Look Up! Chinese Spy Balloon overhead

[motorcarman]

Looks like the season just opened?

 

[General Zod]

For perspective, the canopy rails on the F-22 are much lower than on other fighters, relative to the pilot’s seated height. It’s hard to tell that from most of the public photos, but I remember a USAF F-22 two patcher talking about it at Eglin. He said that was actually a big deal: instead of just being able to looking out the canopy, you could essentially look out and down the side of the aircraft which really changed some things in the visual fight.

I'd say the winner in that area has to be the F-16. From inside the cockpit you can't really even see the airplane unless you look behind you, and the canopy is shaped so the pilot can lean over and look down quite easily. The Raptor looks to have excellent visibility, but I'm not sure any fighter can come close to the view from a Viper.

Full disclosure, I've sat in the cockpit of an F-16, but not an F-22...and I have no doubt the F-22 pilot has much more in the way of overall situational awareness considering the sheer amount of information available to him.

 

[toddnjoyce]

I'd say the winner in that area has to be the F-16.

Concur.

The audience was a bunch of of Eagle drivers who thought the 33d was going to get the Raptor. I left there in May of 2001 if that gives you a better idea of the context. I don’t think it was Steve Rainey who spoke, I think it was the CTF commander.

 

[Renegade]

Concur.

Which makes the F-35 [lack of] rear view even more puzzling.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Which makes the F-35 [lack of] rear view even more puzzling.

Cameras provide that capability in the helmet.

 

[Renegade]

Cameras provide that capability in the helmet.

Forgot it has Super-Duper Hi-Tech helmet and can do 360 view

 

[General Zod]

Which makes the F-35 [lack of] rear view even more puzzling.

Well, if they ever get the helmet vision system working, the pilot is supposed to be able to see through the aircraft in any direction. So theoretically even the hump-backed C model will still have unobstructed vision.

 

[General Zod]

And that's what I get for not refreshing after I step away for a bit.

 

[toddnjoyce]

Well, if they ever get the helmet vision system working, the pilot is supposed to be able to see through the aircraft in any direction. So theoretically even the hump-backed C model will still have unobstructed vision.

The last technical problem I saw with that was only during very low illum conditions.

 

[General Zod]

The last technical problem I saw with that was only during very low illum conditions.

I can't remember the last update I read on it, I just remember I haven't seen any articles titled "At Last! The F-35's Super Visibility Helmet Is Fully Operational!" yet. Ambitious technology, and the fighter's not 'crippled' by any means with its current capability, but eventually I hope they get the last bugs fixed.