Do remember that these test aircrafts in the videos are 350X, they are prototype airframes. The gap is unfinished sealing.
J-35 carrier fighter (PLAN) thread
- Thread starter Deino
- Start date
You can clearly see the pilot's two hands firmly on the handholds attached to the canopy and not on the control stick during the catapult launch! Same case for J-15T.
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Three types of holdback bars are visible in the picture. Two were laid on the deck, one just detached from the landing gear of that J-35. They have different diameters and even colors due to different weights of the aircraft they are holding. The orange/black bar is the thickest, which is for KJ-600. The yellow/orange bar is less thick, which is for J-35. The silver bar is the thinnest, which is for J-15T.
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A proper photo with the IWB open.
kwaigonegin
Colonel
Curious why J35 drivers are not fitted with hmds or for that matter even the J15s
Wait... The little cart has 金轮's logo, I thought they're only do 'business' in Saudi.
Similar to J-20, J-16 and J-10C pilots, they all have HMDs as an option, but if it is for sorties where a HMD is unnecessary, then they tend to wear lighterweight regular flight helmets.
After all, HMDs will ultimately still weigh a bit more than a typical flight helmet, and chronic neck strain is real
Might I add that the acceleration required of catapult launches possibly predisposes the pilot to an increased risk of cervical injury or even fracture, especially when wearing heavy helmets, although there is yet to be literature published on this.
kwaigonegin
Colonel
That can be easily mitigated with practice and training. Almost all USN aviators launch with HMDS now and to my knowledge there has been almost zero 'additional' injury linked to the slightly heavier helmets.
Besides, don't you want to wear them regularly in peacetime rather than trying it out for the first time in wartime? That would be a colossal disaster.