How B-17 Crews Survived Bailing Out

Various situations necessitate a bailout, and each crew member has specific, well-rehearsed roles to perform.

The Process

First, the pilot informs the crew of the bailout by voice over the intercom, providing details on the plane’s altitude, approximate position, and whether a water bailout is expected.

The crew acknowledges this, and the pilot rings the bailout bell.

Crew members then remove their flak gear and helmets. The pilot or co-pilot wears back seat parachutes, while the other eight crew members wear chest parachutes, attaching their parachute hook snaps to their harnesses.

If bailing out over water, they must connect their inflatable dinghy to the life vest’s D-ring and untether from the plane’s life support.

At bailout altitudes up to 30,000 feet, crew members need to plug their masks into portable walk-around bottles scattered around the plane, which provide about eight minutes of oxygen and can be refilled in flight if necessary.

Not As Easy as You Think

The plane’s bailout doors are jettisoned by pulling emergency release levers, separating the door from the fuselage.

The pilot then decreases the plane’s altitude below 15,000 feet and reduces the indicated airspeed to below 150 mph, making the jump safer. Crew members exit the aircraft in a predefined sequence.

If jumping above 15,000 ft without a bailout bottle, crew members take several deep breaths of oxygen from their walk-around bottle, disconnect it, and jump.

Descent

During the descent, crew members should fall headfirst and straight down while facing the direction of the plane’s travel.

This decreases the chances of their heads catching the edge of the hatch or being hit against the fuselage by slipstream forces. They should hold their breath as long as possible and keep their mask and goggles on for face insulation protection.

It takes about 20 minutes to parachute from 30,000 ft to the ground, with crew members instructed to keep their legs together, hold onto the risers, and face the direction they’re drifting.

It’s safer for the crew to free fall and deploy their parachutes at around 5,000 ft, minimizing susceptibility to oxygen deprivation or anoxia.

After deploying the chute at 5,000 ft, they land approximately 4 minutes later at a vertical speed of around 14 mph.