Martin Baker Meteors

An opportunity came up to head over the Chalgrove, to the test facility for Martin Baker, possibly the most renowned ejector seat manufacturer in the world. As you drive in the gate they have a sign up saying how many people they have saved in total (over 7,000) over the years, down to how many this month (2). If you have a successful ejection you receive a tie and membership to quite an exclusive club.

One of the unique things about Martin Baker is they are the only company to test their ejector seats at altitude, and they do this by firing them out of the back of a pair of Meteor jets, which are the very first jet fighters produced in Britain, dating back to the late 1940's. It was a great opportunity to see this venerable jets that are still very carefully looked after up close.