The drawing is from some Polish Spit book I got from the net. It shows a Mk XIVe, a Griffon 65 Spit (5 blade propellor). IIRC FR XIV`s mounted the bubble canopies, not sure about the standard F XIV ever mounted one. I don`t know the Spit cowlings too well, but it serves the purpose as the relative dimensions are correct to each other. And the tailwheel is non retracted since it shows the plane on the ground... also as K-4. It would be nice to get similiar views from the cocpit to illustrate better, but I don`t have good Spit cocpit photos - the one I have is a bit unfair as the camera is low. On the 109 photos, I can see the whole cowling very well.
It`s worth to check out this. Video done inside of a Bf 109G to illustrate what the pilot saw. Not that restricted as the popular myth says IMHO.
http://www.jagdgeschwader4.de/Flugzeuge/Me109/JG4-Film-109.AVIAlso, I don`t believe the Spit`s cocpit was any roomier than the 109`s. I could test either (sadly I missed the 109E that was restored here..), so it`s a bit theoretical, but al the photos I seen of both cocpits actually tells me the Spit is just as small, if not smaller. Perhaps there`s more headroom.. In any case, I don`t get why that much of a talk about cocpit size. Spit and 109 were interceptors, not escort/LR fighters.. Besides, I don`t feel uncomfortable in my car, even though I doubt it would have any more room than the 109`s cocpit. It`s not an issue. Most WW2 fighters were "cramped", with rather few exception, usually radials that were wide enough to start with.
Re: 109 canopy.. I don`t think the non-open state was much of a problem. As for easyness of dropping the canopy, you only had to pull two levers, and bye-bye... a swinging canopy has much less chance of jamming than a sliding one. Messerscmitt kept this even on the Me 262. I guess he had a reason. Personally, I have never heard dying inside a turnover 109 was anything common. In fact, I heard a lot of stories to the opposite, pilots crawling out from 109s that did travel a hundred meter - while looping on it`s wings... if one looks on the Messer`s front canopy struts, he can see what massive bolted steel pieces are used. The razorback design also helps a lot, the plane would rest on these two, instead of smashing our flyier`s head. And from G-6 onwards, the Revi 16B gunsight was mounted, it could be swinged down before crashlanding, in order to keep it away from the pilot`s face.
Angus, you can see on this picture how high the eyeline was in a 109, as on my drawings :
http://www.jagdgeschwader4.de/Flugzeuge/Me109/Fotos/Bilder/Bf-109-G2%20(7)_JPG.jpg .
And here a good photo from the cocpit :
_JPG.jpg)
**Khmmm*** I wish I had a similiar good quality photo of a Spit`s cocpit...