The devil is hidden in the little details

[IckyATLAS]

When the IA starts from a parked position and taxi to the runway, it leaves the canopy open. If it is closed it will open it and close it just before starting the takeoff roll.

That is nice, but it will do the same also when rain or snow fall at maximum strength, and that is an immersion killer detail.

Please in  rainy or snowy  weather keep the canopy closed. Thanks ? 

Edited April 28, 2020 by IckyATLAS

[Lusekofte]

Kind of remind me of the story when first Hurricanes came to Murmansk. A bunch of RAF aircrew and ground crew joined to train russian pilots and ground crew. 
The RAF pilots went operational for some reason. Not only did they have the canopy open in the rain, but due to the mud they had two ground crew sitting on the tail to prevent it from tipping over. 
The only casualty the squadron had in that period in Russia was two ground crews that the pilot forgot sitting there. 
so they fell off after take off.  
Point is, the visability forward to taildraggers just is awful. They got to peak out on the sides. I am not sure it is not realistic

[56RAF_Roblex]

In many WW2 aircraft it was policy,  rain or shine, to leave the canopy open until you were about to start the take-off run or sometimes until you were off the ground.  Similarly in many aircraft it was policy to open the canopy in the downwind leg before landing.  Mostly it was visibility reasons but sometimes it was for safety reasons.  With the Typhoon you did want the canopy closed when you were starting the engine because it was prone to bursting into flames and you might want to get out quick (plus you need to communicate with the ground crew)   They did not only open it when they wanted a tan.   ?

Edited April 28, 2020 by 56RAF_Roblex

[Lusekofte]

14 minutes ago, 56RAF_Roblex said:

Typhoon you did want the canopy closed when you were starting the engine because it was prone to bursting into flames

This was because of priming it too much before starting. Was it not?

[56RAF_Roblex]

5 minutes ago, 216th_LuseKofte said:

This was because of priming it too much before starting. Was it not?

 

Yes but it took time to learn exactly how much was too much and how much was too little so there was normally someone standing there with an extinguisher at startup.  Sometimes it looked bad but it burned off and there was no problem.

[IckyATLAS]

It seems that after all it may be realistic to have a canopy open under little rain or snow conditions. 

If it is too rainy or snowy anyway you should not fly.

 

[Lusekofte]

4 minutes ago, IckyATLAS said:

It seems that after all it may be realistic to have a canopy open under little rain or snow conditions. 

If it is too rainy or snowy anyway you should not fly.

 

I think this is the reality I think we are in

[Stoopy]

Being a fair-weather flyer by choice, I only experienced this for the first time a few weeks ago in one of  @Jade_Monkey's missions with the La-5, where you take off in light snow and low overcast to intercept 2 Ju-52 flights (great mission). 

 

For me, seeing snow waft down into the open cockpit during engine start and taxi just added to the immersion.  I needed to peek out and see around the nose (to the point above) but it also made me feel more like the steely-nerved hardcore Russian fighter pilot that the mission called for... not phased by the elements and knowing a little vodka will take care of any chill once I return to the field after the mission...   ?

 

 

[JimTM]

5 hours ago, 56RAF_Roblex said:

In many WW2 aircraft it was policy,  rain or shine, to leave the canopy open until you were about to start the take-off run or sometimes until you were off the ground.  Similarly in many aircraft it was policy to open the canopy in the downwind leg before landing.  Mostly it was visibility reasons but sometimes it was for safety reasons.  With the Typhoon you did want the canopy closed when you were starting the engine because it was prone to bursting into flames and you might want to get out quick (plus you need to communicate with the ground crew)   They did not only open it when they wanted a tan.   ?

 

I think another safety reason was to avoid the canopy jamming closed in the event of a crash.

 

Does anyone know if leaving the canopy open was common for the bubble-top aircraft like the P-51 D? I saw a clip once of a P-51 landing with the canopy open.

[Gambit21]

56 minutes ago, JimTM said:

 

Does anyone know if leaving the canopy open was common for the bubble-top aircraft like the P-51 D? I saw a clip once of a P-51 landing with the canopy open.

 

That would be unusual for sure - at least I think so.

[Lusekofte]

2 hours ago, JimTM said:

Does anyone know if leaving the canopy open was common for the bubble-top aircraft like the P-51 D? I saw a clip once of a P-51 landing with the canopy open.

Carrier based aircraft had a doctrine of open canopy when take off and landing. No such on Land based aircraft.

I know the Spitfire canopy was feared by its pilots of being stuck, leaving it open and have a crash landing would surely slam it shut rendering it to be more likely stuck. P 51 boubletop had the canopy opening on a swivel , I am not sure that patent would hold in a violent stop. But I guess it did happened 

[Reggie_Mental]

8 hours ago, 56RAF_Roblex said:

In many WW2 aircraft it was policy,  rain or shine, to leave the canopy open until you were about to start the take-off run or sometimes until you were off the ground.  Similarly in many aircraft it was policy to open the canopy in the downwind leg before landing.  Mostly it was visibility reasons but sometimes it was for safety reasons.  With the Typhoon you did want the canopy closed when you were starting the engine because it was prone to bursting into flames and you might want to get out quick (plus you need to communicate with the ground crew)   They did not only open it when they wanted a tan.   ?

And something about carbon monoxide build up in the cockpit with the engine running on the ground too IIRC 

[LukeFF]

21 minutes ago, Reggie_Mental said:

And something about carbon monoxide build up in the cockpit with the engine running on the ground too IIRC 

 

Yep, and that CO was such a problem that pilots would wear their oxygen masks throughout the entire sortie.

[spitfirejoe]

I just read the original Pilots Manual for the P-47D and it was an official procedure to do EVERY take off and Landing with a fully opened canopy.

[Lusekofte]

24 minutes ago, spitfirejoe said:

I just read the original Pilots Manual for the P-47D and it was an official procedure to do EVERY take off and Landing with a fully opened canopy.

Thanks for clarifying that 

 

[Jaegermeister]

P-51 manual says your canopy will blow off if you take off with it unlocked.

 

 

Its a K model manual so it’s possible it was different for the D models

 

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Jaegermeister

[IckyATLAS]

We see from the posts above that the open or closed canopy will depend on either aircraft manual related instructions or sometimes operational guidelines.

This means that to be realistic each AI plane should have a specific procedure.

This implementation is probably too much to ask to the devs. On the other hands all these details make the difference.

[Rjel]

This page came from the 1945 manual for both the D and the K. It appears they were identical.

 

[Jaegermeister]

6 hours ago, Rjel said:

This page came from the 1945 manual for both the D and the K. It appears they were identical.

 

Yes, correct but after thinking about it, you can lock the canopy in various positions, open or closed. It just says it has to be locked to take off. Maybe you can take off with it open, but would it blow off in the slipstream when you tried to close it? 

[blitze]

Talking of G14 and canopy blow offs -

 

I took off on a Ground Attacker Intercept mission in my G14 and fumbling around with my HOTAS combinations to put the sight away, I released the canopy instead which then blew off.  As I was half way to action point on the map I thought stuff it - I continue on with the mission anyway.  I was treated an a V12 and radial audio symphony as I intercepted Spit IX's and RAF P47's Attackers near the front lines. 

 

It was so much fun to hear the planes as you engaged them in combat.  Quite a treat and managed to get back to base on fuel fumes.  Much fun.?

[danielprates]

On 4/28/2020 at 5:01 PM, LukeFF said:

 

Yep, and that CO was such a problem that pilots would wear their oxygen masks throughout the entire sortie.

 

That is what killed Hans Joachin Marseille iirc. His cockpit flooded with carbon monoxide during flight and he breathed it. His wingmen noticed incoheret talk over the radio and understood what was going on but were unable to help him.