4 Place Visibility over the nose

[corefile]

Ok so trying to get a good idea of visibility of the 4 place (over the nose, especially when in a 3 point stance), I've watched every video I can find, but looking for comparison with a Cessna 180 since that is what I'm most familiar with. Anyone out there with 180 time want to comment on the visibility of the bearhawk over that long nose?

[jaredyates]

It varies with so many factors, like where you like to position the seat, how thick you make your seat cushions, how you make your seat frames, how big your main and tailwheel tires are, etc. For me, there is a blind spot, but it is manageable. How far are is your location from a flying Bearhawk?

[EricP]

I am interested in this too! Looking forward to what someone can tell us.

[Battson]

I'll be honest.

So, the short answer is: Yes, visibility is worse* with a whole pile of caveats on that statement. All those caveats make the answer effectively a "no".

The long answer:
I am about 6'3" and with my seat cushion, there isn't much head clearance on the 4130N steel frame. I have tried using a second cushion to get even higher, but then the angles at my ankles become too acute and it's very hard to accurately control the rudder and toe-brake pedals.
In other words, my head is as high as it can really go.

Take note, my cowl is about 2" longer than the average cowl, to make room for my air intake (there are other, better solutions to that problem).

In my opinion, BH visibility is worse than your standard 180 / 185 parked at the ramp, but not in a way that's significant in most operational situations. Bushwheels on the 180 would upset that advantage to more of a level playing field.

Taxiing, there is a large blindspot extending almost to the horizon level, from the centreline right through to about the 2-o'clock position (left seat pilot). S-turns are necessary if people, animals, or even small aircraft in front of you, otherwise you can't always see them. I have had one surprise when I didn't see a person I was taxiing toward during a fly-in.
For taxiing, you are looking from left of centerline to guide the aircraft, which is easy on normal aircraft surfaces, harder off airport - but not a huge issue.

Landing, at very low airspeeds is another story. Be clear, the following isn't necessary for a "normal" landing. For a real STOL number, the nose angle is unusually high, 20 or 30 degrees up is possible.
You need to put your head against the window and look around the cowling, to see the landing site and gauge your approach. You also need to keep doing this on the ground, to properly observe any small obstacles as you approach them. This can be tricky on the rollout, but I think I've demonstrated that it's not a problem. Of course a wheel landing fixes that problem.

Again, though you can see a little better from a 180, it's not a critical advantage. They also suffer the same issues in a STOL landing, and you can't see what's directly approaching your wheels in the three point attitude.

But -be under no illusions, STOL in a Bearhawk isn't like landing a STOL Hornet where you can see almost everything. You are working with a limited view of the landing area.

[Erbman]

You certainly can't see straight ahead. If I lean my head to the left near the window I can see forward through the triangle at the lower left corner of the windshield. I can see the centerline anywhere more than about 100 feet in front of me. I avoid s-turning mostly by clearing the area before turning or by using someone in the right seat to clear on that side, Anything from about 12:03 to 2:00 o'clock is blind.

If the taxiway is wide enough, it is better to keep the left wheel on the centerline than to keep the aircraft centered. For skinny taxiways I just stay a few feet from the edge of the taxiway.

Go taxi in the back seat of a T-6 where s-turns are mandatory. After that you will think the Bearhawk has a field of view almost as good as a Cessna 172.

[whee]

I have no time in a C180 other than sitting in the seat on the ramp so I can't compare. Going from a Luscombe, which has great visibility, to a BH was a non issue. Sure the nose sticks out there but it never bothered me a bit. Stick 35s on it like Blackrock did and yeah...visibility might suffer.