PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Flight Deck Cutoff Angle - Forward Visibility
Old 18th Mar 2023, 17:03
  #3 (permalink)  
pattern_is_full
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Denver
Posts: 1,226
Received 14 Likes on 8 Posts
Capt Fathom's suggestion is good for a specific aircraft type (assuming one has the documents).

For a GENERIC ESTIMATION, this GENERIC document on the problem provides some dimensionless diagrams that may help figure a GENERIC geometry. Just choose and apply reasonable dimensions to the diagrams (eye distance from panel or other obstruction horizontally; pitch angle of aircraft on 3° glideslope (usually about 2-3° nose-up); actual height and slope of glareshield; and so on.

Of note, many modern aircraft (as you likely know) have eye reference indicators above the glareshield, to ensure correct seating (height above and distance from, the cockpit panel) for a correct eye position. And recent aircraft, originally designed in the glass-cockpit era, now have less-tall instrument panels to give pilots better downward vision (no doubt accounted for in the eye reference indicator's construction).

Also of note, it mentions just how a pilot could end up 5cm low even if their eye position was correct at the beginning of the flight - slouching from muscle fatigue after a long flight.

https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/...shelf/4247.pdf

Last edited by pattern_is_full; 18th Mar 2023 at 17:15.
pattern_is_full is offline