WI - Improved RAF canopies WW2?

It's been written somewhere that Britain designed for the most part good aerodynamics for aircraft, and then ruined them by adding greenhouse like boxes for canopies.

Blackburn_Skua_second_prototype_1937.jpg
 
It's been written somewhere that Britain designed for the most part good aerodynamics for aircraft, and then ruined them by adding greenhouse like boxes for canopies.

Blackburn_Skua_second_prototype_1937.jpg

Depends on your POD and POV

By 1939, the UK had the Malcolm hood ... a bulged canopy, that was better than anything the US had.
(It was not incorporated into the Corsair until around the 700th production model
nor into the Mustang until the D model)

H.P-51C.jpg


In addition by 1940 some UK designers were using even better bubble canopies (and seating positions)


300px-Miles_M.20.jpg
 
Last edited:
After Blenheim, Bristol didn't offered anything well streamlined, ditto for Gloster, despite the existing record in racing aircraft. It took Hawker until 1943 to move away from Hurricane of mid-1930s. Wigh lift devices were also not the forte, it took Westland to show what can be done in that field.
OTOH - plenty of well designed canopies were there, from Whirly and M.20 on.
 
It's been written somewhere that Britain designed for the most part good aerodynamics for aircraft, and then ruined them by adding greenhouse like boxes for canopies.

A few designers had odd angles like that on the front, that was to reduce reflections of the instrument panel, to assist with night landings
 
It's been written somewhere that Britain designed for the most part good aerodynamics for aircraft, and then ruined them by adding greenhouse like boxes for canopies.


I'm not sure I understand the question. Britain didn't design well for the most part, but for part. The Skua wasn't that good, and the canopy wasn't that bad. The cockpit was tight, and Winkle Brown liked the roominess of American cockpits better. The windscreen was angled too steep, but that was a design requirement caused by the arrangement of equipment.
 
Top