Bomber Cockpit Question

[KJ_Lesnick]

When I look at the Avro Lancaster I see such a huge advantage they had in having a canopy that provides a good degree of visibility all around -- more like a tactical aircraft actually (even though it wasn't).  I'm wondering what disadvantages the raised glass canopy have compared to the B-17's cockpit arrangement?

[Rheged]

When I look at the Avro Lancaster I see such a huge advantage they had in having a canopy that provides a good degree of visibility all around -- more like a tactical aircraft actually (even though it wasn't).  I'm wondering what disadvantages the raised glass canopy have compared to the B-17's cockpit arrangement?

I read somewhere that you can get a "greenhouse effect"  where light is scattered all around and reflections become a nuisance.  The He 111  was supposed to be particularly prone to this  if held in a searchlight beam. I'm NOT any sort of expert here, but one of the group who has sat in a Lancaster cockpit will probably know much more about this.

[Thorvic]

I suppose it was to help them form up and fly in formation, as the Lancaster didn't have a co-pilot as such, but rather a flight engineer so the pilot could remain aware of the rest of his flight and position in formation.

[Mossie]

Was it not simply the internal arrangement that dictated the cockpit styles?  The B-17 had the spine, the Lanc didn't have this so had a greenhouse arrangement.  It doesn't seem to be an RAF operational requirment, the Lanc and Stirling had the greenhouse, but the Halibag didn't?

[KJ_Lesnick]

Rheged

I read somewhere that you can get a "greenhouse effect"  where light is scattered all around and reflections become a nuisance.  The He 111  was supposed to be particularly prone to this  if held in a searchlight beam.

I would assume this could be a daylight bombing issue too as bright sunlight could produce the same effect?


Mossie

Was it not simply the internal arrangement that dictated the cockpit styles?  The B-17 had the spine, the Lanc didn't have this so had a greenhouse arrangement.

That could be the case -- I was thinking of a plane that would have the B-17's role that would be based around a highly evolved four-engined B-10 successor (the B-17 and B-18 were both built to this requirement actually) and I'm thinking the bubble canopy was a good quality on the B-10 and I'm thinking you'd have something very similar to a radial-powered Lancaster if you pursued this right.

Also I thought of an idea of a B-24 with the fuselage aft of the cockpit lowered to make a bubble-esque canopy and so forth