Originally Posted by
megan
A pilot who flew the aircraft commented in a Y'tube video that the visibility from the cockpit is not the greatest, a lot of blanking windscreen structure, part of the Swiss cheese?
Not sure they guy had flown the aircraft, as the visibility is actually darn good in the required area. The pilot is above and forward of the wing leading edge, the B-17 would have been down low towards the sill but forward of the wing LE. A P-51 or P-40 etc would have hidden the B-17 once the turn started, and in some angles even at wings level where the B-17 was slightly lower.
That it was possible to see the B-17 doesn't mean that it was certain it would be sighted, the primary focus shortly before the turn was to the left, and then in the turn, left and upwards, which is a long way from the B-17's location in the viewable area.
lateral separation with a large turn angle is not reliable as a deconfliction, altitude would have been helpful.