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From its inception, East/West has been an engineering company, dedicated to the aerospace industry and widely respected for research and development, design and manufacturing. That legacy continues today. Led by a large engineering staff, East/West’s products are best in class in terms of value and performance, and are almost exclusively our own design.
This excellence in engineering has led to the development of more than 28 patents that solve operational and support challenges, including:
Want to find out what an innovative problem solver with deep engineering capability can do for you? Talk to us.
For years, fixed pitot tubes that function as airspeed sensors were built in to U.S. Air Force ejection seats — and escape performance was entirely dependent on the pitot system. However, as cockpit technology and pilot equipment has evolved, the fixed tubes became problematic. They blocked the pilot’s line of sight in the check six position and obstructed airflow around the pilot’s helmet, creating false readings.
East/West Industries developed and patented a creative upgrade solution for the ACES II Ejection Seat — a flip-up pitot assembly designed as a complete recovery parachute container assembly replacement. The stowable system solves all the challenges of the fixed system and is currently flying on a range of U.S. Air Force aircraft, including the B-2 and F-16.
The inertia reel harness assembly is a critical ejection seat component. It is essential to safeguard pilots, especially those flying at supersonic speeds, with G-forces, or during an ejection. However, while essential, inertia reel maintenance requirements were extraordinarily high. Just replacing the inertia reel or reel straps would take 12-16 hours and put ejection seats out of commission for nearly two days. With more than 8,000 ACES II ejection seats in use, the problem was clear. And so was the solution. East/West Industries developed a patented method and kit to retrofit an inertia reel door onto the back of an ejection seat, and the results have been impressive. In addition to saving 11-15 maintenance hours each time service is performed, the new system eliminates the need to remove and reinstall seats, all while enhancing aircrew safety.
The ACES II Ejection Seat was using an H-2 Bailout Emergency Oxygen Cylinder Assembly developed in the 1940s. Not surprisingly, the dated system had numerous shortcomings, including insufficient oxygen flow and duration, inability to regulate or turn flow on and off, and costly, time-consuming maintenance.
Understanding that aircrews need the best possible protection for in-flight emergencies, hypoxia and other crisis situations, East/West Industries developed a more effective solution. It is compatible with modern technology and has the ability to activate upon ejection using just a lanyard. Other features include manual actuation with on/off capability and flow regulation.
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