<s>
A	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
is	O
an	O
instrumentation	O
sub-panel	O
located	O
in	O
the	O
cockpit	O
of	O
an	O
aircraft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
was	O
prevalently	O
used	O
during	O
the	O
Second	O
World	O
War	O
upon	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
aircraft	O
,	O
from	O
fighters	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Supermarine	O
Spitfire	O
,	O
to	O
bombers	O
and	O
trainers	O
alike	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
postwar	O
era	O
,	O
it	O
decreased	O
in	O
relevance	O
following	O
the	O
increasing	O
prevalence	O
of	O
onboard	O
radar	B-Application
sets	O
and	O
other	O
newer	O
navigational	O
aids	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
has	O
typically	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
necessarily	O
,	O
features	O
an	O
arrangement	O
of	O
six	O
key	O
flight	O
instruments	O
:	O
an	O
airspeed	O
indicator	O
(	O
ASI	O
)	O
,	O
an	O
artificial	O
horizon	O
,	O
an	O
altimeter	O
,	O
a	O
rate	O
of	O
climb	O
indicator	O
,	O
a	O
directional	B-Device
gyro	I-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
turn	O
and	O
slip	O
indicator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
of	O
the	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
's	O
instruments	O
were	O
either	O
pitot/static	O
-powered	O
or	O
vacuum	O
powered	O
,	O
the	O
latter	O
being	O
driven	O
via	O
a	O
vacuum	O
pump	O
fitted	O
onto	O
(	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
of	O
)	O
the	O
aircraft	O
's	O
engines	O
,	O
thus	O
making	O
the	O
instruments	O
independent	O
of	O
the	O
electrical	O
supply	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
was	O
usually	O
mounted	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
main	O
panel	O
,	O
typically	O
on	O
an	O
arrangement	O
of	O
three	O
rubber	O
suspension	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Around	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
the	O
Second	O
World	O
War	O
,	O
the	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
was	O
a	O
standardised	O
piece	O
of	O
cockpit	O
equipment	O
that	O
was	O
installed	O
on	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
aircraft	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
Royal	O
Air	O
Force	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
point	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
considered	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
typical	O
British	O
cockpit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
majority	O
of	O
fighter	O
aircraft	O
that	O
participated	O
in	O
the	O
Battle	B-Application
of	I-Application
Britain	I-Application
,	O
including	O
the	O
Hawker	O
Hurricane	O
and	O
Supermarine	O
Spitfire	O
,	O
were	O
so	O
provisioned	O
,	O
as	O
were	O
numerous	O
other	O
aircraft	O
,	O
even	O
trainers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
the	O
Messerschmitt	O
Bf	O
109	O
operated	O
by	O
the	O
Luftwaffe	O
were	O
not	O
furnished	O
with	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panels	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
United	O
States	O
developed	O
its	O
own	O
standardised	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
during	O
the	O
conflict	O
,	O
fitting	O
it	O
to	O
several	O
fighters	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Grumman	O
F6F	O
Hellcat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
early	O
postwar	O
era	O
aircraft	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
de	O
Havilland	O
Comet	O
,	O
the	O
world	O
's	O
first	O
jetliner	O
,	O
had	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panels	I-Device
amongst	O
their	O
navigational	O
instrumentation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
1950s	O
,	O
some	O
analysts	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
standard	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
was	O
increasingly	O
unable	O
to	O
meet	O
special	O
operational	O
requirements	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
pilots	O
to	O
view	O
radar	B-Application
imagery	O
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
the	O
night	O
fighter	O
role	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
panel	O
had	O
been	O
once	O
prolifically	O
used	O
in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nonetheless	O
,	O
the	O
blind	B-Device
flying	I-Device
panel	I-Device
continued	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
operational	O
aircraft	O
for	O
quite	O
some	O
time	O
,	O
In	O
addition	O
to	O
being	O
subject	O
to	O
numerous	O
studies	O
and	O
comparisons	O
drawn	O
with	O
newer	O
instrumentation	O
designs	O
.	O
</s>
