[mikeash]

Ejection isn't a get out of jail free card. I've heard it described as being just barely preferable to crashing. There's a decent chance of significant injury and even death in an ejection.

[AmVess]

This poor fellow did it at supersonic speeds and lived: http://jalopnik.com/5894022/what-happens-when-you-eject-out-...

[mikeash]

Here's one who ejected slash got thrown out of the airplane at over mach 3:

http://www.916-starfighter.de/SR-71_Waever.htm

He lived, his back-seater did not.

I recall seeing someone run the numbers, and it turns out that the guy in your link had it worse, as the much lower altitude more than made up for the lower speed.

[AmVess]

Wow, thanks for the link. What an astounding story.

[erobbins]

so true.. I've heard pilots say that you only eject when you're more afraid of the airplane than the ejection seat