av8rps
10-28-2017, 07:05 AM
I've had an idea for a few years now but keep forgetting to share it. So here goes;
This morning I was enjoying one of Trent's great videos on You Tube and heard him talking about how impossible it is to see forward when on the ground in his Kitfox due to big tires, extended gear, and the round cowl. That jarred my memory to share my idea of how we can easily gain forward visibility on airplanes that have poor or none forward visibility (remember a few years back where a TBM Avenger taxied "through" a RV-6 at OSH because the TBM had no forward visibility...) Tragic accidents like that don't have to happen. We are in the 20th century.
We need to utilize digital camera video technology to help us see what is in front of us. Why not mount a small camera high in the cabin that shows what you can't see at eye level? Or mount it in or under the cowl, under the gear, out on a wing strut, etc, etc. Anywhere that would give you a view that you otherwise wouldn't have. Then tie that video to a screen somewhere in the plane that you can easily see, like your Dynon, Garmin, an I-pad, or if you have to, even your smart phone. There are also readily available cheap Bluetooth cameras with apps that work with phones and tablets if you don't have a glass panel to tie into.
So we have all these cameras all over and in our plane that give us these mega-cool videos, but we still can't see what is in front of us when we are on the ground? We need to make better use of that technology.
I'm willing to bet this one silly little idea could save a lot of people from having accidents. But as far as I know, no one is doing it.
So maybe the Kitfox community could show the rest of the world how to do it, and help create a safety trend in aviation that is way over due.
Paul
This morning I was enjoying one of Trent's great videos on You Tube and heard him talking about how impossible it is to see forward when on the ground in his Kitfox due to big tires, extended gear, and the round cowl. That jarred my memory to share my idea of how we can easily gain forward visibility on airplanes that have poor or none forward visibility (remember a few years back where a TBM Avenger taxied "through" a RV-6 at OSH because the TBM had no forward visibility...) Tragic accidents like that don't have to happen. We are in the 20th century.
We need to utilize digital camera video technology to help us see what is in front of us. Why not mount a small camera high in the cabin that shows what you can't see at eye level? Or mount it in or under the cowl, under the gear, out on a wing strut, etc, etc. Anywhere that would give you a view that you otherwise wouldn't have. Then tie that video to a screen somewhere in the plane that you can easily see, like your Dynon, Garmin, an I-pad, or if you have to, even your smart phone. There are also readily available cheap Bluetooth cameras with apps that work with phones and tablets if you don't have a glass panel to tie into.
So we have all these cameras all over and in our plane that give us these mega-cool videos, but we still can't see what is in front of us when we are on the ground? We need to make better use of that technology.
I'm willing to bet this one silly little idea could save a lot of people from having accidents. But as far as I know, no one is doing it.
So maybe the Kitfox community could show the rest of the world how to do it, and help create a safety trend in aviation that is way over due.
Paul