wg13, how and why did the cabin get smaller?
1. The 'broom cupboard' will be full. This is the useful space in the rear of the cabin, behind the three man seat , between the main tanks where one can store little bits of niff naff and trivia but is actually very useful to aid de cluttering the cabin.
2. The tubing that provides a poor mans version of an environmental control system will run through the roof sound proofing thus reducing the usable head room. Current Lynx utilises a window/fan HMI for environmental control. Or the heater vents for the cabin situated outboard rear under the 3 man seat.
3. Stroking crash seats. As has been mentioned, the aircraft will thankfully have full stroking passenger seats. The down side to this is nothing can be placed under the seats. Due to the minimal size of the cabin anyway, it proves to be almost impossible to have four fully equipped troops in the back (Osprey body armour, helmet, day sack, weapon). The CSW rear crewman has his own seat (unless you're from the IPT and you think its ok for one of the pax to operate the gun therefore negating the need for a door gunner!). The three crew members also need space to put their kit/go-bag/weapons (The crew seats don't have the facility to store the wpns). As it happens, the rear seats have a max weight of 90kgs anyway so the aircraft will be limited to carrying Gurkhas in their speedos. Not complaining about ensuring the pax are safer but it ensures the aircraft will pretty much only have the ability to carry the crew and their sarnies.
4. Front seats. Due to the front seats being full stroking seats, they impinge into the rear cabin more than the current armoured seats do.
To stick a fuselage plug in FLynx would have been very expensive. Westland played around with the idea with their private venture Lynx 3 back in the early/mid 80's. From what I can gather, the extra length forward of the control frame (in front of the cabin door. The front doors were lengthened and the cabin space was increased behind the crew seats) caused some 'interesting' handling characteristics. Its a real shame Westland hasn't revisited the Lynx 3 concept because it would have met some of the shortcomings FLynx has with its limited cabin space. We're not after an NH90 sized aircraft capable of SH roles, just something that gives us a bit more flexibility (as is the role of a utility aircraft).
