About the prone pilot, it dates back to an idea that was very attractive back in the 1950s for two reasons. First because it would reduce the frontal area and therefore it would've reduced the drag and secondly because the crew can hold greater inertial forces.
As the RAF Institute of aviation medicine required an aircraft that could fly in prone position, Armstrong Whitworth took the last Meteor F.8 they had manufactured and joined that institue in autumn 1954. They carried out all the modifications which consisted on a second cockpit added to the front, with a custom-built couch, an offset tiny control column and suspended rear pedals. The tail was also replaced with one from the NF.12. The prone test pilot had a very complicated emergency escape as he had to jettison the rudder pedals, crawl backwards towards an escape hatch and retract the nose wheel. Fortunately it was never used.
After 55 hours of testing in 99 flights, the results were inconclusive. even if the prone position was feasible, the development of the G-suits offered a much simpler solution to the G-forces and the prone position wasn't needed no more.
The other one is a Meteor that was modified in the 1970s in order to install on it a BAS TSR.2 nose cone under Royal Radar Establishment command, to perform some radar trials. It was active until the 1980s.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor_F8_"Prone_Pilot"
2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 22 - Gloster Meteor
3. http://q-zon-fighterplanes.com/fighter-jets-in-action/fighters-uk/uk-ii/
No comments:
Post a Comment