Does anyone know what the clear nose cone is on the XF5U?
Does anyone know what the clear nose cone is on the XF5U?
As in what it is made from or what the purpose of it was?
Unfortunately in science what you believe is irrelevant.
"I'm an old-fashioned Southern Gentleman. Which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-***** when I want to be."- Robert A. Heinlein.
What purpose did it serve
What purpose did it serve is what i ment to ask.
Probably for radar or something like that.
Unfortunately in science what you believe is irrelevant.
"I'm an old-fashioned Southern Gentleman. Which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-***** when I want to be."- Robert A. Heinlein.
I'm sure it was so the pilot could see the ground when he was on his landing approach. The XF5U was supposed to land at a very high angle of attack, probably eliminating the pilot's visibility of the deck. A transparent nose cone eliminates that problem. If you look at the V-173 (the proof of concept aircraft which led to the XF5U), it has even more glass on bottom of its nose to provide good downward visibility for the pilot.
That is an option, but if you look at the pictures there is an antena or something like that in the nose cone.