Clamshell canopy A clamshell canopy uses a hinge on the rear of the cockpit, with some examples from the front or side. A more unusual example with two components with left and right sections requiring the pilot to enter the cockpit from the rear is found on the
Payen PA-22 and
Avro Arrow that used this method, the latter example for the use of ejection seats.
Stealth canopy Have Glass is the code name for a series of RCS reduction measures for the F-16 fighter. Its primary aspect is the addition of an indium-tin-oxide layer to the gold tinted cockpit canopy, which is reflective to radar frequencies. An ordinary canopy would let radar signals straight through where they would strike the many edges and corners inside and bounce back strongly to the radar source; the reflective layer dissipates these signals instead. Overall, Have Glass reduces an F-16's RCS (radar-cross section) by 15 percent. The gold tint also reduces glare from the sun to improve visibility for the pilot.
Malcolm Hood The Malcolm Hood is a type of aircraft canopy originally developed for the
Supermarine Spitfire. Its concept proved valuable for other aircraft such as the
North American Aviation P-51B & C Mustangs as retrofit items, and standard on later versions of the
Vought F4U Corsair, and somewhat emulated on the later models of the ''Luftwaffe's''
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter. The canopy was manufactured by the British company
R Malcolm & Co which gave its name. Instead of taking a straight line between the canopy frames, the hood was bulged outward. This gave the pilot a better view to the rear. A bulged hood replaced the Vought Corsair's "birdcage" framed canopy from the 689th production F4U-1 to provide better all-round field of view.
False canopy of the
RCAF displaying a false canopy In the 1970s, US aviation artist
Keith Ferris invented a
false canopy to paint on the underside of military aircraft, directly underneath the front of the plane, the purpose of
deception which was to
camouflage the direction the aircraft is heading. This ruse was inspired by animals and fishes that have similar markings on the head and tail, so they can confuse other creatures. Canada was the first operational user, painting CF-18s with a canopy on the bottom of the plane.
Synthetic canopy A type of canopy used as part of a
synthetic cockpit where the pilot would not have direct sight of the outside world, but through an array of cameras. The
British Aerospace P.125 was to use the
have not glass cockpit arrangement that would increase stealth characteristics and would block out the potential Soviet threat of laser weapons that would dazzle the pilot. ==Gallery==