A prone pilot lies on their stomach rather than seated in a normal upright or reclining position.

During the 1930s, glider designer Reimar Horten began developing a prone position for his flying wing gliders. However it proved uncomfortable and he later settled on a semi-prone arrangement with the knees somewhat lowered.

During World War II it was suggested that a pilot in the prone position might be more effective in some kinds of high-speed aircraft, because it would permit the pilot to withstand a greater g-force in the upward and downward direction with respect to the plane. The fuselage could also be made shallower and therefore have reduced weight and drag. Many speculative designs of the late-war and early postwar periods featured this arrangement, and several prototypes were built or converted to test the idea. However testing revealed difficulties in maintaining a head-up attitude to see forward and in operating some controls. These problems outweighed the advantages and the position was never adopted for high-speed flight.

Many modern hang gliders, developed since the 1960s, typically offer a prone pilot position during flight, with the pilot lowering their legs and standing upright only when taking off or landing.

List of aircraft with prone pilots

Many hang gliders since the 1960s have allowed the pilot to lie prone in flight. These are not included here.

TypeCountryClassRoleDateStatusNo.Notes
Akaflieg Berlin B9Germany
Akaflieg Stuttgart fs17Germany
Armstrong Whitworth AW.171UKSupersonicExperimental1957Project0Never ordered.
Beecraft Wee BeeUSATractorPrivate1948Prototype1
Blohm & Voss BV 40Germany
DFS 228Germany
DFS Liege-KranichGermany
Farrar V-1 Flying WingUSA
FMA I.Ae. 37Argentina
Gloster Meteor F8 "Prone Pilot"UKJetExperimental1954Prototype1Conversion of standard aircraft
Guerchais-Roche ÉmouchetFrance
Henschel Hs 132Germany
Horten H.IIIGermanyGlider
Horten H.IVGermanyGlider
Horten H.VIGermanyGlider
Ikarus 232 PionrYugoslavia1
Ikarus S-451YugoslaviaTractorExperimental1952Prototype1Enlarged 232. First 451 built.
Lamson PL-1 QuarkUSA
Northrop XP-79USAJetFighter1945Prototype1Flying wing
Reid and Sigrist R.S.3 DesfordUK
Savoia-Marchetti SM.93Italy
Ultra-Efficient Products PenetraterUSAPusherUltralight1985
Wright FlyerUSAPusherExperimental1903Prototype1
Wright Flyer IIUSAPusherExperimental1904Prototype1
Wright Flyer IIIUSAPusherExperimental1905Prototype1Photos also show the pilot sitting up.

Bibliography

  • Prizeman, R.; "Getting down to it", Flight, 1953, pp.584 ff. (First page: Internet Archive).
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