Spitfire Question

[Kurfürst]

Originally Posted by IvanK

IRL the Fuel gauge reads 0 and only indicates bottom tank quantity WHEN the push button is pressed and held. As soon as the button is released the needle returns to zero.... source Pilots Operating notes

Ever since Jane's WW2 Fighter showed us nice 3D cocpits of the Spitfire, I have an ever growing feeling that there was a raving madman in Mitchell's team, most intimately involved in designing the instrument panel: Half the instruments are in the impossible places, indicating things in the weirdest possible manner - or not at all as above.

[klem]

Originally Posted by Kurfürst

Ever since Jane's WW2 Fighter showed us nice 3D cocpits of the Spitfire, I have an ever growing feeling that there was a raving madman in Mitchell's team, most intimately involved in designing the instrument panel: Half the instruments are in the impossible places, indicating things in the weirdest possible manner - or not at all as above.

How dare you Sir!

That is a combination of British culture, ingenuity and security intended to prevent foreigners from stealing our aircraft. It is based in the long tradition of Heath-Robinson who, IMHO, should have been Knighted. The obsessively sterile cleaned-up 'modern' cockpit layout has changed the character of an aircraft from a 'she' to an 'it'.