Specialists of NPP Zvezda (Moscow Region) developed a unique ejection seat for sport and civil aircraft. Chief Designer of the enterprise, Sergey Pozdnyakov, said that the latest ejection seat is intended for small aircraft (monoplanes) seating from two to four passengers. 

Today in case of any emergency the crew is unable to eject themselves from the vehicle. Instead a parachute attached to the aircraft opens and the vehicle descends this way. At that the crew is unable to make any impact on the process so the aircraft may land on a building, mountains or water surface. Small aircraft are not equipped with ejection seats because the traditional ejection seats dramatically increase the weight of the vehicle and affect its performance.

NPP Zvezda offers a unique ejection system – it ejects pilot and passengers without their seats. It looks this way: prior to the takeoff all the crew members put on special parachutes connected with the ejection system and after that fasten their seatbelts and start the takeoff. 

In case of any emergency the ejection system comes into action: at first a telescopic metal pole with a length of 1,5-2 meters extends from the cabin and breaks the canopy (it is interesting that the pole is extended using a compressed air instead of gunpowder). The pole retracts and pulls out a crew member with his parachute from the cabin; his seatbelt is unfastened automatically. At some moment the pole extends to its limit, while a person continues its movement and separates from the system, which pulls the ring out of his parachute. The crew member separates from the system at some distance from the aircraft so he won’t hit its tail or other components. According to Sergey Pozdnyakov this ejection system may revolutionize the small aircraft segment and become a standard just like seat belts installed in cars.