Quote:
Originally posted by Gary Carlton
It has been long known that the prone position is superior for response and proprioception (how the body senses movement).
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And yet only the Wright brothers used it in their first few flights. it never caught on , even in jet aircraft.
Then there is this little guy.
http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/fta/fta198.htm
Quote:
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Northrop's Rocket Wing MX324 was America's first military rocket airplane. Its first flight, possibly the world's first military rocket plane flight, was made in 1944. Its wing span was less than 30 feet, and the plane emplyed the new principles of rocket propulsion and of a prone cockpit. The prone cockpit enabled the pilot to lie flat to withstand higher accelerations and also made possible a thinner air foil. It was powered by an Aerojet XCAL-200 rocket motor.
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Don't expect to see "prone" position in a car, if it's not even used in a plane. I wonder if "prone" has a double meaning here?