how come the cockpit of WWII fighters are located in the middle while modern day aircraft, its in the front?

Question

why is it like that? the cockpit ie the spitfire, is located in the middle but aircraft like the A-10 or the F 22 Raptor, its in the front? Is it easier to pilot?

Answer 1

it's because the engine is placed in a different spot...take a good look at them...it's sort of self expanatory

Answer 2

Originally, the cockpit was located in the center behind the engine because the engine had to be located in front. But that is not always true. The first jet fighters had their engines on the wings, such as the German ME262. Many subsequent military jets had engines on the wings, but the cockit was moved forward. There are a lot of considerations engineers need to take into account when designing an aircraft. Weight distribution, fuel tank location, payload, aerodynamics, and armament all play a part. Visibility is important as well. Mustangs, for example, had to weave down the runway when they taxied so the pilot could see, because since it was a tail dragger, the pilot could not see past the engine until the tail lifted off the ground.

Answer 3

Some world war II fighters did have the cockpit situated at the front.These though were generally twin engined with the engines mounted on the wing closest to the aerofoil surfaces.This produced the best lift characteristics.Best examples would be the North American Lightning or the De Havilland Mosquito both were formidable fighters.Most fighters of the era though were single engined and smaller for better power to weight ratios.Delivery of the airflow over the aerofoil surfaces necessitated the engine being in the middle at the nose therefore in front of the pilot.This often led to restricted pilot visibility especially when taxiing on the ground. Modern jet engines run on average about two thirds the length of the aircrafts fuselage and the thrust is delivered via the jet thrust pipe nearer the tail of the aircraft so the pilot is usually situated on top of the engine usually just forward of the engine air intake giving maximum visibility.

Answer 4

With the exception of the mid-engine P-39, WWII fighter aircraft depended on larger piston engines for speed and power, which took up a great deal of the front of each aircraft. Today's fighter pilots sit in front of their aircraft's jet engines. The A-10 engines are located aft on the airframe's fuselage. The F-22 power plants are situated within the airframe, aft of the pilot. While the cockpit arguably has no affect on the ease of piloting, a forward positioned cockpit improves visability for close in action.

Answer 5

The main reason they are on the front is bacause a modern fighter can be 70ft long, and it would be extremely difficult to pilot in landing and in combat, both air to air, and air to ground.

On modern aircraft, the body can be any shape, any weight, and have any cg, because engineers can just design the wings forward or backward of any point on the aircraft in order to make the plane balance correctly.

It is of incredible importance that the center of gravity be ahead of the center of lift, otherwise the aircraft would not be recoverable from a stall and it would handle incredibly poorly.

Being a pilot, Ive noticed that WW2 fighters have an icredibly low useful load for the amount of power they have. It could only be because of balance. Some fighters, like the bf-109, and the entire yak series, had uselful loads of only about 1500lbs, compard to about 850lb for a cessna 172sp, which has less than 10% the power.

Answer 6

The spitfire was pulled along by a propeller so the best place for the engine was at the front and the pilot behind the engine.The jet engine planes are pushed so the engine goes at the back so the cockpit can be right at the front.

Answer 7

Bill is right, jet engines are behind the pilot, whereas piston engines needed to be in front (for the most part). Sitting closer to the nose also gives the pilot much better visibility, which is critical in a fighter aircraft. Out front, less of the plane, especially the wings, are blocking the pilots view.

Here is an example of a WWII fighter with an engine aft of the pilot, it suffered from quirky control problems though. http://www.americanjuniorclassics.com/images/Aircobra-400x.jpg

Answer 8

In the spitfire the engine is in front of the pilot but in todays planes they are behind the pilot. Also technology has advanced and maybe they found out that it is easier for the manufacturer tro build planes with the cockpit right in front.

Answer 9

newer designs include a better cabin design...

In the front the pilot has a better view (both air to air and air to land view); You may notice that the cabinleveris also slight higher, also to enhace view.

This may ensure piloto and aircraft survivability in a attack/deffense scenario.

Answer 10

evolution of technology and learnings taken from previous designs. It probably is easier to pilot, though. Oh, and we don't have propellers anymore so the pilot could move further forward.

Answer 11

Because they are being pulled along by a propellor, where as a modern fighter is pushed by jet propulsion.

Try this experiment and see how much easier it is to pull a chain than to push one. There's your explanation.