Firefighters Adapt to New T-38 Hardware
LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – On March 11th, Mr. Thomas L. Stemphoski, a fire protection egress specialist with Northrop Grumman, briefs Laughlin firefighters on a new model of ejection seat being fitted into the T-38. The seats, derived from the model used in the Joint Strike Fighter, give pilots a better chance of surviving ejection without injury. Since the seats are powerful devices capable of firing a pilot three hundred feet into the air, firefighters train regularly to “safety” the aircraft, its fuel lines and its ejection seat to rescue pilots quickly and safely. (U.S. Air Force photo by 2d Lt Seth Pate)