The occupant remains encapsulated and protected until such time as the external environment is suitable for direct exposure or the capsule reaches the ground.

Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug flew the Heinkel He 176 rocket plane (in 1939), and the DFS 228 research aircraft, both of which had a jettisonable nose.

Maj. Carl Cross's seat was unable to retract backwards into the escape capsule due to high-g-forces as the plane spiraled downwards.

Due to pain and confusion, White failed to trigger the manually activated airbag that would normally cushion the capsule upon landing.

[9][10] On December 8, 1964 at Bunker Hill AFB, a B-58 navigator, Manuel "Rocky" Cervantes, ejected in his escape capsule after his aircraft was blown off an icy runway by another jet in front of him, the plane catching fire in the resulting crash, burning and damaging five nuclear warheads.

The crew remains strapped in the cabin, unencumbered by a parachute harness, while 27,000 lbf (120 kN) of thrust from rockets accelerates the module away from the rest of the aircraft.

[14][15] Kelly Johnson, founder of Lockheed Skunk Works, and developer of the U-2 and SR-71 Blackbird family of spy planes, commented on escape crew capsules when discussing development of the YF-12A (Blackbird) ejection seat: "We set ourselves a very high goal in providing crew escape systems.

We were determined to develop a system good for zero escape velocity on the ground and through the complete flight spectrum, having speeds above Mach 3 at 100,000 feet.

Our escape system in a very important sense really provides a capsule, which is the pressure suit, which is surely capable of meeting the speeds and temperatures likely to be encountered in the near future of manned aircraft.