Post by volkerboehme on Aug 10, 2008 9:17:15 GMT -5
Here are some comments from FSAviator on the open cockpit era:
Concerning open cockpits and cockpit location in commercial aircraft the key issue was survival with CoG as a temporary and secondary issue.
Early aircraft were aerial motor cycles and small aircraft with tiny payloads, or payloads which might be absent, cannot tolerate having the pilot located far away from CoG. Consequently the view over the nose was inadequate and dangerous, both in the air and on the ground. During take off, approach and during taxi the pilot had his head outside the cockpit, usually to the left, to see where he was going. He could not see the gauges, even the ASI, so he needed to feel the current airspeed and slip/skid on his face. That need was a consequence of what he had to do to survive, not a desire to invoke primitive sensory inputs.
In the pioneer phase of commercial aviation history all flight was low and slow and whilst a windshield was useful a canopy was just a danger to survival. The external navigation and ATC infrastructure was inadequate and crashes were very common. Pilots wanted a huge crumple zone between them and the next and frequent impact. They tolerated the freezing and rain soaked work environment to survive, and they wanted their employer to realise that the wealthy and influential passengers with smart lawyers would always die first. That was their only insurance policy in the days when aviation was just another branch of organised crime.
Whilst that terrible phase of aviation history lasted, having survived their next crash, by sitting as far aft as possible, they wanted to be able to crawl out of the wreck before it caught fire. They left the air mail to burn on every mountain range in the CONUS. They did not want to be trapped inside an enclosed space with distorted exits they could not open. They had to fly more often than their wealthy, influential passengers and they understood just how poor those passengers’ chances of survival were trapped inside with the mail.
That is not however what commercial pilots really 'wanted'. They wanted a safe aviation infrastructure which reduced crash frequency. Once that was enabled or imposed via massive public sector investment and regulation they wanted to sit where they could see ahead inside big aeroplanes, making lots of money shifting lots of payload. They wanted a safe infrastructure to increase passenger demand, their wages and their safety. Only then were pilots willing to sit in comfort and in the optimum place to operate commercial aircraft.
Once commercial aeroplanes were big enough, and flying was safe enough, they were happy to sit high and up front with a superb view from a nice warm cockpit glancing at the ASI and slip ball whenever they pleased. Every so often they still needed to stick their head out of the side window (or canopy) when the windshield iced up. Massive investment in the external infrastructure of aviation soon allowed aircraft to cruise so fast that those in the middle of the aircraft had survival chances little better than those at the front.
The pioneer phase of aviation history was all about survival and it wasn't romantic.
FSAviator
Concerning open cockpits and cockpit location in commercial aircraft the key issue was survival with CoG as a temporary and secondary issue.
Early aircraft were aerial motor cycles and small aircraft with tiny payloads, or payloads which might be absent, cannot tolerate having the pilot located far away from CoG. Consequently the view over the nose was inadequate and dangerous, both in the air and on the ground. During take off, approach and during taxi the pilot had his head outside the cockpit, usually to the left, to see where he was going. He could not see the gauges, even the ASI, so he needed to feel the current airspeed and slip/skid on his face. That need was a consequence of what he had to do to survive, not a desire to invoke primitive sensory inputs.
In the pioneer phase of commercial aviation history all flight was low and slow and whilst a windshield was useful a canopy was just a danger to survival. The external navigation and ATC infrastructure was inadequate and crashes were very common. Pilots wanted a huge crumple zone between them and the next and frequent impact. They tolerated the freezing and rain soaked work environment to survive, and they wanted their employer to realise that the wealthy and influential passengers with smart lawyers would always die first. That was their only insurance policy in the days when aviation was just another branch of organised crime.
Whilst that terrible phase of aviation history lasted, having survived their next crash, by sitting as far aft as possible, they wanted to be able to crawl out of the wreck before it caught fire. They left the air mail to burn on every mountain range in the CONUS. They did not want to be trapped inside an enclosed space with distorted exits they could not open. They had to fly more often than their wealthy, influential passengers and they understood just how poor those passengers’ chances of survival were trapped inside with the mail.
That is not however what commercial pilots really 'wanted'. They wanted a safe aviation infrastructure which reduced crash frequency. Once that was enabled or imposed via massive public sector investment and regulation they wanted to sit where they could see ahead inside big aeroplanes, making lots of money shifting lots of payload. They wanted a safe infrastructure to increase passenger demand, their wages and their safety. Only then were pilots willing to sit in comfort and in the optimum place to operate commercial aircraft.
Once commercial aeroplanes were big enough, and flying was safe enough, they were happy to sit high and up front with a superb view from a nice warm cockpit glancing at the ASI and slip ball whenever they pleased. Every so often they still needed to stick their head out of the side window (or canopy) when the windshield iced up. Massive investment in the external infrastructure of aviation soon allowed aircraft to cruise so fast that those in the middle of the aircraft had survival chances little better than those at the front.
The pioneer phase of aviation history was all about survival and it wasn't romantic.
FSAviator