Airplane with spatial panorama

Claim 2

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a pilot''s seat in said fuselage having back and bottom the middle of whose line of intersection determines a seat reference point from which 6 inches forward and 30 inches upward a normal position of pilot''s eye midpoint is determined, the pilot''s normal eye points being 1.25 inches port and starboard thereof, two or more columns each one instrument wide of circularly cylindrical opaque instruments of nominal diameter 3 1/8 inches placed between said normal eye points and said window, with such clearance between adjacent columns of instruments as to provide some clearspace to the right and left of individual instruments if viewed from one of said normal eye points, and each column of instruments being attached to a separate support which lies between that column and said window and has a transsight projection less than 2 1/8 inches if viewed from said normal eye points.

Claim 3

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a pilot''s seat in said fuselage having back and bottom the middle of whose line of intersection determines a seat reference point from which 6 inches forward and 30 inches upward a normal position of pilot''s eye midpoint is determined, the pilot''s normal eye points being 1.25 inches port and starboard thereof, and two or more columns each one instrument wide of circularly cylindrical opaque instruments of nominal diameter 3 1/8 inches supported between said normal eye points and said window, the center of an instrument in one column being on the level of the midpoint between centers of two instruments in an adjacent column, and with such clearance between adjacent columns of instruments as to provide some clearspace to the right and left of individual instruments if viewed from one of said normal eye points.

Claim 4

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a pilot''s seat in said fuselage having back and bottom the middle of whose line of intersection determines a seat reference point from which 6 inches forward and 30 inches upward a normal position of pilot''s eye midpoint is determined, the pilot''s normal eye points being 1.25 inches port and starboard thereof, and two or more columns each one instrument wide of circularly cylindrical opaque instruments of nominal diameter 3 1/8 inches supported between said normal eye points and said window, the center of an instrument in one column being on the level of the midpoint between centers of two instruments in an adjacent column, and with such clearance between adjacent columns of instruments as to provide some clearspace to the right and left of individual instruments if viewed from one of said normal eye points.

Claim 5

An aircraft instrument array according to claim 2, wherein: each column of instruments is attached to a separate support which lies between that column and said window and has a trans-sight projection less than 2 1/8 inches if viewed from said normal eye points.

Claim 6

An aircraft instrument box and panel that the pilot can see through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a multiplicity of opaque instruments placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said individual instruments being sufficiently small and so oriented that the trans-sight projections of individual instruments as seen by the pilot are less than the pilot''s interpupillary distance, and said instruments being so placed as to have to the left-hand and to the right-hand sides of the individual instruments transparent clearspaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding the pilot''s interpupillary distance, and said individual instruments have trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot equal to or less than 2.12 inches, and wherein said transparent clearspaces have trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot equal to or greater than 2.85 inches.

Claim 7

An aircraft instrument box and panel that the pilot can see through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a multiplicity of opaque instruments placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said individual instruments being sufficiently small and so oriented that the trans-sight projections of individual instruments as seen by the pilot are less than the pilot''s interpupillary distance, and said instruments being so placed as to have to the left-hand and to the right-hand sides of the individual instruments transparent clearspaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding the pilot''s interpupillary distance, and said individual instruments have trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot equal to or less than 2.12 inches, and wherein said transparent clearspaces have trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot equal to or greater than 2.85 inches.

Claim 8

An aircraft instrument panel array for an aircraft having a fuselage, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a multiplicity of opaque instruments placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being aligned with the pilot''s eyes and the distant scene, said instruments being mounted approximately side-by-side in a single lateral panelette, said instruments being so oriented that their central axes substantially intersect the pilot''s interpupillary line or its extension, there being a clearspace transparent to the pilot''s vision both above and below said lateral panelette, there being additionally a vertical panelette carrying one or more instruments in a single vertical column, said instruments on the vertical panelette being so placed and oriented that their central axes are parallel to the line of flight and lie in a vertical plane passing through the center of the pilot''s head.

Claim 9

An aircraft instrument panel array for an aircraft having a fuselage, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a multiplicity of opaque instruments placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being aligned with the pilot''s eyes and the distant scene, said instruments being mounted approximately side-by-side in a single lateral panelette, said instruments being so oriented that their central axes substantially intersect the pilot''s interpupillary line or its extension, there being a clearspace transparent to the pilot''s vision both above and below said lateral panelette, there being additionally a vertical panelette carrying one or more instruments in a single vertical column, said instruments on the vertical panelette being so placed and oriented that their central axes are parallel to the line of flight and lie in a vertical plane passing through the center of the pilot''s head.

Claim 10

An aircraft instrument panel array according to claim 5, wherein: at least part of said vertical panelette and its instruments has a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot, less than 2.12 inches.

Claim 11

An aircraft instrument panel array according to claim 5, wherein: at least part of said vertical panelette and its instruments has a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot, less than 2.12 inches, and that part is bounded on its left and right by clearspaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot, equal to or exceeding 2.85 inches.

Claim 12

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a fuselage surrounding a pilot, an array of a plurality of adjacent opaque aircraft instruments of a set of instruments for the navigation and control of an aircraft, the instruments of said array being oriented for said pilot''s viewing and being so placed and supported that the array extends both right and left and up and down across said pilot''s lines of regard to said array, the individual instruments of said array further being so placed and supported that adjacent instruments have clearance spaces between them through which the pilot can see beyond the instruments with at least one eye, a transparent window in the outer surface of said fuselage, lying beyond said instrument array as seen by said pilot and occupying at least the solid angle subtended by said instrument array with the pilot''s nose as vertex, with the object of converting said clearance spaces into clearspaces through which the pilot perceives the sum of the two distant views seen by his right and left eyes separately, thereby perceiving the distant scene within the same solid angle occupied by said array of intervening opaque instruments.

Claim 13

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a fuselage surrounding a pilot, an array of a plurality of adjacent opaque aircraft instruments of a set of instruments for the navigation and control of an aircraft, the instruments of said array being oriented for said pilot''s viewing and being so placed and supported that the array extends both right and left and up and down across said pilot''s lines of regard to said array, the individual instruments of said array further being so placed and supported that adjacent instruments have clearance spaces between them through which the pilot can see beyond the instruments with at least one eye, a transparent window in the outer surface of said fuselage, lying beyond said instrument array as seen by said pilot and occupying at least the solid angle subtended by said instrument array with the pilot''s nose as vertex, with the object of converting said clearance spaces into clearspaces through which the pilot perceives the sum of the two distant views seen by his right and left eyes separately, thereby perceiving the distant scene within the same solid angle occupied by said array of intervening opaque instruments.

Claim 14

An aircraft instrument array according to claim 8, wherein: a multiplicity of the clearspaces between adjacent individual opaque instruments have maximum lateral width less than 2.5 inches.

Claim 15

An aircraft instrument array in accordance with claim 8, wherein: the individual instruments of said array are so oriented and supported that their central axes lie in vertical planes which pass through said pilot''s head.

Claim 16

An aircraft instrument array in accordance with claim 8, wherein: the individual instruments of said array are supported from their ends which lie between the instruments and said window by supports having trans-sight projections of 2.5 inches or less.

Claim 17

An aircraft instrument array in accordance with claim 8, wherein: said clearance spaces, lie immediately on the right hand sides and immediately on the left-hand sides of the individual instruments of the array.

Claim 18

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a pilot''s seat in said fuselage having a back and bottom the middle of whose line of intersection determines a seat reference point from which 6 inches forward and 30 inches upward a normal position of pilot''s eye midpoint is determined, the pilot''s normal eye points being 1.25 inches port and starboard thereof, and a multiplicity of opaque instruments of nominal diameters 3 1/8 inches between said normal eye points and said window, oriented to be read from said normal eye points, and supported in a line by instrument mounting means which provide clearspace on right and left of individual instruments as seen from at least one of said normal eye points, said instrument mounting means consisting of a transparent instrument panel in which said instruments are mounted.

Claim 19

An aircraft instrument array that a pilot can see a distant scene through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, a pilot''s seat in said fuselage having a back and bottom the middle of whose line of intersection determines a seat reference point from which 6 inches forward and 30 inches upward a normal position of pilot''s eye midpoint is determined, the pilot''s normal eye points being 1.25 inches port and starboard thereof, and a multiplicity of opaque instruments of nominal diameters 3 1/8 inches between said normal eye points and said window, oriented to be read from said normal eye points, and supported in a line by instrument mounting means which provide clearspace on right and left of individual instruments as seen from at least one of said normal eye points, said instrument mounting means consisting of a transparent instrument panel in which said instruments are mounted.

Claim 20

An aircraft instrument box and panel that the pilot can see through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, and a multiplicity of instruments placed between the pilots'' head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being divided into a multiplicity of groups with instruments within each group mounted approximately one above the other on a panelette with their central axes lying in one vertical plane passing approximately through the center of the pilot''s head, the various groups being supported with such lateral spacing as to provide transparent clearspaces between groups of trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding the pilot''s interpupillary distance wherein; said individual group of instruments with its panelette has a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot equal to or less than 2.12 inches, and said transparent clearspace between adjacent groups of instruments has a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot equal to or exceeding 2.85 inches.

Claim 21

An aircraft instrument box and panel that the pilot can see through, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, and a multiplicity of instruments placed between the pilots'' head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being divided into a multiplicity of groups with instruments within each group mounted approximately one above the other on a panelette with their central axes lying in one vertical plane passing approximately through the center of the pilot''s head, the various groups being supported with such lateral spacing as to provide transparent clearspaces between groups of trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding the pilot''s interpupillary distance wherein; said individual group of instruments with its panelette has a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot equal to or less than 2.12 inches, and said transparent clearspace between adjacent groups of instruments has a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot equal to or exceeding 2.85 inches.

Claim 22

An aircraft instrument panel past which the pilot can see a continuous scene, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, and a set of opaque instruments for the flying of an aircraft placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being mounted approximately one above the other with the central axes of said instruments lying in one vertical plane passing approximately through the center of the pilot''s head, there being on the left and on the right of the individual instruments transparent clear-spaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding 2.85 inches, wherein said instruments have throughout most of their vertical length a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot less than the pilot''s interpupillary distance.

Claim 23

An aircraft instrument panel past which the pilot can see a continuous scene, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, and a set of opaque instruments for the flying of an aircraft placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being mounted approximately one above the other with the central axes of said instruments lying in one vertical plane passing approximately through the center of the pilot''s head, there being on the left and on the right of the individual instruments transparent clear-spaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding 2.85 inches, wherein said instruments have throughout most of their vertical length a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot less than the pilot''s interpupillary distance.

Claim 24

An aircraft instrument panel past which the pilot can see a continuous scene, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, and a set of opaque instruments for the flying of an aircraft placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being mounted approximately one above the other with the central axes of said instruments lying in one vertical plane passing approximately through the center of the pilot''s head, there being on the left and on the right of the individual clearspaces transparent clear-spaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding 2.85 inches, wherein said instruments have throughout most of their vertical length a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot equal to or less than 2.12 inches.

Claim 25

An aircraft instrument panel past which the pilot can see a continuous scene, comprising: a transparent window in the outer surface of a fuselage, and a set of opaque instruments for the flying of an aircraft placed between the pilot''s head and said window and oriented for his viewing, said instruments being mounted approximately one above the other with the central axes of said instruments lying in one vertical plane passing approximately through the center of the pilot''s head, there being on the left and on the right of the individual clearspaces transparent clear-spaces having trans-sight projections as seen by the pilot exceeding 2.85 inches, wherein said instruments have throughout most of their vertical length a trans-sight projection as seen by the pilot equal to or less than 2.12 inches.