If BJ will allow me to be slightly serious for a moment,
I know a few of us are ex military so I thought this might be of some interest. (not that being ex mob has any relevance really) My brother-in law is a member of the lightning preservation group based at Bruntingthorpe airfield in Leicestershire.
They maintain two lightnings that do take off runs including re-heat.
Open days usually coincide with Bruntingthorpes open days when all their serviceable aircraft do taxi runs. For a few quid you can get to sit in the cockpit of the lightnings and have what is called a cockpit tour (ie someone will explain the buttons and controls etc) have someone take your piccy etc.
I believe the next open day is Sun May 20th 2010 but I will have to confirm this.
If there is enough interest I will see if they can do something a bit special for us.
I have put a couple of links below to the Lightning preservation group site and the Bruntingthorpe air museum site
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
http:...uk/
<o:p></o:p>
http:...htm
Yer but you cant get into a lightning if you are over 6 feet tall. Apparently if you have to bang out the dashboard trims your legs off just below the knees.
PP
It all depends on how your height is distributed. Some guys have long legs, and normal length torsos. Some have long torsos, and normal length legs. Just quoting a standing height doesn't really allow you to compare, as pilots don't fly these things in the standing position.
bluesbiker In: Birmingham in th
Posts: 2510
Karma:
I think the problem of hitting knees is a bit of an urban myth. there was a problem with leg flailing about as the seat left the cockpit but later seats have lower leg retraints that pull the legs in on exit so they clear everything.
we don't have dashboards on aeroplanes phill, we have instument panals. It's not a mini metro.
The easiest way to tell is all the switches are set correctly is to keep moving them untill the bloke outside stops waving at you.