Plane passenger accidentally activates ejector seat

The novice flier instantly shot through the jet's perspex canopy and was blasted 100 metres into the sky by the rocket-powered emergency chair.

Experts said the man was lucky to escape unharmed following the bizarre incident, which happened on Wednesday in South Africa.

It is thought he activated the ejector seat after lurching forward during an aerobatic manoeuvre and accidentally pulling on the black and yellow emergency handle between his legs.

The lever is fitted as standard in the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II jets to allow pilots and their passengers to eject from the aircraft in the event of an emergency.

As soon as it was activated, the ejection sequence activated two rockets attached to the back of his chair.

The man, who has not been named, later floated back down to Earth on a parachute which opened automatically.

South African Airforce bosses scrambled a helicopter to pick up the passenger after the blunder near Langebaanweg airfield, 80 miles north of Cape Town.

The incident happened shortly after he took off for a joyride with an experienced pilot from South Africa's Silver Falcons air display team.

I'm just going to second Smonster.

F: Famke Janssen C: Fay Wray M: Felicity Huffman (bring it, Macy!)

I could totally take Macy!

Alicia Keys mentioned that she had been on the Cosby Show when she was four. Someone over at TWOP linked to the clip--it was the leg-riding ep! I had no clue that little kid was Alicia Keys!

If I still read Salon I'm sure I'd find that clip linked to with a breathless declaration of, "Bill Cosby smacks Alicia Keys on Bottom!!!!" and 400 nasty letters.

F C M

Daniel Craig Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Dae Kim (doll!)

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Javier Bardem Robert Downey Jr

Erid Dane Ed Norton (strange ew, but he photographs well) Enver Gjokaj

Famke Jansen Fay Wray Felicity Huffman

PERSONALLY, I think they need a bigger sample size than 215 students. Speaking as a woman who has a Fullmetal Alchemist action figure, a ninja duck, and a DRD on her desk.

IIRC, none of them were comp sci students, so it's biased right off the bat. I don't decorate my desk much--in offices where I'm more out and people are younger I tend to accumulate geeky stuff as gifts. I don't feel like I can decorate here though, as a consultant. But before I've had quite the LotR fest at my desk.

The panels with Kate Mulgrew at DragonCon were full of women who told her that her character inspired them to go into science.

In case you didn't know, the Chevy Volt, a gamechanger extended range electric car, has its own song and dance.

On the bright side, that painfully ill-conceived dance kept 4 actors employed and well paid for the length of the car show.

ita's FCM choices match mine.

My desk isn't very geeky. I have a Mr. Incredible action figure, some models of old cars, and an F4U Corsair. And a picture of Zabriskie Point in Death Vally.

I have a Juno hamburger phone and a gargoyle hand puppet. Other than that, not very geeky.

I want to work in ChiKat's office.

The panels with Kate Mulgrew at DragonCon were full of women who told her that her character inspired them to go into science.

I love that! Janeway rocked!

I have an assortment of action figures, including Scully and Mulder (Mulder on a leash), Lara Croft, Buffy and Faith sitting Sapphic, a Wall Of Batman, DCU Pez dispensers, and my Princess Leia Bikini doll.

Other than that, it's not too geeky.