|
Allied and Soviet Air Forces Please use this forum to discuss the Air Forces of the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Cockpit & cabin heating
Were the cabins or cockpit of any Axis or Allied warplanes heated in WWII? How was the heating achieved?
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Cockpit & cabin heating
I believe many, if not most, Allied fighters included cockpit heating. Among this group, the P-38 Lightning's heating was notoriously poor, such that pilots on long escort missions in the ETO suffered from the effects of the cold. Warren Bodie's The Lockheed P-38 Lightning includes a list entitled "15 Bad Points of the Lockheed P-38" - the fourth item "Insufficient cockpit heat" follows three of the P-38's major problems concerning the engines, wing intercooler, and compressibility.
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Cockpit & cabin heating
Meanwhile I think I've read that the Mustang got really hot, to the point where it would get unpleasant. Don't know which versions though.
K
__________________
Kyrre Ingebrethsen Sola, Norway. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Cockpit & cabin heating
The Typhoon was also notorious for its heat, I recall reading somewhere that temperatures could reach as high as 100 degrees on a summers day, that coupled with its exhaust problems must have made it very uncomfortable.
|
#5
|
||||
|
||||
Re: Cockpit & cabin heating
Remember, for the single-engined fighters, the engine was just ahead of the pilot, so there was never a lack of heat there, and in most cases you will find cooling vents, and not heating vents on those a/c.
But, with the twin-engined a/c, with nothing in the nose but cold air, a special heater had to be installed for the pilot/crew. Usually it consisted of some form of hot air piped in from the exhaust system. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Cockpit & cabin heating
B-17 crews had flight suits that plugged into and were heated by plane's electrical system. Fairly important with temperatures of 40 to 50 below over 25,000'. Don
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Re: Cockpit & cabin heating
Quote:
The cockpit heat and canopy frost in the P-38 wasn't any worse than the Spitfire. Pilots who flew long-range PR XI Spitfires can attest to that. The majority of single-engine fighters did not carry enough fuel to fly at 30,000 feet for long periods (i.e. 4-7 hours). The lack of heat and frostbite was less a problem in short-range fighters because the pilot was exposed to freezing temperatures for a shorter period. |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Cockpit & cabin heating | Mifletz | Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces | 4 | 9th January 2006 03:27 |
NASM Ar 234 cockpit photos before restoration | Roger Gaemperle | Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces | 0 | 3rd January 2006 14:40 |
Me.262 V9, W.Nr.130004: two questions... | Alessandro Nati Fornetti | Luftwaffe and Axis Air Forces | 6 | 17th July 2005 11:26 |