This is an old revision of this page, as edited by BilCat(talk | contribs) at 23:08, 23 July 2020(Undid revision 969193639 by 92.11.144.34 (talk) actually, per https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/different-from-or-different-than , "different than" is more common in British English, which is what this article apparently uses). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:08, 23 July 2020 by BilCat(talk | contribs)(Undid revision 969193639 by 92.11.144.34 (talk) actually, per https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/different-from-or-different-than , "different than" is more common in British English, which is what this article apparently uses)
Aircraft design feature in which the cockpit shares its contour with the nose
The stepless cockpit has seen a resurgence in newer aircraft, such as the Boeing 787.
In aircraft design, a stepless cockpit means that the nose of the aircraft has no separate "windscreen" panels directly in front of the pilot's or co-pilot's seating positions, and generally has no "breaks" in the nose contour — curved or otherwise — from their absence. In the conventional design, the pilot's cabin is a different part of the aircraft than the nose. The stepless design is believed to help make the plane more aerodynamic thus aiding speed and fuel efficiency. The stepless design did, however, present serious challenges to the inclusion of a nose-mount turreted gun position, in eras where manned or remotely-aimed gun turrets were still important for a bomber's defensive needs.
The preserved He 111P in Norway, which pioneered German stepless cockpits in January 1938.B-29 Superfortress. Note the round, stepless nose.The Boeing 307 airliner is a rare example of a "stepless-cockpit" civilian airliner from the 1940s.The Stearman XA-21 American medium bomber prototype featured a stepless cockpit as originally designed.The "Cabin 3" stepless cockpit of a Heinkel He 177A, with "fishbowl" nose glazingThe Messerschmitt Me 264 V1 first prototype, with stepless nose glazing almost visually replicating the Superfortress' ownPreserved Bristol Blenheim Mk.I, with stepless cockpit from its forward upper nose countour.The British-preserved Mitsubishi Ki-46-III "Dinah" with its characteristic stepless cockpit, rare in Japanese WW II aircraftB-17 Flying Fortress. Note the stepped cockpit design.A B-52A in storage shows off an unbroken, "stepless" nose profile; the cockpit glazing was for the pilot and co-pilot.
This article about aircraft components is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.