Is It More Comfortable to Fly in Economy Class or in the F-16 Cockpit?

Many of you have travelled in economy class, in a standard seat on a passenger plane. You know, you've experienced how boring air travel can be when you're stuck in an aisle or window seat for a couple of hours, unless you're in an aisle or window seat. You have experienced that this kind of airline travel can make you feel like you are trapped. A narrow-bodied Boeing 737 or Airbus 320 type passenger aircraft with six seats side by side in a row, three on the right and three on the left, with an aisle in between, is the standard passenger aircraft that most of us travel in the country. In such a plane, perhaps those sitting by the window may be a little lucky and can console themselves by travelling with a view of the outside. Those in the aisle can also console themselves that they will not feel cramped. But what about those in the middle of the two? Side seats on wide-body aircraft are relatively more comfortable and cosy than those on narrow-body aircraft. However, sitting side by side in the middle section, usually in 6 seats, sometimes even surpasses the travelling conditions in narrow-body aircraft. As a result, unfortunately, these journeys cannot offer a comfort beyond travelling by flying bus. However, if you have the opportunity to travel in the upper segment, first class (first/business class), it is undoubtedly possible to have a much more comfortable journey. In private business jets, this comfort can increase even more.

But how comfortable is travelling from one place to another in the cockpit of a fighter jet? Let me tell you from the beginning, it is much better and more comfortable than economy class. When you first see the cockpits of modern fighter jets, they may seem narrow and tiny to your eyes. You may think, how can a person sit here for hours and use the aircraft? You may undoubtedly be right in your feelings. Indeed, the cockpits of today's aeroplanes are very small, too narrow to leave much space for the pilot to play. Cockpits are made like narrow rooms with buttons and devices all around. It has to be done.

Let's visualise the pilot's 'office, workroom' through the F-16 cockpit. Let's try to understand the kind of environment in which the pilot works and travels, and compare the seats in passenger planes with the seats of fighter pilots. By the way, I am consciously not talking about the seats and facilities in the cockpits of passenger aircraft, because the comfort area offered to the pilot in the cockpit of a passenger aircraft is incomparably higher than those in the cockpits of fighter jets. I know because I flew as a pilot in a private airline for about a year. The two environments are incomparable! 

Before sitting in the F-16 seat, as a pilot, you need to put on a flight suit made of fireproof fabric and instead of a conventional shoe, you need to wear a flight boot in case you need to parachute out of the aircraft, in case your ankles break. The pilot must attach himself to the parachute system mounted behind the pilot's seat in the aeroplane in such a way as not to disturb the pilot. In order to do this, the harness system is needed, which the pilot comes from the squadron wearing over the flight suit before boarding the aircraft. Let's call it a kind of hunting vest or flight harness. In addition, in highly manoeuvrable aircraft such as the F-16, in order to withstand loads up to 7-9 times your own weight, and in order for the oxygen carried in the blood to keep your brain 'alive' and your consciousness open when you are exposed to these loads for a certain period of time, you need to wear a G-suit, which is activated at high Gs, over the flight suit. A flight helmet and oxygen mask must be worn on your head. In night flights, it may be necessary to add night vision goggles, which are sometimes mounted on the helmet, to these standard flight suits. When the pilot with these clothes and equipment on board the aircraft, he/she looks like a robot from the outside. "The cockpit of the aircraft is tiny, how can the pilot move inside the aircraft with these clothes and equipment?" The question may inevitably come to the minds of outsiders. 

Let us assume for a moment that any passenger on an airline aircraft has to travel dressed as a fighter pilot! If such an obligation existed, very few people would choose to travel by air. Yes, indeed, no airline passenger can endure the clothing and equipment that a fighter pilot has to wear during the flight. Despite this reality, I still prefer the seat of the F-16 pilot, and why?

When the pilot sits in his assigned seat in the cockpit (what a privilege in a single-seat aircraft!), although the space next to the seat is not very abundant, when the canopy is closed, he has plenty of space behind and around him, behind the console area, to put his small belongings. Of course, the pilot must be strapped into the F-16 seat with a lap belt. He must also attach both shoulder belts to the harness connections coming down from his shoulders. Contrary to popular belief, these connections do not bother the pilot much. They are things that get used to in a short time. In cases where the pilot somehow has to jump out of the aircraft with his chair, they are connections designed to connect the pilot to the parachute. These connections are neither tight nor loose, but they certainly do not interfere with the pilot's movement in the cockpit. 

I can say that the worst part of long journeys in an F-16 fighter aircraft is actually the part until the moment of attachment to the aircraft, to that chair. After that, it is easy, comfortable. An F-16 pilot, despite the clothes and equipment he is wearing, does not feel the cramped state that an airline passenger (I cannot think of an overweight, burly person) sitting in one of the B or E seats in the cabin of a narrow-body aircraft feels, and that bad feeling does not occur in him. On the contrary, he feels as if he is sitting in a spacious seat, as if he has come home to a warm nest. 

When he starts the F-16's engine and closes the canopy, he has already placed his bag behind the seat, where he can put the small snacks he carries with him and a cold water bottle or two. The pilot is now ready for a journey as comfortable as possible. There are also pilots who carry Camelpack-style bags. Thus, they can access water more easily when they need it. 

Fighter jet seats are designed to provide comfort and support to pilots during high performance flights. They are typically made of lightweight materials and are equipped to some extent with adjustable headrests, lumbar supports and seat belts to ensure a secure fit. The construction of these seats may vary from aircraft to aircraft. For a good sitting position, the F-16 seat is tilted 30 degrees. The pilot is lucky. Because he does not have a passenger sitting behind him who warns him, "Please do not recline your seat back!". In reality, the pilot's chair is manufactured and mounted on the aircraft with this fixed reclining angle. This inclined structure enables the pilot to withstand high Gs while offering a comfortable ride. Thus, you can sit back and relax while flying. In addition, the rudder pedals are ergonomic enough not to disturb you. This structure, which allows you to extend your legs as far as they can reach, allows you to sit in a body position close to first-class passenger comfort. This is almost impossible to do in a commercial aircraft. 

Do F-16s Have an Air Conditioning System Like Cars?

Another great thing about the F-16 is that the climate control actually works quite well. Recently, after a long break, I boarded a Cessna 172 type aircraft used for training purposes in flight schools. The weather that day was quite hot for my luck. It was around 35°C. Think of old cars without air conditioning. That day I had the feeling that I was sitting in those cars without air conditioning. 

However, there is a ventilation hole right in front of the F-16 Pilot, and the control panel can be automatically adjusted to maintain a certain temperature, or the aircraft systems can be made to continuously blow air that can vary between "hot" and "cold", just like we do with the control knob of a modern luxury car. The air conditioning system in the F-16 (Environmental Control System (ECS)) is functionally much better than the system you can find in any car. On a hot day, when the temperature is 40-45°C on the ground, let's say you go up to 35,000 feet, the outside temperature can be minus 50°C! This means that the pilot is exposed to a total temperature change of 90-95°C. Therefore, just as travelling in old cars was difficult in the old era, flying in old aircraft was also difficult in terms of weather conditions. Pilots and other flight crew had to be very 'tightly dressed'. As the aircraft have modernised, air conditioning systems have also become more modern. There is no need for tight clothing.

In a previous article, I explained in detail that when it comes to personal needs in a fighter aircraft, you can take a "needs break" by using a special bag you carry with you without even standing up. This is much easier than standing up, crawling over your seatmate, waiting in line in front of the lavatory and then having to relieve yourself in a cramped environment in a small commercial aircraft toilet. Also, the fasten seatbelt sign or any other rule or restriction on when and how you can go to the toilet does not apply in the fighter cockpit.

While flying in the F-16 cockpit, pilots use flight helmets specially produced for them. Thus, even on long flights, they can fly as if they have nothing on their heads. Again, pilots use special moulded headphones that can be attached to the helmet for comfortable and easy radio communication. This headphone system also offers an additional convenience for listening to music on long flights. Thanks to these and the helmet's built-in ear protection, the sound level in the cockpit is actually surprisingly quiet. Certainly quieter than a normal car driving at high speeds on a motorway, the pilot is travelling and flying his aircraft. 

"Fighter aircraft" and "comfort" rarely appear in the same sentence. Nevertheless, I think you will agree that flying fighter jets is more comfortable than travelling by air! Moreover, flying at high altitude is also very beautiful. While you are in the tiny cockpit that surrounds you, when you go up to 30,000 feet and above, for a fighter pilot sitting in the F-16 seat, which gives the feeling of sitting outside the canopy, the pleasure of watching the magnificent view outside is great. On nights with very good visibility conditions, you can feel close enough to wave to Uludağ over Izmir. The only thing missing is the hot coffee service in the passenger aircraft, which is now possible with hot thermoses. The privilege of enjoying the journey in the cockpit of an F-16, whose view is incomparably more beautiful than the one seen from the passenger window, remains only for the fighter pilot in that aircraft. 

Have a good flight