some questions only for pilots(real,not keyboard pilots)

[ynmian]

Excellent question YNMIAN, which is even more true in case of the new fangled Helmet Mounted Sights !
I hope someone answers these questions

U mean helmet mounted thing will put more double vision problem or it will solve this issue?

 

[John Doe]

U mean helmet mounted thing will put more double vision problem or it will solve this issue?

I don't know, thats why I hope that someone will answer your question!
Thanks,
JD

 

[ynmian]

hey JD see this (my other post) carefully

http://www.f-16.net/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&p=189321#189321

What I understood is that HUD lenses throw hud readings in such a way that they are focused from your eyes infinity point (infinity point means after few meters your eyes auto focus). so hud readings are focused to that. so when u see outside the hud, readings are symbols focused. if u see hud "glass" itself, u will see double image.

 

[Chogy]

I missed some questions... happy to answer them.

Chogy i have a few questions if your kind enough to address them

Your F-15 cockpit, exactly what altitude does it pressurize to ? And does it hold that even at 60-65,000 feet or does it change ? Also does your oxygen mask come into play at all for higher altitudes or is it more for safety/communication. (You have to keep it on at all times right ?)

Each jet has a different pressurization schedule. Commercial aircraft will have a cabin altitude of maybe 8,000 feet (2400 meters) while at cruise. Fighters are a bit different. Cabin altitude is obviously lower than the outside air, but it goes up as you climb. Most of the time it is less than 10,000 feet, but if you get very high, it can be > 10,000 feet. The oxygen mask is worn for two reasons - it allows you to communicate, and in case of battle damage (and lost pressurization) it immediately delivers oxygen, because around 40,000', your time of consciousness is only about 8 seconds.

We were not allowed to exceed 50,000' in peace-time, because if you lose pressure, it can kill you. You get the bends, bubbles in your blood and tissue. At 65,000'+, without at least a partial pressure suit, death is almost guaranteed, which is why you see SR-71 and U-2 guys in space suits. In war, you do what you have to, and simply hope the pressurization works properly.

On the HUD: The image is focused at infinity. It is really almost like magic, and hard to describe. Basically, if you focus your eyes on the bracket that holds the HUD combining glass, the green imagery is totally blurred. If you look through the glass, and let your eyes relax on a distant object, the green symbology snaps into focus. And as you move your head, the green remains overlaid on objects at infinity. So if you have a target designator box around an aircraft way out there, the box stays around him.

It's really a very cool technology, and I'm not sure how they do it, but it works very well. In every way, it is as if the HUD imagery is simply floating in the air in front of your face.

 

[ynmian]

"with your permission JD" let me ruin your thread

That is a great pic, both hands can be seen, i never saw a wide pic like this, see how comfortably he is sitting, due to side stick. I always feel that center stick drivers lean forward and are uncomfortable.

may be if the stick is really between their legs and close to nuts then I think they no need to lean forward. what do you "real" pilots say?

click on pic to see his hand, for full screen picture click again on image site.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

"with your permission JD" let me ruin your thread

That is a great pic, both hands can be seen, i never saw a wide pic like this, see how comfortably he is sitting, due to side stick. I always feel that center stick drivers lean forward and are uncomfortable.

may be if the stick is really between their legs and close to nuts then I think they no need to lean forward. what do you "real" pilots say?

click on pic to see his hand, for full screen picture click again on image site.

i am no pilot, keyboard or otherwise; but the F-16 has (reputedly) one of the finest pilot seating positions in present-day fighter aircraft, where the seat is inclined slightly towards the rear than others, combined with a relatively higher eye-point and a beautiful bubble canopy; its a pilot's delight. That was in the words of an IAF pilot who evaluated the aircraft. Guys like Chogy can validate it for us. Maybe he can clarify the stick and "nuts" bit too.

 

[ynmian]

Capt.Popeye
I also want to prove the same as u said that's why I posted this.

I am proud that PAF has this toy.

 

[John Doe]

He does look REAL comfortable, methinks What a terrific view too,no?

 

[Capt.Popeye]

He does look REAL comfortable, methinks What a terrific view too,no?

Indeed it is, and that helps. Its part of the man-machine interface. And it is one of the factors (among others) that decides how good an aircraft is.

 

[ynmian]

He does look REAL comfortable, methinks What a terrific view too,no?

yeah great view, the interesting thing is that i have never seen a pic like this of a viper pilot with both hands seen. I always wanted to see that kind of pic to see how both arm are placed in a viper.

and if u ever see a video like this on you tube, you will notice that none his arm is moving specially the stick holding arm.

I will try to get same pic for a center stick plane.

 

[Chogy]

Side stick or center stick is fine. The original reason for the recline is to increase G-tolerance for the F-16 drivers, but those that have flown both tend to actually dislike the recline. It really doesn't help with the G, and to do a quality visual search, they have to first hunch forward, and then rotate the torso, not the most comfortable thing under a high G load.

The F-16 probably has the best visibility of any jet ever made. But all modern fighters are excellent. A tall sitting height adds drag to the airframe in the form of a tall canopy, but the aid in visual lookout is important. You sit so high in these jets that it feels like you are on a flying carpet, vs. older jets like the MiG-21 or F-4, which had terrible visibility.

Note the MiG-21: You can only see his head. Aircraft bulkheads to the side and especially rear dramatically limit vision.

On the F-16, the fuselage rail is halfway down his bicep:

A quality visual lookout is very important and often overlooked behind radar and weapons. It is also one of the hardest tasks when flying in combat.

 

[ynmian]

thanks chogy...still that answer is pending that whether the centerstick pilot has to lean forward to grab the stick or it is nicely accessible (close to where legs meet, nuts i mean ) because center stick MOVES significantly and in order to move stick full forward, may be the pilot has to lean more.....just my thought....but u r the best to answer

 

[John Doe]

I've read somewhere that Russian origin jets like the Migs and the Chinese knockoffs all make their pilots hold the stick in somewhat high grip.

Also did you know about the special greenish color that Russian cockpits are painted in? Their research indicates apparently that this is the ideal color for pilot performance.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

great analysis, as always --Chogy

 

[boris]

i have two friends one in the IAF sukhoi pilot based in the western sector and one in the candian air force as a F18 pilot.

in IAF sukhoi sorties can go upto 10 hours ,once i did hear that in one particular 10 hour mission the pilots wore adult diapers(yes they did) for you know what.

breitling watches were popularised by john travolta especially the aerospace range worn in the movie broken arrow,my canadian air force friend does have a breitling which he bought from the air force store there.aviators have become sort of a trademark for fighter pilots.

for the TS if you are thinking of being a fighter pilot from experiences of both it is amongst the hardest jobs in the armed forces i have tried a simulator and whether its ACM(air-air ,dogfighting) or air-ground bombing they are both hard and require constant practise to master.not to mention the g-force which is at a good level in the beginning can make you puke.

in other areas of the military specially SF units like the SEALS they wear MTM watches.