50-579: Martin Baker may refer to: Martin-Baker , a British manufacturer of aircraft ejection seats Martin Baker (footballer) (born 1974), Scottish footballer Martin Baker (organist) (born 1967), English organist Martin Baker, candidate in the United States House of Representatives elections in Missouri, 2010 and 2014 Topics referred to by
100-418: A Martin-Baker ejection seat. The company also partnered with Bremont to produce a limited-edition wristwatch for members of the club. The watch must be purchased privately, though Martin-Baker does subsidize its cost. As of 2019 , there are now over 6,000 registered members of the club since it was founded in 1957. In 2011, Red Arrows pilot Flt. Lt. Sean Cunningham was ejected from his Hawk T1 jet on
150-569: A family-run business, run by the twin sons of the late Sir James Martin since Autumn 1979. The factory for building aircraft was established in 1929 by James Martin and "Martin's Aircraft Works" was founded at Denham by James Martin and Captain Valentine Baker with financial help from Francis Francis. The company was building a prototype aircraft, the MB 1, using the design patents for aircraft structures held by Martin. On 17 August 1934,
200-477: A farmhouse, Grange Farm, on the eastern boundary of Heston aerodrome. Around this time the company was acquired by Whitney Straight 's Straight Corporation and a further workshop was established at Weston Airport to help meet the great demand for models during World War II . Some of what used to be Heston Aerodrome is now used for housing and industrial estates. The M4 motorway and the Heston services cross
250-498: A flight. Two days earlier on 19 September 1940, a German parachute mine had demolished Heston's large 'Dawbarn' hangar, formerly occupied by BAL in 1939, and previously by Airwork. No further airline operations took place at Heston. On 22 September 1939, a clandestine photographic unit, the 'Heston Flight' was absorbed into the RAF, and its civilian head Sidney Cotton was enlisted with the rank of Squadron Leader. On 1 November 1939, it
300-497: A meeting with German Chancellor Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden . Lockheed 10 Electra G-AEPR of British Airways Ltd was used on that first of three occasions, piloted by C. Nigel Pelly. On 22 September 1938, Chamberlain flew to Cologne Bonn Airport for a meeting at Bad Godesberg in Lockheed 14 G-AFGN, flown by Eric Robinson. On 29 September 1938, G-AFGN was piloted by Victor Flowerday on the final trip to Munich, which resulted in
350-454: A number of aircraft. In 1944, the company was approached by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to investigate ejection systems enabling pilots to bail out safely from high-speed fighter aircraft. Martin-Baker investigated ejection seats from 1934 onwards, several years before Germany and Sweden proposed similar systems in 1938. The company concluded that an explosive-powered ejection seat
400-796: A practical application by a British pilot involved the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52 flying wing experimental aircraft in May 1949. Martin-Baker was a pioneer in expanding the operational envelope of the ejection seat to enable it to be used at low altitudes and airspeeds, leading eventually to development of the " zero-zero " capability in 1961. Martin-Baker Mk.1 Martin-Baker Mk.2 Martin-Baker Mk.3 Martin-Baker Mk.4 Martin-Baker Mk.5 Martin-Baker Mk.6 Martin-Baker Mk.7 Martin-Baker Mk.8 Martin-Baker Mk.9 Martin-Baker Mk.10 Martin-Baker Mk.11 Martin-Baker Mk.12 Martin-Baker Mk.14 NACES (SJU-17) This ejection seat
450-576: A transatlantic flight record to Newfoundland via Ireland. Unfortunately, on 27 July 1933, the undercarriage collapsed at Portmarnock Strand , and Ulm abandoned that attempt. On 12 October 1933, Ulm, Allan, Taylor and Edwards took off in VH-UXX from Great West Aerodrome , and flew to Derby, Western Australia , breaking the England-to-Australia flight record. On 9 August 1934, the first flight from inland Canada ( Wasaga Beach, Ontario ) to
500-665: A tubular steel fuselage. It used the Griffon engine driving contra-rotating propellers. Martin-Baker manufactured aircraft components, including retrofit improvements to the ammunition belt feeds for the Hispano Mk II autocannon and armoured seats for Supermarine Spitfires , throughout the Second World War. James Martin also designed and manufactured explosive bolt cutters fitted to bomber wings to cut barrage balloon cables that were fitted to many aircraft and saved
550-457: A wheat field. Since official closure in 1947, several aircraft movements have occurred. On 9 June 1951, a BOAC (staff) Sports Festival was held, and aircraft that landed at the site included a Miles M.14A Hawk Trainer , DH.82A Tiger Moth , Auster J/1B Aiglet , DH.104 Dove , DH.84 Dragon, and perhaps two others. Parts of the airport land were still owned by the British government in 1962, when
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#1732776213488600-595: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Martin-Baker Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited is a British manufacturer of ejection seats and safety-related equipment for aviation. The company was originally an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats. The company's headquarters are in Higher Denham , Buckinghamshire , England, with other sites in France, Italy and
650-767: Is used by the US Navy and is often designated Martin-Baker NACES (Naval Aircrew Ejection Seat) SJU-17 with a suffix letter for the different variants. Martin-Baker Mk.15 Martin-Baker Mk.16 Martin-Baker Mk.17 Extremely compact and lightweight ejection seat designed with minimise mass and maintenance. Most lightweight ejection seat in Martin-Baker inventory. Martin-Baker Mk.18 The Martin-Baker company uses its own airfield, Chalgrove Airfield , in Oxfordshire for operational testing of ejection seats. In 2016, ejection tests were carried out at Cazaux Air Base ;
700-630: The M4 motorway construction was started. Additional land was needed for a motorway service area ( Heston Services ), that was built in 1965 over the northern half of the 1940s aerodrome site. The terminal buildings continued to be used by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) until June 1978, and those buildings were demolished later that year. The last confirmed aircraft movement was a 'farewell' flight for CAA staff by Bell 206B JetRanger helicopter (G-BCWN) on 6 June 1978. Heston Aerodrome
750-1490: The 1935 season, in collaboration with Railway Air Services . On 28 January 1934, Jersey Airways started a daily service to Jersey, landing on St. Aubin's beach at West Park, St Helier . In May 1934, the Portsmouth, Southsea, and Isle of Wight Company (PS&IOW) started a service from Heston to the Isle of Wight. In May 1934, the British Air Navigation Company (BANCO) started operating scheduled services to Le Touquet , Dieppe , Pourville, and Deauville , having previously operated cross-Channel charters. Other resident charter or aircraft hire companies included Air Commerce Ltd, Anglo-American Air Services, Birkett Air Service Ltd, Wrightson Air Hire (renamed 1934 as Air Hire Ltd). In 1934 and 1935, United Airways Ltd operated services from Heston to Stanley Park Aerodrome (Blackpool) In 1936, British Airways Ltd , formed by mergers of Spartan Air Lines, United Airways Ltd and Hillman's Airways , started scheduled services at Heston, then moved to Gatwick Airport , then to Croydon Airport , before returning to Heston in May 1938, remaining until April 1940. Manufacturers at Heston included Comper Aircraft Company (1933–1934), Chrislea Aircraft (1936–1947), Heston Aircraft Company (1934–1948), Fairey Aviation Company (1945–1947). Lesser use of
800-672: The Airwork Flying School had become well established, many privately owned aircraft had moved in, and the Household Brigade Flying Club, also known as the Guards flying club, had moved from Brooklands . Frequent public events helped promote Heston as a major centre of private flying, air displays, public demonstrations of new aircraft types, 'garden parties', air races, and as the starting point for long-distance flight record attempts. The King's Cup race
850-506: The Bluebird was re-assembled. She flew via Medford, Oregon , Tucson, Arizona , San Diego and Baltimore to New York City , where she embarked on a ship bound for Le Havre . On 19 February 1931, she flew to Lympne Airport , having flown about 19,000 miles and set several world records. The next day, she was given an aerial escort to Croydon Airport, where a reception of press and celebrities awaited her. She later flew back to Heston, and
900-566: The British Empire from Croydon, and British Airways served European destinations from Heston. The area of the landing field was then 3,540 feet by 2,700 feet. The Air Ministry (Heston and Kenley Aerodromes Extension) Act 1939 authorised the compulsory purchase of land, and road closures needed for further expansion. The plans met objections, especially from the Heston Aircraft Company , whose production facility on
950-499: The Martin-Baker Aircraft Company was formed to continue the work of aircraft development. Martin and Baker designed an unconventional, two-seat, low-wing monoplane design in the early 1930s as the MB 1. This was powered by a de Havilland Gipsy engine mounted in the fuselage behind the seats and driving a fixed pitch propeller through a shaft running horizontally between the pilot and passenger. The project
1000-468: The Munich Conference with the paper referred to in his later " Peace for our time " speech from 10 Downing Street . Heston Air Park was conceived by fellow pilots and aircraft co-owners Nigel Norman and Alan Muntz in 1928, and it was constructed by their new company, Airwork Ltd . It was officially opened on 5 July 1929, to coincide with hosting the two-day King's Cup air race . By then,
1050-541: The UK, a distance of 3,700 miles, landed at Heston after a flying time of 30 hours 55 minutes. The pilots, J.R.Ayling and L.G.Reid, in a DH.84 Dragon (G-ACJM) named "Trail of the Caribou", were attempting to beat the then long-distance flying record (5,657 miles) by flying 6,300 miles from Wasaga Beach to Baghdad . However, icing of the engine throttle controls increased fuel consumption and, together with bad weather, resulted in
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#17327762134881100-759: The United States. Martin-Baker supplies ejection seats for 93 air forces worldwide. Martin-Baker seats have been fitted into over 200 fixed-wing and rotary types with the most recent being the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II programme. Martin-Baker claimed in 2022 that since the first live ejection test in 1945, a total of 7,732 lives have been saved by the company's ejection seats. Martin-Baker also manufactures what it calls "crashworthy" seats for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. As of 2012 , over 20,000 crashworthy seats have been delivered. The Martin-Baker company continues as
1150-581: The aircraft and administrations of British Airways Ltd (BAL) and Imperial Airways were physically transferred to Bristol (Whitchurch) Airport , to be operated jointly by National Air Communications (NAC). Services to Paris - Le Bourget Airport , Stockholm , and other overseas destinations continued, using types including DH.86 , Lockheed 14, DH.91 Albatross , AW.27 Ensign . From October 1939, airlines of neutral countries (such as Belgium , Denmark , Netherlands ) were only permitted to fly to coastal civilian airfields such as Shoreham Airport , but Air France
1200-573: The airfield was by Carden-Baynes Aircraft , Navarro Safety Aircraft. First flights took place of the first UK-built Mignet HM.14 "Flying Flea", Watkinson Dingbat , Luton Minor , Helmy Aerogypt , Hafner AR.III gyroplane and the Fane F.1/40 . On 25 September 1930, Mrs Victor Bruce took off in her Blackburn Bluebird IV (G-ABDS, named Bluebird ) on a round-the-world solo flight. On 24 November, having covered 10,330 miles in 25 flying days, she reached Tokyo . She travelled by ship to Vancouver , where
1250-420: The best method involved ejection of the seat with the occupant sitting in it, aided by an explosive charge. After ejection, the pilot would separate from the seat and open his parachute by pulling a ripcord in the usual way. At that time there was little information on how much upward thrust the human body could withstand. Data relating to "g" forces in catapult launching of aircraft involved horizontal thrust and
1300-534: The company's Meteor aircraft testbeds were flown from Chalgrove to France for them. Two Gloster Meteor T.7 aircraft, WL419 and WA638 , remain in service with the company as flying testbeds. Another Meteor ( WA634 ), used in early development of ejection seats, is retained at the RAF Museum at RAF Cosford . Martin-Baker also sponsors an "Ejection Tie Club", producing a tie, patch, certificate, tie pin and membership card for those whose lives have been saved by
1350-517: The controversial Munich Agreement , followed by Chamberlain's widely publicised return at Heston on 30 September 1938, and his subsequent " Peace for our time " speech. The Air Ministry had intended to completely take over the Heston site from Airwork Ltd in September 1939 for civil airline operations, but the declaration of war intervened, and the plans were never implemented. By 1 September 1939,
1400-861: The fall of France (22 June 1940), on 26 June 1940 the BOAC Lisbon service was switched to the DC-3s chartered from KLM with Dutch crews; by August 1940, five DC-3s were registered in Britain to a KLM subsidiary, nominally based at Heston. In late August 1940, all BOAC aircraft still operating from Heston were transferred to Whitchurch, including the KLM DC-3s. For the Lisbon service, a KLM DC-3 would fly to Heston to pick up passengers, then return to Whitchurch for onward travel to Lisbon. On 21 September 1940, KLM DC-3 G-AGBC crashed in fog on landing at Heston during such
1450-530: The flight being terminated early. During the late 1930s, the British government had been studying the future of air transport and airports in the London area. It had been decided that London would be served by four airports – Croydon, Heston, and new airfields at Fairlop in Essex and Lullingstone , Kent . To this end, improvements and extensions had already begun at Heston, with the intention of bringing it up to
1500-423: The form of guide rails. The seat was propelled up the guide rails by a gun, consisting of two telescopic tubes energised by an explosive cartridge. The guide rails were provided with ratchet stops every 3 in (76 mm) so that the seat was automatically arrested at the top of its travel. Studies were conducted to find the limits of upward acceleration that the human body could stand. The first dummy shot with
1550-464: The ground at RAF Scampton . The parachute failed to deploy and Cunningham was killed. On 22 January 2018, company director John Martin entered a guilty plea to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 on behalf of Martin-Baker wherein he admitted that the company had been aware of a technical problem with the ejector seat since 1990, but failed to notify the RAF. The firm admitted
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1600-638: The health and safety breach on the basis it had failed to provide a written warning to the RAF about over-tightening a bolt on the aircraft. Heston Aerodrome Heston Aerodrome was an airfield located to the west of London , England , operational between 1929 and 1947. It was situated on the border of the Heston and Cranford areas of Hounslow , Middlesex . In September 1938, the British Prime Minister , Neville Chamberlain , flew from Heston to Germany three times in two weeks for talks with Adolf Hitler , and returned to Heston from
1650-685: The most modern standards of airports elsewhere in Europe. New drainage was put in, and trees near the flight path were removed. Runway lighting and radio aids to landing were installed. Land and buildings around the site were bought up for expansion, including St Mary's Boys Orphanage in North Hyde that was demolished. In 1937, the airport was bought by the Air Ministry , and developed to become almost as large as Croydon Airport , making it London's second airport at that time. Imperial Airways served
1700-559: The onset of considerable physical discomfort. The first seat was successfully live-tested by Lynch on 24 July 1946, who ejected from a Gloster Meteor travelling at 320 mph (510 km/h) IAS at 8,000 feet (2,400 m) over Chalgrove Airfield in Oxfordshire . The first production Martin-Baker ejection seat, a ' Pre-Mk 1 ', was installed in the Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 prototype. The first use of an ejection seat in
1750-459: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Martin Baker . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Martin_Baker&oldid=635147503 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
1800-405: The seat loaded to 200 lb (91 kg) was made on 20 January 1945, and four days later one of the company's experimental fitters , Bernard Lynch, undertook the first "live" ride, being shot up the rig to a height of 4 ft 8 in (1.42 m). In three further tests, the power of the cartridge was progressively increased until a height of 10 feet was reached, at which stage Lynch reported
1850-522: The site from east to west, and a substantial area to the north of the M4 is part of the Airlinks 18-hole golf course. Many of the roads in the area have aviation-related names, described below. The original tree-lined approach driveway (Aerodrome Way) still exists, and radiating from it, buildings in the original "aircraft" plan-form designed to resemble an arrow pointing north. Only one complete building remains,
1900-638: The site was planned to be demolished in December 1939. In 1939 work on this expansion started, demolishing some houses in or near Cranford , including Tentlow Farm, and cutting down fruit trees, but the start of the Second World War stopped this. In early 1948 the Secretary of State for Air registered ownership of Tentlow Farm, Cranford, Middlesex. On 15 September 1938, British prime minister Neville Chamberlain flew from Heston to Munich for
1950-468: The war, the 1939 plans for four London airports were scrapped. Heathrow had by then been chosen as the main London Airport, and its proximity would have made regular flying from Heston aerodrome impossible. In the immediate post war years, the airfield was home to a U.S.A.F. base with American servicemen posted there. The grass around the runway became unkempt after a while and it often resembled
2000-420: Was abandoned due to financial constraints, although the fuselage and engine installation had been completed. Martin-Baker also constructed an autogyro designed by Raoul Hafner . This, their first complete aircraft project, was later tested by Captain Baker at Heston Aerodrome . In 1935, Martin and Baker designed and flew their Martin-Baker MB 1 , a two-seat light touring aircraft. Their first military design
2050-468: Was again staged at Heston in 1931. From the start, the first UK use of a concrete hangar and concrete aprons had already been established. Additional hangars and facilities, and expansion of the airfield, continued through the 1930s. In September 1931, Heston Air Park was renamed Heston Airport, following provision of customs facilities and ongoing improvements for passenger handling. Night flying facilities were installed and further developed, and in 1932 it
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2100-606: Was allowed to operate Dewoitine D.338s between Paris and Heston. On 1 April 1940, British Airways Ltd and Imperial Airways were officially merged as a new company, British Overseas Airways Corporation ( BOAC ). After the surrender of the Netherlands on 14 May 1940, several KLM aircraft evaded capture, and converged on the UK. On 4 June 1940, BOAC started a Heston to Lisbon service, using DH.91 Albatrosses, to connect with transatlantic services of Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) that used Boeing 314 flying boats. Following
2150-479: Was designated as a commercial diversionary airport, often required when Croydon Airport was fog-bound. It is claimed that the central building was the first purpose-built airport control tower, on which all modern control towers are based. In April 1933, Spartan Air Lines started a twice-daily service to Cowes in the Isle of Wight . During 1934, the service operated from Croydon Airport, but reverted to Heston for
2200-1090: Was formed under the command of Squadron Leader A.E. Clouston , flying a wide variety of aircraft for interception trials, including Turbinlite versions of the Douglas Havoc and de Havilland Mosquito . After disbandment in 1944, this unit became the Special Projectile Flight of the Royal Aircraft Establishment , remaining at Heston. During the war, units temporarily based at Heston included RAF Polish fighter squadrons 302 , 303 , 306 , 308 , 315 , 316 , 317 , using mostly Spitfire Vs and Hurricanes . Other units included 515 Sqn , 129 Sqn , 116 Sqn , No. 53 OTU , No. 61 OTU , No. 85 Group Communication Unit RAF , AEAFCS. Transient USAAF units included 2008th Army AF Headquarters Sqn, 27th Air Transport Group, 86th Air Transport Sqn, 325th Ferrying Sqn, 112th Liaison Sqn. The following units were here at some point: After
2250-687: Was greeted there by Nigel Norman. On 10 July 1933, an Avro 618 Ten (VH-UXX) named Faith in Australia arrived at Heston, having failed to break the Australia-to-England flight record, after making a forced landing in Persia due to a broken piston. The pilot was Charles Ulm , accompanied by Gordon Taylor and G. U. 'Scotty' Allan. The aircraft was repaired by Avro Aircraft , then Ulm and his crew (G. U. Allan, P. G. Taylor and J. A. W. Edwards) made preparations at Heston for an attempt on
2300-411: Was renamed No. 2 Camouflage Unit, then to No. 1 Photographic Development Unit on 17 January 1940. On 18 June 1940, it was renamed No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit under the command of Wing Commander G.W. Tuttle. After the parachute mine incident on 19 September 1940 had damaged several of its aircraft, No. 1 PRU was transferred to RAF Benson on 27 December 1940. On 12 May 1941, No. 1422 Flight RAF
2350-467: Was the Martin-Baker MB 2 , a Napier Dagger –powered fighter that flew in 1938. It was a private venture to meet Air Ministry Specification F.5/34 for a fighter for service in the tropics. The MB 2 was tested but neither it nor other designs to F.5/34 were adopted. The Martin-Baker MB 5 which first flew in 1944 had started out as the second MB 3 prototype but was extensively redesigned with
2400-463: Was the best solution. In particular, Baker's death in 1942 during a test flight of the MB 3 affected Martin so much that pilot safety became his primary focus and led to the later reorganisation of the company to focus primarily on ejection seats. In 1944, James Martin was asked by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to develop methods for fighter pilots to escape their aircraft. Martin decided that
2450-484: Was the site of Woodason Aircraft Models during the 1930s and after the Second World War. The company was founded by Victor Woodason (1904–1964), who created detailed aircraft models, for the aviation industry, airlines, movies, the Air Ministry and other government agencies, merchandisers, advertising, aircraft owners and collectors. Woodason was forced to vacate the airport in 1939, and his workshop then operated from
2500-399: Was therefore inapplicable to the new problem. Tests would have to be conducted to find out how much upward "g" force a person could tolerate. These were done by shooting a seat up a near-vertical path, loading the seat to represent the weight of the occupant, and measuring the accelerations involved. A 16 ft (4.9 m) test rig was built in the form of a tripod, one of the legs being in
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