Utility Systems

Oxygen System

Aircrew breathing oxygen is provided with a 10-liter liquid oxygen bottle. A regulator panel is found on the left side in each cockpit - on the console in the front cockpit, and the left sub-panel in the rear. Flow is initiated in each cockpit using the Supply Lever (6) found on the regulator panel. Oxygen flow is confirmed using the Flow Indicator (3), which alternates from black to white for each breath (white indicates inhalation). Supply pressure and remaining volume is confirmed using the Oxygen Pressure (7) and Oxygen Quantity gauges (2) found in both cockpits.

A detailed chart of the Oxygen duration is provided here:

Canopies

The canopies are actuated by the pneumatic system. They are controlled independently between the two cockpits; handle for standard opening and closing is found on the left side of each cockpit, next to it there is the yellow and black emergency jettison handle. On the right side of the cockpit, in the same relative position, is the manual unlock lever which can be used to unlock the canopy in case of pneumatic system failure.

Each cockpit employs an inflatable canopy seal to seal the canopies for cockpit pressurization. The canopy seals are automatically inflated and deflated upon opening and closing of the canopies by using bleed air system.

Windshield Rain Removal

To clear precipitation, placing the Rain Removal Switch to ON will direct bleed air from the air conditioning system to an external vent below the windshield, breaking up rain water into smaller drops and blowing them off of the windshield. The system does increase the temperature of the windscreen, and may cause a WINDSHIELD TEMP HI lamp along with the MASTER CAUTION to illuminate. In this situation, the temperature is nearing that of optical distortion, and must be set to OFF immediately.

Due to high Mach frictional heating of the windscreen, the WINDSHIELD TEMP HI lamp can also illuminate with the system off; in that event, the warning can be disregarded.