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  • Please see the most recent updates in the "Where did the .com name go?" thread. Posts number 16 and 17.

    Post 16 Update

    Post 17 Warning

F8F wip shots

MudMarine said:
It appears to me he has the seat raised, he's sitting on something. Because if he's not, he's going to have a sore neck and a bruise on his head when he closes the canopy.

Wish we could get past this, it's been said over and over..........I'm sure Deano gets it at this point. It's like kicking a dead horse and yelling at it to get up!
Click to expand...

It does look like these pilots are sitting higher than they normally would be when flying. Maybe it was posturing for the camera shot. If you look at the pic with the French guy in it, you can plainly see that the top of his head is actually higher than the top of the canopy bubble at it's highest point. He would have to lower himself a good 2-3 inches to be able to fly without constantly hitting his head on the canopy.
 
They elevate the seats as high as possible to look over the nose. They have to duck their heads when the canopy closes.
 
Helldiver said:
They elevate the seats as high as possible to look over the nose. They have to duck their heads when the canopy closes.
Click to expand...

That would make perfect sense when taxiing a taildragger, but once you're airborne the seat would most likely be lowered.

As an example, when we do CAT II approach's we have to move our seats forward and up to align with the CAT II guide bars that are built into the center post between the two windshields. This is for the sole purpose of looking over the nose in extreme low-vis conditions...you couldn't fly like this normally because it's such an awkward position.
 
That's my point. Makes the pilot "appear" larger than he actually maybe. The one photo, no matter if he ducks, it looks like his head would still be banging off the canopy. I can't imagine that would be comfortable. The pilots head must have felt like a ping pong ball!
 
Bone said:
As an example, when we do CAT II approach's we have to move our seats forward and up to align with the CAT II guide bars that are built into the center post between the two windshields. This is for the sole purpose of looking over the nose in extreme low-vis conditions...you couldn't fly like this normally because it's such an awkward position.
Click to expand...

The C-17 has a 'crystal ball' mounted on the center pillar to align the pilot's eyes with the HUD. Nothing more than a clear, plexi globe with a ring on one side and a dot on the other. Center the dot in the ring and you're golden....
 
I haven't the foggiest idea what a "CAT II" is but I do know that in Navy aircraft in WWII they kept the seat high just so they could spot the Japs. No hiding under the instrument panel for Navy pilots.

View attachment 13297
 
seat jacks where common on all Grumman fighters...for carrier approaches and taxiing....

the pilot could quickly raise the seat a few inches by use of a lever - my understanding is that it had 2 positions - 'raised' - and 'lowered'

All Grumman fighters where known for 2 things primarily - strength (iron works) and ergonomics.

a word Roy Grumman didn't use or even know about - but at his direction - his planes all had roomy cockpits with easy controls that were laid to hand in the most coordinated and comfortable way by design.

should the pilot appear to be rattling around in the 'pit like a bean in a coffee can? No

but neither should he be crammed into the pit - touching the glass simultaneously with his face, shoulders and back.

Photo's are helpful if you know the exact dimensions of the pilot maybe...but pilots in the WWII came in all sizes and if you have a picture of a 6'4 250lb pilot in one Bearcat and another with a picture of Barney Fife in the cockpit...well you get the picture
 
may I now say that I love the look of this Bearcat model!

Grumman built a Navy Gunfighter to burn the barn down with this aircraft.

Salute to the modeling team and the beautiful subject they are recreating for FSX
 
Just an observation from seeing Bruce's latest shot (paint rocks, btw!!!)

I don't know if it's a texture mapping issue or what ... but compared to Mirage's great real world shots, the bare metal exhaust plate seems a bit out of proportion. The length seems bang on, but the height of the real one looks greater than the the one as seen in Bruce's last side-view. The height seems to be good as far as aligning with the exhaust stacks, so the only thing I can think of is that the exhaust stacks are a bit small? Don't know. I'm just observing the exhaust plate seems to come up higher up the forward fuselage.

Again, could be angles on the real photo, don't know. Just a tiny observation - looking great, though!!

dl
 
No U.S. Navy aircraft ever sported a stainless steel exhaust plate. That's something that civilian operators put on. They apparently don't have the crew to clean off the exhaust soot or to clean the oil off the belly.
 
we have some screen updates inbound on our forums tonight for those that are interested.

and a couple of specials :)
 
a teaser will be shown here and the others will be directly on our forums.

I see your all (4) are waiting patiently.. shes a coming..
 
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