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RV Dog Fighting

N941WR

Legacy Member
RV Dogfighting

One of my favorite pictures of N164BL to date. Need to check six more.

39017936855_97e2b92da2_b.jpg
Brad's picture got me thinking about what it would take to create "laser tag" for our RV's.

The art of dogfighting is not something to be taken lightly and the risk level goes up exponentially when two unexperienced pilots start dogfighting. Like aerobatics, please do not try dogfighting without proper training.

With that said, I hope this doesn't turn into a negative, you are going to kill yourself thread...

If any of you are interested in figuring this out, I would like to hear suggestions.

We will need at least one "gun" hung on the tiedown "hardpoint" like these cameras:
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They will have to be wired (or wireless) to a trigger switch. (It would be cool, but not a requirement, to sound "machineguns" in the shooter's headset.)

Then we will need receptors on the "target" plane and a way to get sound into the headphones of the person who is shot down and maybe a "you are killed light".
Would we need receptors on the wings, tail, sides, tops, bottoms, where?
Simple would be to put them on the back of the "gun" but they would be blanketed if "shot" from above.

Thoughts and comments are appreciated.
 
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How "realistic" do you want it? Bore sight only? Or do you want to simulate bullet drop and time-of-flight? Does ranging only affect the "shooter" or does the "you've been hit" annunciator in the prey somehow know this as well?

Also, I'd offer that a laser is maybe one way of doing it but there are others. I built an iPhone app called "Pipper" that uses computer vision to detect an aircraft in frame (in much the same way as a camera app puts a rectangle around a face). Knowing the approximate wingspan and some camera details, it can calculate a fairly good range estimate. Keep the other aircraft centered for a predefined period of time and you get an automatic point. Worked ok, except it wasn't focused at infinity and therefore was a safety issue as your visual focus must switch back and forth. A proper HUD might solve this.

ETA: Our rules of engagement that we brief, fly, and de-brief by: link
 
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The art of dogfighting is not something to be taken lightly and the risk level goes up exponentially when two unexperienced pilots start dogfighting. Like aerobatics, please do not try dogfighting without proper training.

Todays dogfighting would be easy to do. Pick out someone off your ADS-B that is less than 100 miles away and pull the trigger. Get your ADS-B to drop that target from your display. Entire kill chain simulated.

Seriously I would not try to use any kind of laser.

Maybe some sort of 3D “find my friend” app and a cheap auto HUD to display on your windscreen.
 
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Another photo

Here's "Bulldog Flight" chasing the Bulldog! What fun!
Getting that "lock on" tone would be fun.

The photo was shot with a long lense. We are further apart than it looks.
Thanks to Sara Works for the photo.

Mark

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not to be a buzz kill.....

we all love to play cool games in our planes but here is an example of a fun flying day, a little dog fighting play and one less airplane returning to the field.

keep it safe..


http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2010/a10o0018/a10o0018.pdf

Aircraft flight path management is critical, whether engaging in a little rat racing, basic aerobatics, or even a cross country trip on a nice sunny day. We can find of examples of crashes which happened during each of those activities, and so I would suggest that the key to preventing such a mishap isn't simply not doing something but rather training, preparation, and discipline.
 
we all love to play cool games in our planes but here is an example of a fun flying day, a little dog fighting play and one less airplane returning to the field.
I think you'll find that the cause of the incident was pilot error in flying the aircraft beyond it's limits, not the tail-chasing that was going on.

As others have said many times before, and as the local lottery corporation says in their commercials: "Know your limit, play within it"
 
not to be a buzz kill.....

we all love to play cool games in our planes but here is an example of a fun flying day, a little dog fighting play and one less airplane returning to the field.

keep it safe..


http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/2010/a10o0018/a10o0018.pdf

Rick, I have sat in on ChiefPilot's debriefings. Even though the group is made up of civilian pilots they have a thorough understanding of ACM/BFM and operate in a safe, professional manner. Through the use of air-to-air video, their debriefs equal those that I experienced in military exercises such as Red Flag/Maple Flag.
 
my post

I didnt post that accident report to criticize or stop anyone from having fun. We all love our planes. Just figured a read of it might get a couple weekend warriors to slow it down or think a bit before getting too wrapped up in top gun high g's on the weekend.

Carry on, just remember they are homebuilts not extras.
 
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