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From: sxdjt@acad3.fai.alaska.edu (TABOR DEAN J)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Piece of Cake
Message-ID: <1990Jul27.015438.21870@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 27 Jul 90 01:54:38 GMT
References: <1990Jul23.201417.4825@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Lines: 24
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: sxdjt@acad3.fai.alaska.edu (TABOR DEAN J)
In article <1990Jul23.201417.4825@cbnews.att.com>, al.weaver@rose.uucp writes...
>%used by the pilots in the show.  Before takeoff or landing, they
>%always open the canopy.  What is the reason for this?  Is it to
>%facilitate escape/rescue in case of emergency?
> 
>I'm  not  a  pilot,  but I believe that since the cockpit was set fairly far
>back on the Spitfire, the canopy was opened  on  takeoffs  and  landings  in
>order  for  the  pilot  to  look over the side to see where (s)he was on the
>runway.  Spitfires didn't have nosewheels, and the nose  had  to  be  up  on
>takeoffs and landing.


The reason why most canopies are opened on takeoff and landing is not mainly to
facilitate visibility (but it doesn't hurt any), it is done to allow a quick
egress in times of distress (ie; imminent crash).

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|Dean J. Tabor       | University of Alaska Computer Network - Operations   |
|SXDJT@ALASKA.bitnet | Fairbanks, Alaska USA  (no, I don't live in an igloo)|
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