On Friday, 5 May 1961 Irish Air Corps Vampire number 186 was performing spin instruction in the Mullagh – Kingscourt area of County Cavan when the aircraft failed to respond from the recovery procedure.
It continued out of control from 30,000 feet to 20,000 feet when the instructor, Kerryman Commandant Jeremiah O’Connor, pulled the Canopy Release Handle. The canopy was jettisoned with a deafening roar as the full blast of the air was felt by both pilots. Without hesitation the student pilot of fifteen months service pulled the facemask down over his face. This triggered the Ejection Seat Mechanism and the Martin-Baker Mark 3B seat complete with the twenty-year old Irish Air Corps cadet departed the stricken aircraft with an enormous release of power.
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The young cadet was Drumshanbo, County Leitrim native Ronald McPartland. He descended while still spinning until his parachute opened and controlled his rate of descent. He got a brief glimpse of the Vampire in the distance and it seemed in controlled flight. It appears the force of the ejection and the loss of the aircraft canopy seemed to stabilize the aircraft and it again responded to the pilot’s control inputs.
Commdt O’Connor decided not to eject and regained control about 5,000 feet above ground. He returned to Baldonnel aerodrome experiencing great difficulty in maintaining radio contact as the force of the ejection disconnected his radio lead.
Meanwhile, Cadet McPartland was descending towards the County Cavan countryside without having ever received any parachute training. A man on a donkey and cart that witnessed his descent sped from the area with considerable haste. McPartland landed in a boggy area and was uninjured. He made his way with his bundled parachute to a nearby farmhouse. He later commented: “I knocked on the half-open door through which I could see two elderly men drinking tea. They looked at me in disbelief (I was still wearing my helmet) and one of them rose and blessed himself. The other asked if I was a spaceman.”
They initially declined to drive Ron to the nearest Garda station but only indicted the direction of the town of Mullagh. The two farmers did subsequently agree to drive Ron to the Garda station after they were assured, they would get paid. After a very welcome cup of tea from the Garda sergeant’s wife, a phone call to Baldonnel confirmed the Vampire had landed safely.
An Irish Air Corps car from the airbase at Gormanstown Aerodrome brought Cadet McPartland to Gormanstown where he was flown to Baldonnel in a Chipmunk. The ejection seat and canopy were recovered about three miles from where the ejectee landed.
Eight months later, on 26 January 1962 Lieutenant McPartland was the guest at the Dorchester Hotel, London of the inventor of the ejection seat, County Down man James Martin. McPartland was singled out for special attention by Sir James who remarked: “The ejection seat designed by a man from the Wee North had saved the life of a fellow Irishman from the Irish Free State.”
Ronald McPartland retired from the Irish Air Corps and at a commemoration to mark the 50th anniversary of the ejection on 1 September 2011 he was presented with a framed painting inscribed by the Directors of Martin-Baker.
Story: Michael Traynor
Michael Traynor hails from Kinlough, County Leitrim. He is a Private Pilot for 45 years. He has published books about the history of aviation in Limerick; Iona: Ireland’s first commercial airline and his latest Petticoat Pilots about early Irish female aviators.
Excerpts from this article previously appeared in the “Escape Newsletter” of the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company.
Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
Anglo Celt
Sir James Martin – authorised biography of the Martin-Baker ejection seat pioneer – Sarah Sharman (1996)
Martin-Baker.com
The Man in the Hot Seat – Doddy Hay (1969)
If you have an idea for a story, email Kevin Reid [email protected]
