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F-15 and older fighters had rear view mirrors on the canopy bows, the F-16 and the F-22 do not, will they be missed or is it a situation where they seemed like a better idea than they really were?

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The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

They work very well for seeing if the Backseater is Sleeping, Eating a Booger, or Changing lanes (kidding)

It is not by any means a BFM Tool. IF you need to Clear the Rear Quarters you Place Your palm on the Glare Shield and look around the Seat. Only Eyeballs "Padlocked" works in a 3d Enviroment.

Jets can over take and manuever so fast, That you really dont see anyone back there. unles their Dragging Trail in formation.. IN a Circle Fight, You wont either as they are radial out of view.

It is nothing more than something to Injury you with if you punch out. Most new modern era USAF fighter elliviated them. (kind of a McDonnel Tool more than anything.)

The Navy does have a specific requirement, Becasue of Multi Layerd Marshal Stack and it is used as a Refernce tool when Anchoring /Marshalling on a Radial and having a Few Hundred Feet Alt Seperation in the pattern. Personally I dont want to see any cockpit structure, I need to beable to Catch that Dot that is giving me an Aspect change. With a 800Knot Closure, a 3 sec gap of time is a great deal of manuever envelope lost to anticipate. until within the WVR/ Turn Fight.

"RickUSN-

That was intelligent and useful Mudd.

But it certainly is what Ive come to expect.

Mindless babbling with no intent to either enlighten or inform.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>It is not by any means a BFM Tool. IF you need to Clear the Rear Quarters you Place Your palm on the Glare Shield and look around the Seat. Only Eyeballs "Padlocked" works in a 3d Enviroment.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

The F-22 has these handles on the canopy (we call them the towel racks) that the pilots can use to pull themselves around to look past the seat.

THE RAMPTOR ENGINEERING TEAM <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
"Who cares if it works? Does it look good on the ramp?"

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????

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>It is not by any means a BFM Tool. IF you need to Clear the Rear Quarters you Place Your palm on the Glare Shield and look around the Seat. Only Eyeballs "Padlocked" works in a 3d Enviroment.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

The F-22 has these handles on the canopy (we call them the towel racks) that the pilots can use to pull themselves around to look past the seat.

THE RAMPTOR ENGINEERING TEAM <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>
"Who cares if it works? Does it look good on the ramp?"
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

Ive Broken Mirrors Doing the Very same thing.

I had proposed a Solid bar that parallels the Radius of the Canopy with Spheres Concentric to it as Grip Locators spaced evenly Every 5 Inches, In this Way You Can get More Leverage At the same time the Low/High seat flyers can psition accordingly.

The Less Clutter the Better IMHO. After Punching out twice, Ive gotten Quite Religous on a Tight Harness, The F15 Seat For Example is More Verticle and Really Requires you like Per say the F4 Did to Get out of the Seat So to speak and Loook around it. The 16 is the Easiest...Until you drop something....The Vice Wing King doesnt Like to see His 4 Ship Formation with "Knucklehead" Inverted picking Up Grease Pens off the canopy. <img src=icon_smile_blush.gif border=0 align=middle>

"RickUSN-

That was intelligent and useful Mudd.

But it certainly is what Ive come to expect.

Mindless babbling with no intent to either enlighten or inform.

Edited by - mrmudd on Feb 14 2005 09:13 AM