REPLACEMENT GLARESHIELD OBSTRUCTS FORWARD VISION AND THE USE OF THE 'WET' COMPASS.

Narrative

REDUCED OUTSIDE VISIBILITY BY GLARESHIELD. SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT THE NEW COVER THAT HAS BEEN ADDED ABOVE THE FLT GUIDANCE PANEL ON S80 ACFT. AS THIS NEW PART SEEMS TO VIRTUALLY VOID THE USE OF WET COMPASS MIRRORS AND MAINT HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE PROB; MAYBE YOU CAN HELP FROM A SAFETY STANDPOINT. SINCE YRS HAVE PASSED WITH THE LOSS OF A THIRD SET OF EYES IN COCKPIT; HOW CAN WE ALLOW OUR ACFT TO BE FLOWN WITH AT LEAST A 15 PERCENT LOSS OF FORWARD VISIBILITY FROM INSIDE COCKPIT. OUR ONLY FORWARD MEANS OF LOOKING OUT IS BTWN THE OVERHEAD PANEL AND THE GLARESHIELD COVER. THIS AVERAGES ABOUT 7 INCHES OF UNOBSTRUCTED AREA BTWN THE 2 ON ACFT WITH THE OLD COVER OVER THE FLT GUIDANCE PANEL. ON THE FEW ACFT WITH THIS NEW PART; IT IS ONLY 6 INCHES. YOU WORK IT OUT AND IT'S A LOT OF FORWARD VISIBILITY LOST. COMPARE THIS ACFT A WITH ONLY 6.1 INCHES OF CLR VISIBILITY AND THE ONE WE FLEW IN ACFT B WHICH HAS 7.3 INCHES OF SPACING BTWN OVERHEAD AND GLARESHIELD COVER OR ACFT C WITH 7 INCHES AND YOU CAN HOPEFULLY SEE THE DILEMMA OF TRYING TO FIND AN INTRUDER ACFT BELOW YOUR FIELD OF VISION. THIS IS NOT THE SAFEST OP WITH THIS PART. THIS PART SHOULD SIT ON TOP OF FLT GUIDANCE PANEL LIKE BEFORE INSTEAD OF 0.5 TO 0.75 INCHES OF GAP. ACFT D IS LIKE THIS ALSO. ASKING THE PLT TO RAISE HIS SEAT HIGHER ALLOWS USE OF WET COMPASS MIRRORS; HOWEVER IT FURTHER REDUCES YOUR OUTSIDE FORWARD VISIBILITY. CAN SOMEONE LOOK INTO THIS A LITTLE DEEPER BEFORE THERE IS A LARGER SAFETY PROB RELATED TO THIS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR HAS WON HIS CRUSADE! HIS ACR HAS AGREED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE OFFENDING GLARESHIELD PANELS; 'THERE WERE ONLY 50 OR 60 OF THEM;' AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SEVERAL PLTS HAD JOINED THE FIGHT AND WERE THREATENING TO REFUSE TO FLY THE ACFT FROM OUTLYING STATIONS.