Aircraft pilot position that is lying down instead of sitting
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A prone pilot lies on their stomach rather than seated in a normal upright or reclining position.
During the 1930s, glider designer Reimar Horten began developing a prone position for his flying wing gliders. However it proved uncomfortable and he later settled on a semi-prone arrangement with the knees somewhat lowered.
During World War II it was suggested that a pilot in the prone position might be more effective in some kinds of high-speed aircraft, because it would permit the pilot to withstand a greater g-force in the upward and downward direction with respect to the plane. The fuselage could also be made shallower and therefore have reduced weight and drag. Many speculative designs of the late-war and early postwar periods featured this arrangement, and several prototypes were built or converted to test the idea. However testing revealed difficulties in maintaining a head-up attitude to see forward and in operating some controls. These problems outweighed the advantages and the position was never adopted for high-speed flight.
Many modern hang gliders, developed since the 1960s, typically offer a prone pilot position during flight, with the pilot lowering their legs and standing upright only when taking off or landing.
A pronepilot lies on their stomach rather than seated in a normal upright or reclining position. During the 1930s, glider designer Reimar Horten began...
around the range to display the wind conditions. The prone position is also used to describe the way pilots and other crew may be positioned in an aircraft;...
1954, a specially adapted Meteor F.8, the "Meteor PronePilot", which placed the pilot into a prone position to counteract inertial forces, took its first...
pronepilot, but this was primarily to reduce drag in this high-performance glider, while the DFS 228 reconnaissance glider also used a pronepilot to...
vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs were originally developed through the...
Sud-Ouest Triton – First French jet aircraft Akaflieg Berlin B 9 1943. – Pronepilot Albatros L.81 – Elektron metal structure testbed AVA AF 1 – Augumented...
gliders, the pilot flew lying on his stomach on the lower wing with his head toward the front of the craft in an effort to reduce drag. The pilot was left...
the centre of gravity being too far forward, they moved the engine and pilot position back, but this made matters worse. The machine would undulate unless...
in the 1940s. It was designed to examine the benefits of having a pilot in a prone position. The aircraft was flown in 1943, but was eventually abandoned...
dependable, flying reliably for significant durations, and bringing its pilot back to the starting point safely, and landing without damage. On October...
domestically-built jet aircraft to fly in Yugoslavia, on 25 October 1952. To research pronepilot cockpit arrangements and controls, the Government Aircraft Factories...
December 2023. "IAF's Hawk aircraft crashes at Kalaikunda airbase in Bengal; pilots eject safely". Hindustan Times. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February...
capsule for the pilot. Because of problems with the cabin pressurization system, the second prototype accommodated the pilot in a prone position. Forty...
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