I was playing Alliance on Devapp the other day, dodging a particularly nasty boss ship. As I hid behind a bluff, I wondered if it would be safe to go up and over, or if the ship was just on the other side. At that moment, I thought, "I wish I had a periscope."
Then it hit me. That would be a very useful pilot tool to actually have.
The tool would connect the user's view to a fixed point on the highest point of the ship. It would allow only horizontal movement with minor zoom abilities. The view would also coincide with the ship bobbing. Other ships could be spotted if they line up with the crosshairs, which makes it more difficult due to having no vertical movement.