This Ejection Seat comes from the subsonic English Electric Canberra Bomber (License built by Martin for USAF as the B-57).This UK designed Bomber was having an incredibly long service life in a large number of AirForces all over the world.
It was a total export succes of British Military Aviation as from the fifties.
The Martin Baker Ejection Seat Company also profiled itself soon as the world's top manufacturer of Hi advanced ejection seats for all sorts of Fighters and Bombers.
Even for the Starfighter F-104, after 1968, all NATO aircraft were retrofitted with the more elaborated and safer Martin Baker Ejection Seat.
But this one was desigend in the early fifties, look at the incredible number of handles, motors, parapack cables, switches, and drogues.
It looks somewhat like the Jules Vernes' Captain Nemo Chair, but this is a genuine safety capsule from the Canberra Bomber.
The Handbrake like handle on the lower right hand side is for the height adjustment of the tub, you can hardly keep your eyes off from this intriguing design.
The finish comes in mirror polished trim, but many parts are in metal, are corroded over the years and make that special vintage looks of "wrinkled" polished finish.
The seat has been stabilised with the holed aluminium subframe, so you can really sit in it on the leather cushion, as a sort of Library Chair or Show Piece.
Original Manufacturing plates are still mounted, as proof of authenticity, the seat has a very distinct look, faraway from the American designs from that era.
