Topic: Ejection

NOAA issued a rare G5 severe geomagnetic storm warning as the sun approaches its solar maximum. Despite warnings that coronal mass ejections could disrupt power grids and GPS, no major blackouts or infrastructure failures were reported. The science behind sunspots and magnetic field tangling is explained via NPR and PBS reports.

A series of long-duration X-class and M-class solar flares have produced earth-directed coronal mass ejections, causing significant atmospheric ionization. These space weather events have disrupted high-frequency radio communications across the Eastern Hemisphere. Ham radio operators reported that bands were "wiped out" by the solar activity, which was monitored via 131 angstrom imaging.

Matt Boisvert is recognized for the episode 1592 artwork featuring an F-35 pilot. The segment includes a review of the 911 call made by the pilot who ejected over South Carolina. Speculation continues regarding whether the crash was caused by a "total display failure" or a design flaw in the aircraft, which is referred to as a "turkey."

A U-2 military spy plane crashed in Sutter County, California, shortly after takeoff from Beale Air Force Base during a training mission. One pilot was killed and another injured following an ejection; the hosts express surprise that the Cold War-era aircraft is still in active service.

A Royal Air Force pilot is killed in a ground incident at RAF Scampton when his ejection seat unexpectedly deployed while the aircraft was on the apron. This follows a previous Red Arrows fatality involving Flight Lieutenant John Egging. Adam Curry expresses skepticism that such a highly engineered safety system could malfunction spontaneously without external factors.