Why fly only seated?

I want to ask you folks a question: why isn't there a glider where
the pilot flies face-down? The Wrights did it, the Horten (?) wing,
and hang gliders are about the only thing you can fly facing the
earth. I don't see why a sailplane couldn't be flown that way, but no
designers appear to even consider the possibility. Ideas?

GillCouto.com

breaking my neck trying to look up?? the hang gliders have wing above their
heads and can't see up...

BT

"Gill Couto" wrote in message
news:gusHb.24528$J77.3186@fed1read07...
I want to ask you folks a question: why isn't there a glider where
the pilot flies face-down? The Wrights did it, the Horten (?) wing,
and hang gliders are about the only thing you can fly facing the
earth. I don't see why a sailplane couldn't be flown that way, but no
designers appear to even consider the possibility. Ideas?

GillCouto.com

maybe because the Wrights didn't fly for hours at a time, and only had to
hold their heads up for a matter of minutes?

"Gill Couto" wrote in message
news:gusHb.24528$J77.3186@fed1read07...
I want to ask you folks a question: why isn't there a glider where
the pilot flies face-down? The Wrights did it, the Horten (?) wing,
and hang gliders are about the only thing you can fly facing the
earth. I don't see why a sailplane couldn't be flown that way, but no
designers appear to even consider the possibility. Ideas?

GillCouto.com

Gill Couto wrote in message news:gusHb.24528$J77.3186@fed1read07...
I want to ask you folks a question: why isn't there a glider where
the pilot flies face-down? The Wrights did it, the Horten (?) wing,
and hang gliders are about the only thing you can fly facing the
earth. I don't see why a sailplane couldn't be flown that way, but no
designers appear to even consider the possibility. Ideas?

GillCouto.com


Comfort (neck)
Saftey (see above)
Visability (see below?)
Geezers have a hard time holding their heads up

-Head down and locked

On 28 Dec 2003 00:26:29 -0800, (Buck Wild) wrote:

Gill Couto wrote in message news:gusHb.24528$J77.3186@fed1read07...
I want to ask you folks a question: why isn't there a glider where
the pilot flies face-down? The Wrights did it, the Horten (?) wing,
and hang gliders are about the only thing you can fly facing the
earth. I don't see why a sailplane couldn't be flown that way, but no
designers appear to even consider the possibility. Ideas?

I have a vague recollection of seeing an RAF jet fitted with an
experimental prone pilot position in a pod sticking out of the front.
It was on a Canberra on Meteor IIRC.

And a web search revealed this!
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/gloster-...e-position.htm

Chris

From: Gill Couto

I want to ask you folks a question: why isn't there a glider where
the pilot flies face-down? The Wrights did it, the Horten (?) wing,
and hang gliders are about the only thing you can fly facing the
earth. I don't see why a sailplane couldn't be flown that way, but no
designers appear to even consider the possibility. Ideas?

There's also crash survivability to consider. A head first crash into an
object doesn't sound good. Feet and legs are relatively expendable compared
to the head.

One might ask, why lay that way? I assume you mean to imply that a fuselage
with a smaller cross-section, hence less drag, could then be employed. This
has sort of been done in the HP-18 series of gliders. In the HP-18 one lays
almost flat on one's back, fet forward of course, with the head tilted
upward somewhat using a head rest. The HP-18 fuse is pretty short compared
to most. Comfort can be an issue, or so I'm told. But to be fair, many say
they like it just fine.

-Doug

Technical soaring ( the OSTIV magazine ) July 2002. pg 89.

The article suggests that the prone ( face down and forward ) position may
actually provide added safety rather than less safety when an analysis of
aircraft accidents is made.

However upward visibility would be a problem ( unless there was a horizontal
mirror in front of and below the pilots line of forward sight )
Keeping your head up could be fun after 8 hours!

Most of this is in reference to the Exulans ultra-light tailess sailplane.
http://members.tripod.com/~diomedes/exulans/

Ian

In message , tango4
writes
Technical soaring ( the OSTIV magazine ) July 2002. pg 89.

The article suggests that the prone ( face down and forward ) position may
actually provide added safety rather than less safety when an analysis of
aircraft accidents is made.

However upward visibility would be a problem ( unless there was a horizontal
mirror in front of and below the pilots line of forward sight )
Keeping your head up could be fun after 8 hours!

Most of this is in reference to the Exulans ultra-light tailess sailplane.
http://members.tripod.com/~diomedes/exulans/

Ian


During the second world war the Germans experimented with gliders to
shoot down bombers. At least one of these had a prone position. The
pilot had a chin rest to take the weight of his head.

Robin
--
Robin Birch

Sailplanes spend a lot of time circling in thermals with an appreciable bank
angle, 30 degrees or more.

It is important for collision/terrain avoidance to look in the direction of the
turn, which is always upwards relative to the pilot's position.

Moreover, pilots don't look down as often as non-pilots would think. Most of
the time they look more or less at the horizon when flying visually, with
occasional glances at the instrument panel -- which in normal cockpits is just
below the horizon. (How comfortable would it be to lie prone on the
living-room floor to watch TV?)

Pilots must also look to the left and right as well as ahead. If you are
sitting up, you retain much of the horizon in your peripheral view as you turn
your head. Not so when you are prone.


Mike Yankee

(Address is munged to thwart spammers.
To reply, delete everything after "com".)

Doug Hoffman wrote in message ...

One might ask, why lay that way? I assume you mean to imply that a fuselage
with a smaller cross-section, hence less drag, could then be employed. This
has sort of been done in the HP-18 series of gliders. In the HP-18 one lays
almost flat on one's back, fet forward of course, with the head tilted
upward somewhat using a head rest. The HP-18 fuse is pretty short compared
to most. Comfort can be an issue, or so I'm told. But to be fair, many say
they like it just fine.

-Doug

And don't forget the Siren Edelweiss C30S
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