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Tail dragger question

Stockmanreef

Well Known Member
I am building 14a, but i was just wondering something about a tail dragger.

Has anyone mounted camera(s) to the plane such that they could use the real time video to taxi? Have the video pop up on an iPad or something. this way you would not have to turn back and forth to see as you go.

Just curious.
 
All of the tail dragged RV's are designed so that if a pilot adjusts ther seating height to where it should be, he can see the ground close enough out front that s turning isn't usually needed.
 
All of the tail dragged RV's are designed so that if a pilot adjusts ther seating height to where it should be, he can see the ground close enough out front that s turning isn't usually needed.

I totally agree with Scott - these aren?t Stearmans, seeing over the nose is easy. I have a FLIR camera mounted to an access panel, and have taxied with it in the dark - the field of view is very narrow, and you can easily lose situational awareness staring at the screen.
 
Message M McGraw on the forums about the cheap car backup camera he used. I initially dismissed the idea but after riding along with Marvin during a little taxiing the camera was defenitely worth the effort of installing, didn?t cost any more than buying someone a decent lunch and added a unseen view.
It is an aid to situational awareness especially at nonstandard airports, looking out the window always takes prcendence but a camera view of the unseen can?t hurt when used correctly.
 
Camera

I too mounted a camera under my right wing in the inboard access panel. The G3X system accepts composite video input. Be certain to purchase a camera that can be forward looking (normally by clipping a wire); otherwise, your video will be a mirror image.
 
I have a camera in my left nostril (ouch) connected into my SkyView video input. If fly the Rocket, so view over the nose is impossible.

I do wish for higher resolution and a narrower FOV, but it does help on narrow taxiways to see pedestrians or other aircraft. Narrow taxiways limit S-turns, so the camera helps.

It's a nice to have, not a must have.

v
 
Good humor.....
A point to ponder though....
Unlike a Pitts, Extra, or similar aircraft where the canopy prevents the pilot from being seated high enough to view over the nose straight ahead, the RV-14 does not.
Assuming everyone?s ego is the same, so too are the size and placements of our head and eyes. It?s the body parts that differ which require elevation to put the eyes in the ideal spot. Not only for viewing ahead while we taxi, but more importantly for the ideal site picture during takeoff and landing. Spotting traffic.

To answer the ops, as Scott did, zig zagging while taxing not necessary when seated properly. At 6?3?, I sit on a 3? cushion, not too much lean, Bose headset about 1? below canopy allowing room for the geezer shade. Pedals are almost full forward. The view forward is very satisfactory. No issues.

I believe anyone 5?8? or taller should be fine. Shorter individuals should seek ?hand on/in the seat? guidance from the factory before making a commitment.

R
 
Just one more thing...

Forgot to mention this install is with a tip-up canopy, and when it's +90?F at the surface, I like to taxi with the canopy open.

Even at 6'3" with properly adjusted seats, you cannot see through the C-702, even when S-turning; a camera really helps with forward vis.

I am also using 150N gas struts instead of the 100N, so the canopy stays open. I know...I deviated from the plans here and the airframe will probably disintegrate from the flutter. I'll get to work on the FEA.

>:)

B
 
If you are considering using an auto backup camera, be aware that many are not designed for continuous duty. I ran into this while sourcing a back up camera for my skid steer.
Evidently, they can overheat leading to premature failure.

I have no personal experience but chose a ?rear view? camera that was continuous duty.
There are also good wireless rear view cameras out there that could simplify your install. They just need power.

As for the comment about needing to look over the nose for sight picture on landing, that isn?t how I was taught or fly. The sight picture should be developed using your periphery, not over the nose.
 
As for the comment about needing to look over the nose for sight picture on landing, that isn?t how I was taught or fly. The sight picture should be developed using your periphery, not over the nose.

Jon,

I agree that learning to use the peripheral sight picture is an import part of landing well, but if you are implying that the rest of the view is not important, I strongly disagree.

The peripheral view is only a part of the equation.
Sitting high in the seat to get the best over the nose visibility possibly also has an influence on how good the diagonal visibility across the cowl to the sides is as well. This has been proven repeatedly to have an influence on how well someone does learning landings. Mike Seagar carry's a good selection of spacer cushions to use with students to help get them adjusted to a good seating height.

Not meaning to imply that anyone should ever be looking at a fwd looking camera while landing though...... I think that would be a very bad idea.
 
I can see over the nose when I'm doing wheelies and I use that along with peripheral vision.
 
As for the comment about needing to look over the nose for sight picture on landing, that isn?t how I was taught or fly. The sight picture should be developed using your periphery, not over the nose.[/QUOTE]

Maybe in the ?Spirit of St Louis?. :eek:

R
 
Jon,

I agree that learning to use the peripheral sight picture is an import part of landing well, but if you are implying that the rest of the view is not important, I strongly disagree.

The peripheral view is only a part of the equation.
Sitting high in the seat to get the best over the nose visibility possibly also has an influence on how good the diagonal visibility across the cowl to the sides is as well. This has been proven repeatedly to have an influence on how well someone does learning landings. Mike Seagar carry's a good selection of spacer cushions to use with students to help get them adjusted to a good seating height.

Not meaning to imply that anyone should ever be looking at a fwd looking camera while landing though...... I think that would be a very bad idea.

I was referring to the airplanes periphery addressing the comment that one can look straight over the center of the nose of RV?s.
You described it well.
 
I completely understand the ask and appreciate the idea. IMO, the dangerous part of having a taxi screen like a backup camera in the cockpit is that we'll look at it when we really should be looking outside and maintaining strong situational awareness.

...just my 2 cents. Be aware and don't get lulled in to a false sense of security having a camera trying to show you something on an iPad. Look out the window.

- Peter
 
Camera

Dangerous?

The direction this thread has gone is fascinating. An underwing camera is a tool, nothing more nothing less. The G3X system (and probably others) allows for composite video input. We paid for that feature, but some suggest we not use it. I do not see why anyone would suggest it become a primary instrument or that anyone would become dependent.

With proper cushions I can see quite well over the nose of my -14. A camera merely enhances that view at a cost of $15. It is difficult to purchase a new car without a backup camera and yet we drove for years without it. Are we dependent now?
 
It is difficult to purchase a new car without a backup camera and yet we drove for years without it. Are we dependent now?

The guy who backed into my car in a parking lot last year sure was. If he'd been looking around instead of staring at his dashboard, maybe he'd have seen me. (in fairness, if I'd been keeping my head on a swivel instead of just looking inside my turn while backing from the other side of the aisle, I probably would have seen him)

That's not to say that I'm down on the idea of cameras, whether it's for reversing or taxiing. Humans are really good at misusing tools of all kinds, but that fact doesn't make the tools worthless.
 
I have a 9. I am only 5?6? and have no problem seeing over the glare shield to land or taxi. I have one of the smaller wedges under my seat bottom cushion and my seat back is in the forward position.
Forward visibility and peripheral view are all the cues I need to be comfortable and safe. And this is my first TD.
 
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