If those cockpits could be redesigned to fit the average pilot in the 1950s, the problem should be solved, the Air Force concluded. So how many pilots actually fell into the definition of average after this enormous undertaking? None, Rose reports. Every single pilot had what Rose called a “jagged profile.” Some had long legs, while others had long arms. The height never corresponded with the same chest or head size. And so on. The revised cockpits designed for everyone actually fit no one. When the Air Force finally swept aside the baseline assumptions, the adjustable seat was born. There’s
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