Also the jet age saw the end of the tail draggers, no more tail wheel. Which made the aircraft sit at an angle. With the nose gear, it sits level and visibility is improved.
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Hey Daniel,
Ther reason for the forward canopy on jets is two-fold. First most jets that are fuselage mounted powerplant have the engine in the rear so to keep the center of gravity close to the center of lift on the wings, they have moved the wings back quite a bit. And there is no room for the canopy and cockpit if the engine is there. The other reason is on military aircraft, the first plane to spot the other has a huge advantage in combat, so they do that for visability.
This only applies to being on the ground.
In addition, a propeller driven tail-dragger experiences a phenomena of what is referred to as P-factor which is asymmetrical thrust caused by the propeller being at a different angle than the direction of travel. On US planes, this would cause planes to try to turn to the left upon the application of throttle to take off. This force remained until enough airspeed was gained for the tail to come up off the ground so the direction of propeller thrust was the same as the direction of travel (within a very minute amount)
Makes perfect sense Jeff.Hey Daniel,
Ther reason for the forward canopy on jets is two-fold. First most jets that are fuselage mounted powerplant have the engine in the rear so to keep the center of gravity close to the center of lift on the wings, they have moved the wings back quite a bit. And there is no room for the canopy and cockpit if the engine is there. The other reason is on military aircraft, the first plane to spot the other has a huge advantage in combat, so they do that for visability.
Hey Daniel,
Ther reason for the forward canopy on jets is two-fold… The other reason is on military aircraft, the first plane to spot the other has a huge advantage in combat, so they do that for visability.
Here is an example of the radar range for a F-14 Tomcat…
So I’m thinking they can detect enemy aircraft (190-230 miles away) far sooner than having a visual! And can fire a guided missile 125 miles away before the enemy even knows they are there, because most foreign aircraft radars were limited to 30-60 miles. I’m not sure of the modern capabilities. But we used to have a big advantage in radar capabilities!
So the location of the cockpit being 10 feet or less forward doesn’t seem to factor into seeing your enemy first, unless I’m missing something?
So I would assume only in a dog fighting situation where machine guns are being used would you truly need the improved visibility.
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Update…
The upper wing and struts are painted and ready for assembly. Once I get that on, I can add rigging and this one will be finished!
The upper wing and struts are painted and ready for assembly. Once I get that on, I can add rigging and this one will be finished!
The coverage on the decals is impressive. Do you have to paint white underneath?
They can detect planes much farther away. However in the last few "events" where there has been plane to plane combat, our leaders have required visual verification.
And radar only points forward on the fighters. Getting a visual also comes into play in working to evade incoming missiles.
Thanks,
No…good decals don’t have transparency, but are thin enough to conform to the surface irregularities. I do use decal set solution to soften the decal and help it look painted on.
Then I always put a clear varnish on top of the entire aircraft, and that helps ensure the decals are not more shiny than the surrounding area.
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Glue up…this is the best way I have found to attach the upper wing with struts…
I use some PVA around the base of the struts for extra hold, and it dries clear!
Then I painted the foot holds on the side of the fuselage to climb in the cockpit…
A preliminary pic with upper wing and struts on…
I use some PVA around the base of the struts for extra hold, and it dries clear!
Then I painted the foot holds on the side of the fuselage to climb in the cockpit…
A preliminary pic with upper wing and struts on…
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I love the unique markings.Glue up…this is the best way I have found to attach the upper wing with struts…
View attachment 564905
I use some PVA around the base of the struts for extra hold, and it dries clear!
Then I painted the foot holds on the side of the fuselage to climb in the cockpit…
View attachment 564911
A preliminary pic with upper wing and struts on…
View attachment 564912
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There is still a huge emphasis on having unrestricted visibility, look at the minimum frames on modern day transparancies (compare F4- with F22 transparencies) and the "look-down" capabilities in fighters like the F35 with their unique helmets. Apparently, the age old adagium "to see is to live" still holds true (especially with a heat seeking missile on your six).
Ah- that explains the odd angled bulged face shield on modern fighter pilots' helmets. Hey Dean, thanks for allowing the design discussions in your build log, it's a fantastic learning experience.