Offset cockpit on aircraft

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edwest4

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I was looking at a plan for an aircraft code named FISH where the cockpit was placed to the left of the center line. What was the reasoning behind this and at least one other example I know of that dates back to World War II?




Ed
 
edwest said:
I was looking at a plan for an aircraft code named FISH where the cockpit was placed to the left of the center line. What was the reasoning behind this and at least one other example I know of that dates back to World War II?
Ed
Click to expand...

Convair Super Hustler/Fish/Kingfish topic

I believe the reasoning is for a better view while flying the base leg for landing and it at least gives a good view to one side to see relative height to the ground and below. Also, on aircraft like the Canberra, the version with the fighter style canopy, keeping the other crewmen in the fuselage allowed the pilot a better view.
 
Hi!

edwest said:
What was the reasoning behind this and at least one other example I know of that dates back to World War II?
Click to expand...

I think main reason is enhanced field of pilot's view on take-off and landing, as well as in all situations, when the nose of aircrafrt is raised agins line of sight.

There were at least two examples, which I remember at the moment: Soviet Yermolaev Yer-2 bomber ща WW II (http://airwar.ru/enc/bww2/er2.html) and British DH Sea Vixen fighter.
Heinkel He-111 cockpit has been remarkably assymetrical, rather not so radical.
 
Of course, there's the double offset cockpit in the XB-42 and XB-43.

Source - that old U.S. Bombers book from Aero Publishers.
 

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The Artist said:
Of course, there's the double offset cockpit in the XB-42 and XB-43.

Source - that old U.S. Bombers book from Aero Publishers.
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Almost quoted that one myself but then wondered if that could qualify. I guess it does... In that case, there is also the C-74 Cargomaster transport:

C-74.jpg
 
My two cents about that: the De Havilland Sea Vixen.
 
The very first jet Soviet flying boat, the Beriev R-1 (first flight at May 30, 1952) also had a cockpit slightly offset to the left:
http://www.airwar.ru/enc/sea/r1.html

The French WW2 bomber Amiot 351 in prototype form (Amiot 351-01) also featured with an offset cockpit, although production version had "normal" symmetrical cockpit.
 

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Of course the cockpit of Northrop flying wing bombers was also offset.
 

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redstar72 said:
The very first Soviet flying boat, the Beriev R-1
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Of course, I assume you meant the very first JET Soviet flying boat...
(the very first flying boats being the Curtiss models F and K...)
 
Stargazer2006 said:
Of course, I assume you meant the very first JET Soviet flying boat...
(the very first flying boats being the Curtiss models F and K...)
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Oops... Thank you Stephane! It's sometimes difficult to me to write in English, I'm worry how to build the phrases correctly... and this is a result. Of course, I meant the first jet flying boat.

Now it is corrected.
 
An unusual little aircraft from Poland - the MN-3. It was built in 1928 after design by Jozef Medwecki and Zygmunt Nowakowski. This aircraft had only 45-hp Anzani engine, but could carry 4 persons. And you can see its cockpit layout ;) .

In 1933, MN-3 was rebuilt into MN-4: the Anzani was replaced by 85-hp Cirrus, but two front cabins were abandoned and the aircraft became 2-seat... but still asymmetrical. It was used by the Gdansk aeroclub until the Nazi invasion to Poland.

(Source: A. Glass. Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939. - Warszawa, 1976).
 

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I'd love to see a thread dealing with the XB-35, YB-49 and YRB-49A.
 
Isn't there one already? Then why don't you just START it?
 
We forgot the Zubr! Probably the ugliest bomber in history (surely one of them). the Polish PZL-30 / LWS-4 Zubr also had an offset cockpit.
 

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Found another one... but can't identify it! :-\

redstar72, are you around? It's Russian, so I'm sure you can help us out! ;)

c1.jpg
 
Thanks my friend! I knew I'd asked the right person!
 
Yermolayev Yer-2...

http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/jer-2.php


cheers,
Robin.
 
Another reason, why early jet bombers and Radar/night fighters had an offset pilot canopy, is that the radar operator/navigator/bomb-aimer needed total darkness to read the radar screen.

Messerschmitt Me P.1100/I
The first Messerschmitt Me P.1100 /I had a small canopy offset to the port side enclosing the pilot, with the navigator/bomb-aimer seated inside the fuselage nose.
Click to expand...
 
I think part of the reason that the FISH cockpit was offset was to make room for the large mounting pylon down the centerline.
 
SOC said:
I think part of the reason that the FISH cockpit was offset was to make room for the large mounting pylon down the centerline.
Click to expand...

Oh, good point, I missed that.
 

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