ejection seat

American  

noun

1. an airplane seat that can be ejected with the pilot in an emergency.

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ejection seat British  

noun

1. a seat, esp as fitted to military aircraft, that is fired by a cartridge or rocket to eject the occupant from the aircraft in an emergency

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Etymology

Origin of ejection seat

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

Click the trigger and the BlackFly noses down, bringing the pilot to a position more like a gaming chair than an ejection seat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 17, 2025

Defense Department officials said that all F-35 ejection seats were inspected after the Air Force in July 22 temporarily grounded its F-35 fleet over ejection seat concerns.

From Washington Times • Sep. 26, 2023

But it’s also different in that it’s the only one of the three variants that has an auto-eject function on its ejection seat, according to seat manufacturer Martin-Baker.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2023

The pilot sat in an ejection seat that suggested the electric chair, in front of a fuel compartment containing 2,400 gallons of liquid oxygen and anhydrous ammonia.

From Washington Post • Aug. 29, 2019

An ejection seat is simply the aluminum seat the pilot sits in, with a small rocket motor built into the back of it.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins