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A major problem with high performance jet fighter aircraft is that they have human pilots. The performance envelop of the plane is limited by what the pilot can tolerate in G forces.
I propose a new cockpit design based on a hamster ball. This cockpit would be affixed to an aircraft on a set of
computer controlled gimbles. As the air craft maneuvers the ball would be positioned in the position that allows for maximum pilot survivability during advanced maneuvers.
It has been shown that humans can survive up to 50 Gs in a reverse facing position. Compared to only 6 or 7 Gs in an upright position.
This cockpit would maintain the optimal position for the maneuver in question. The pilots viewpoint would be handled by a virtual reality display system built into the pilots helmet and slaved to a remote camera in the nose of the plane(already in use in helicopters gun ships) allowing visibility regardless of the cockpit orientation.
As dogfights com down to who can turn the tightest this would only need to afford a 1 or 2 G increase in a turn to make a big difference.
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What if the pilot was not in the plane at all, but in a second aircraft, with the controls slaved? Then the fighter could pull all sorts of stunts, without any G forces affecting the pilot. |
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(I know remote controlled fighters already exist, but I think they all involve the pilot being very remote indeed, not tagging along in a separate, more sedate craft.) |
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I suspect this would create a serious
situatuional awareness issue. Pilots
depend heavily on the feel of a plane
when banking, climbing or diving. The
g-force from each strongly indicates
how much motion is happening. A pilot
that goes into a steep dive, and feels
like they are climbing (even with visual
cues saying otherwise) runs a very high
risk of diving to low. Not a huge
problem at 10,000 ft, but a significant
issue at 1000. |
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no more so than any of the remote pilot options that exist. I think with proper training a pilot could readily adapt to such a system. I think a key would be that the system must behave in a very consistent way so the pilot can learn the feel of the aircraft in all situations. |
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almost all high-g maneuvers are upwards (in the aircraft's coordinate system). Thats because the main force causing all those g's is lift, provided by wings that are fixed relative to the rest of the aircraft. |
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so you can simplify it by letting the pilot lie on his back. |
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anyway, they'll probably not develop any new manned fighters anymore now that UCAV's are so close to being realized. |
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//wouldn't this need to be spherical// |
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I dont think so, a cylinder seems like it
would work just as well, the majority of
the g's taken by pilots are perpendicular
to the plane, not parallel to it. Rotate in
a cylinder about the tail-noze axis of
the plane, and you're covered. Since it
relies on VR to see, it neednt be visible
from the outside so the plane could be
more aerodynamic. |
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