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Old 6th July 2017, 15:19
PMoz99 PMoz99 is offline
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He-111P onwards pilot seat raising mechanism

The He-111P and later had an interesting arrangement where a panel on the top of the canopy could be slid backwards, a folding windshield raised, and the pilot's seat could then be raised so his head was above the fuselage level (assumably while still seated), giving him excellent vision while taxiing. He could also bale out via this hatch.
Squadron-Signal's Aircraft in Action 184 has a picture of a pilot standing on the seat and looking out over the top of the a/c, but there's no other detail at all to accompany it.
Airfix kindly provided the ability to have the hatch open (but not the folding windshield) but didn't provide a corresponding option for the seat.
So ....
Does anyone have any more detailed pictures or drawings showing the seat in its elevated position, and/or the mechanism involved?
With the pilot seated, was his head definitely above the fuselage line?
I can only assume the controls did not elevate with the seat - that would seem to me to be very difficult to achieve. And I can't see a pilot controlling the plane with his feet (like a Tiger I driver sitting on the hull with his feet through the open hatch!) so did the navigator/bombardier taxi the aircraft?
Any help with this much appreciated
Thanks
Peter
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