Top Ten Inventions

[Wizzo]

1. The waterproof towel
2. Solar-powered flashlight
3. A submarine screen door
4. A book on how to read
5. Inflatable dartboard
6. A dictionary index
7. Ejector seat in a helicopter
8. Powdered water
9. Pedal-powered wheelchair
10. The waterproof tea bag

[johnbull]

1. The waterproof towel
2. Solar-powered flashlight
3. A submarine screen door
4. A book on how to read
5. Inflatable dartboard
6. A dictionary index
7. Ejector seat in a helicopter
8. Powdered water
9. Pedal-powered wheelchair
10. The waterproof tea bag

The mind boggles.  

[Ian]

11... An on/off switch for a woman

[johnbull]

11... An on/off switch for a woman

Reminds me of our Christmas present from the kids. A motorcycle intercom kit.

On opening the packet I suggested they should have bought one with a one way switch!

She wasn't amused.

JB in the doghouse again.

[romephius]

Funny part is Wiz, they have actually tested ejector seats in helicopters.....

Rom

[Ian]

Hopefully out of the side Rom 

[romephius]

nope...still up....but the bolts holding the rotor blades on were primed with an explosive...they hit eject, bolts blow....centrifugal force moves the blades away.....and then the pilots go....

Just a small factoid i picked up over the years....although it could get very messy if the bolts don't blow....

eeewwww

Rom   

[cosworth151]

nope...still up....but the bolts holding the rotor blades on were primed with an explosive...they hit eject, bolts blow....centrifugal force moves the blades away.....and then the pilots go....

Rom  

Remember the James Bond movie "Goldeneye?"

[Steven Roy]

I thought they had ejector seats for helicopters that went sideways. I am sure I came across an article on them at the same time as the starfighter?? had an ejector seat that went down instead of up.  Unfortunately with the latter device several pilots were killed when the used it at very low altitudes and were killed and buried at the same time.

[johnbull]

I thought they had ejector seats for helicopters that went sideways. I am sure I came across an article on them at the same time as the starfighter?? had an ejector seat that went down instead of up.  Unfortunately with the latter device several pilots were killed when the used it at very low altitudes and were killed and buried at the same time.

thus the saying: dead and buried.

Go back to sleep JB.

[Chameleon]

Ah, the Starfighter - what a fabulous plane.  It was a concept that would have taken aircraft in a whole new direction had it not developed such an evil reputation through being flown by pilots with insufficient instruction in its unique characteristics.  The Germans bought quite a few and they were the main culprits in this - they called it the "Widowmaker".

The stubby wings were so narrow in section and so sharp that the leading edge had to be protected by a cover - to prevent people cutting off their heads if they walked into the wings accidentally...

[cosworth151]

It was the brainchild of one of the greatest airraft designers ever - Kelly Johnson. He was the same guy who did the P-38, the Constellation and the SR-71. He based his U-2 on the Starfighter. Look at the fuselage of the two planes.

[Alianora La Canta]

To add to the list:

12. A phone company whose phone number does not work (take a bow, Virgin Mobile)
13. A diabetic bar of chocolate containing 70g of sugar (that would be Thorntons - but I think the recipe's been improved since)
14. A fire door with a sign "Heavy door - please do not close"
15. A cinema car park road with the arrows on the road pointing one way and the signs pointing the other
16. A 100m-water resistant watch that I was instructed not to get wet or else it would stop working
17. A trolley park where trollies are forbidden (this was a small Sainsbury's in Sheffield)