Fighter Plane Cockpits

Fighter cockpits are different from other aircraft cockpits. There is only enough room in a fighter’s nose for one seat for one pilot. If a second crewmember is needed, perhaps to operate the weapons systems, he or she sits behind the pilot.

The cockpit has a bubble canopy to give the fighter pilot a good all-around view. The pilot sits in an ejection seat. If the plane is about to crash, the pilot fires a rocket under the seat, which blasts it clear of the plane. The pilot then lands safely by parachute.

There is no control yoke in a fighter’s cockpit. The pilot steers by means of a control stick, or joystick. Moving the joystick to one side makes the plane roll

О Information from the Head-Up Display (HUD) is super­imposed in the pilot’s field of view in the cockpit of an F/A-18C Hornet fighter plane as it prepares for takeoff. Four other Hornets are lined up on the runway in front of the plane.

to that side. Pushing it for­ward makes the plane dive, and pulling it back makes the plane climb.

A fighter pilot does not always have time to look down at the instruments or to let go of the joystick or throttle to operate other controls. The cockpit is designed to solve both of these problems. A Head-Up Display, or HUD, projects important information onto a glass plate right at eye level so the pilot can keep looking ahead. The information seems to float in midair. Some HUDs are even built into the pilot’s helmet.

The pilot does not have to let go of the flight controls, because the buttons and switches that control the cockpit displays and other systems are all on the throttle and joystick. This is called Hands On Throttle-and-Stick (HOTAS).

HUDs and HOTAS are now built into some cars. A handful of cars project the car’s speed onto the windshield so the driver can see it without looking down at the instruments. Some racecars have buttons and switches for the most important systems built into the steering wheel, so the driver does not have to let go of the wheel to operate them.

Helicopters

Helicopters can fly up, down, sideways, and even backward as well as forward, so the pilot needs a good view all around the aircraft. Helicopter cockpits must therefore have large windows.

Helicopter cockpits have four main controls. They are: cyclic pitch control, rudder pedals, collective pitch control, and throttle. The cyclic pitch control is a joystick that steers the helicopter. The rudder pedals turn the aircraft to point in the right direction. The throttle con­trol is a twisting device on the collective pitch lever. Twisting the throttle control increases the engine speed, and raising the collective pitch control lever makes the helicopter rise into the air.

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SEE ALSO:

• Altitude • Control System

• Fighter Plane • Helicopter • Pilot

• Space Shuttle

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