daveymac82c wrote:
That is a really interesting field modification.
It doesn't look like there was much leg room up front, there.
Thanks for posting that picture. It's very cool.
-David
David,
That is what I thought.
So I managed to persuade my good friend Steve Vizard at Airframe Assemblies to mock it up on a new build fuselage to study the ergonomics.
Clearly the top fuel tank would have to go, but the cross stays at the datum longeron would have to remain to stop the firewall lozenging...so perhaps just a platform on top of the braces or maybe a cut down Spitfire seat bucket. If no seat, some diaphragm would be needed to keep the passengers back away from the instruments.
It quickly became apparent that with this arrangement the passengers knees would be adjacent to their ears, so further erosion of the primary fuel would be required and I estimate about a third would have to go to accommodate the lower legs with feet resting on the main carry through spar.
Additional secondary fuel would be needed in either the occasional rear tank, normally a C of G no-no, an external belly tank or dedicated custom tanks in the armament bays.
Even for our model, a slight female aeronautical engineering graduate, there was precious little room.
Just a bit of fun.
PeterA
