Читать книгу Aeroplane Construction and Operation онлайн

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Many modern single seat chasers have the gun pivoted to the top of the fuselage so that the pilot can fire above the top plane and to either side of the body. This does away with the difficulty of keeping the machine headed directly at the enemy when in action, a method that is imperative with the fixed type of gun. Two seater chasers are generally arranged so that the gunner is seated back of the pilot, and the gun is so pivoted and supported that it can be swung through a wide radius both toward the front and on either side. This freedom of gun action at least partly compensates for the slower maneuvering qualities of the two seater type, since the gun may be swung with the target through quite a range of field, and without changing the flight direction of the machine. A gun of this type is provided with stops which prevent the gunner from shooting into the outlying parts of his own machine. The gun mounting in many cases of two seater construction consists of a light circular track that runs around the edge of the cockpit opening. The gun standard runs on this track, and the gun is pivoted at the upper end of the standard so that the muzzle can be raised or lowered. The gun turns in a horizontal plane by sliding on the track, and can be followed around by the gunner who is seated in the center on a pivoted seat. With this mounting it is possible to guard against a rear attack, to shoot straight up, or nearly straight down over the sides of the fuselage.