Worst Forward Visibility

[Pips]

The Bristol F2B would have to take the cake. How the pilot managed to see anything directly ahead is beyond me. Viz over the top of the wing is fine, but but directly ahead is hopeless! Must have made chasing an enemy aircraft a real test.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Pips

[catch]

Hmmmm no I don't think so. Some of those hot rod hun kites with half the engine block exposed with pipes and God knows what else above the cowling must have impaired direct forward visibility.

 

Take the Albatros .... no offence Mahlo .... a beautiful sleek aerodynamic design .... but then they plonk half the engine outside the bodywork ruining the whole effect visibly and aerodynamically. It's a real drag.

 

Now the Parasol .... there's an aircraft No uncontained giblets there ! And great downward visibility.

[+Olham]

Catch: Take the Albatros .... no offence Mahlo .... a beautiful sleek aerodynamic design .... but then

they plonk half the engine outside the bodywork ruining the whole effect

 

No offence taken, Catch - after all, it isn't my design anyway. But I wonder, if you have ever

flown the Albatros yourself (in the sim, of course)?

I find, it has one of the best allround views of all the crates here, together with the Pfalz.

Only the Albatros D I had a terrible forward view (not in OFF); and our D II still has that

cooling tank above the engine, which makes it difficult to aim deflection shots at targets

in a right turn.

 

But the D III and D V have a wonderful view - try them (if you could manage to set a foot

into a "Hun plane" ?).

 

For the British craft, I much prefer the S.E.5a over the Camel, for it's view and "untrickyness".

Maybe I'm an "inline pilot"?

 

 

[+Olham]

PS: Pips, the Bristol Fighter is probably the best aircraft on the British side.

I don't find the view really bad. Even hammered a D V very well.

 

A trick (a cushion under the bum): if you use TrackIR, and find you are sitting

too low, just duck, press "center view", and then sit straight again.

 

Edited March 12, 2010 by Olham

[Duce Lewis]

After flying the DVII, which had very good all round visibility

I find the Nieup 28 very restrictive

The hooded windscreen limits peripheral vision

And the lower wing, small as it is, obstructs downward vision

I'm missing out on Winder's lovely scenery!

[+Olham]

Fly the Fokker E V then! It was MADE for enjoying Winder's landscape!

[Morris]

SPAD XIII view is also bad. U have to keep looking over the top wing to follow the enemy.

 

m

[Hellshade]

For my money, the Spad XIII has the worst forward view. But the Sopwith Triplane has the best view all around, forward included. I love that crate. Can see everything, turn anywhere and kill anything.

 

Hellshade

[+Hasse Wind]

The Pfalz D.III and Albs D.II - D.Va have excellent visibility, much better than practically in any Entente biplane fighters. The N.28 is real bad, but the worst forward visibility in OFF must be in the German bomber DFW C.V. Otherwise it's a superb two-seater, so it doesn't bother me that much.

[UK_Widowmaker]

I'm with Hellshade!...the Tripe is brilliant for looking around and keeping a bead on the Huns

[themightysrc]

The Tripe is da bomb. What's more, it's an Albatros killer extraordinaire. It suddenly doesn't matter that you've only got one gun to his two, because as long as you are moderately careful, there's little hope of him ever getting a chance to use them on you. I fecking love 'em.

[+Hasse Wind]

The Tripe is da bomb. What's more, it's an Albatros killer extraordinaire. It suddenly doesn't matter that you've only got one gun to his two, because as long as you are moderately careful, there's little hope of him ever getting a chance to use them on you. I fecking love 'em.

 

It feels almost unfair to fly the Tripe against the Albs, it's so much more deadly. Not much of a challenge to shoot down an AI-flown Alb D.II with the Tripe. Not only is the Tripe much more maneuverable, it's also faster.

[+Olham]

Really? - I always shoot them down, when I meet them. Probably, because I wasn't aware...

[+Hasse Wind]

Really? - I always shoot them down, when I meet them. Probably, because I wasn't aware...

 

It's because you're a great ace compared to any AI in any flight sim. If you were flying the Tripe, you'd slaughter Albs even more easily than you now kill Tripes with your Alb.

[JimAttrill]

I often wonder how Lindbergh flew the Atlantic in that Ryan with NO forward visibility at all ....

[+Olham]

Must have been a bit uncomfortable, but it's the perfect piloting, when you can even

fly only after instruments, like on a night flight or in thick fog.

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Yuppers, that was some true instrument flying there.

 

 

Also, I too find the Brisfit to have pretty darned good visibility all round. The wing being that low actually improves it, as you are looking at it the "skinny" way. While forward view may improve somewhat as the top wing is moved higher overall visibility decreases because you start to see the wing's width and it blocks a lot more of your field of vision.

 

And yes, the Tripe is "da bomb".

 

.

[Crossbones]

Great pic. The pilot looks very, very young. I think he needs a few chin hairs before they send him up.

 

Have you ever noticed that most civilian pictures from that era the people are never smiling but these kids about to go out and die always have the big grins.

 

Crossbones.