This Gloster Meteor F8, serial WK935, was rebuilt as a research aircraft to test whether a pilot could fly lying on his stomach. In the early 1950s a prone cockpit looked attractive because it would shrink the frontal area of a fighter and let aircrew withstand higher g forces, an idea Bristol wanted to use in a rocket-powered fighter proposal. Armstrong-Whitworth converted the last production F8 as an in-house project, fitting a custom couch, an offset control column and suspended rear pedals in a new front cockpit, keeping the standard cockpit behind it and adding a Meteor NF 12 tail. It joined the RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine in autumn 1954 and logged about 55 hours over 99 flights. The trials showed the concept worked but left the pilot with poor rearward view and a difficult escape, and g-suits offered a simpler remedy. WK935 survives in a museum collection.
Facts
Engine Class Top Speed (km/h) Maximum Mass (kg) EngineRolls-Royce Derwent 8 centrifugal-flow turbojet (two) 1 Comparison
Body StyleAircraft (no road body style) 1 Connections
Exemplifies
Source Gloster Meteor F8 "Prone Pilot" (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source Gloster Meteor F8 "Prone Pilot" (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Gloster Meteor F8 "Prone Pilot" (Wikipedia)
Design and development, entry to the Institute
The last production Meteor F8, serial WK935, built by Armstrong-Whitworth was selected for modification and joined the Institute in autumn 1954.
Testing and evaluation, fate
Meteor F8 WK935 was retired after a year and after storage at No. 12 Maintenance Unit, the aircraft was sent to RAF Colerne before being preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford.
Lead
A heavily modified Gloster Meteor F8 fighter, the "prone position/prone pilot" Meteor, was used by the Royal Air Force in 1954 and 1955
Specifications (Meteor F.8 modified), powerplant
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 centrifugal-flow turbojet engines, 3,500 lbf (16 kN) thrust each
Specifications (Meteor F.8 modified), engine
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Derwent 8 centrifugal-flow turbojet engines, 3,500 lbf (16 kN) thrust each
Specifications (Meteor F.8 modified), empty weight
Empty weight: 10,684 lb (4,846 kg)
Specifications (Meteor F.8 modified), gross weight
Gross weight: 15,700 lb (7,121 kg)
Specifications (Meteor F.8 modified), maximum speed
Maximum speed: 600 mph (970 km/h, 520 kn)
In Group: Jet Fighters and Interceptors, Lead, modified F8 fighter
A heavily modified Gloster Meteor F8 fighter, the "prone position/prone pilot" Meteor, was used by the Royal Air Force in 1954 and 1955
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