Another Meteor jet, WA634, is now at the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford.

Ejection Tie Club

Martin-Baker has a special club called the "Ejection Tie Club." If your life has been saved by one of their ejection seats, you can become a member! Members receive a special tie, a patch, a certificate, and a membership card. It's a way to celebrate the lives saved. As of 2019, over 6,000 people have joined this unique club.

Commitment to Safety

In 2011, a pilot from the Red Arrows display team, Flt. Lt. Sean Cunningham, was involved in an incident on the ground. His parachute did not deploy. Martin-Baker later admitted that there was a technical issue they had known about. The company took responsibility for not telling the Royal Air Force (RAF) about a specific problem with a bolt. This incident led to important changes. It highlighted Martin-Baker's ongoing commitment to improving safety and making sure their equipment is as safe as possible for pilots.