Late last fall I started to design a series of databases which would support contributors uploading their photos of aircraft to Aerial Visuals. The design has been implemented and the first set of tools using these new databases is now available. The creation of the photo upload tool was in response to a nuber of requests for this feature. I hope those who requested this are happy with the results. The follow should help explain how it works.
Many of you are likely aware of the Location Dossiers as I have posted links to them on WIX before. A Location Dossier details the location of an airframe or a collection of airframes and provides limited airframe information. I have now created the Airframe Dossier which details the history of an airframe, including manufacturer construction numbers, military serial numbers, civil registrations, owners, links to the Location Dossiers of locations where they have been/are displayed, anecdotes, etc.. In addition the Airframe Dossiers are to include photos of the airframe at various points in history.
It really doesn’t make sense to explain it all in text, but rather I should let you see for yourself. To that point I have used the collection of Vintage Wings of Canada as an example. Here is the Location Dossier for Vintage Wings…
Aerial Visuals - Location Dossier - Vintage Wings of Canada
If you scroll down to the bottom of the Dossier you will come to the Site List. You will notice it now includes links to Airframe Dossiers, one for each plane in the collection. Click a link an Airframe Dossier link. Here is a direct link to the dossier for the Mustang…
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - North American Mustang IV North American, s/n 9575 RCAF, c/n 122-39922, c/r CF-VPM
In the dossier you will see the detailed history of the airframe including photos and more importantly is the link which immediately follows the airframe history. This link takes you to a page where you can upload a photo. On this page you provide the date the photo was taken, a few comments about the photo if you choose and select the photo to upload from your computer. Once uploaded you are taken to a page where you can edit the details of the photo and are also given a link to page where your recently uploaded photo may be viewed. Here is an example of an uploaded photo…
Aerial Visuals - Airframe Photo - North American Mustang IV North American, s/n 9575 RCAF, c/n 122-39922, c/r CF-VPM
For now photos will be limited in size to a maximum of 1000 pixels in height and width. I do not have unlimited server space or bandwidth, so I must have this restriction in place.
It is worth noting that there is not yet an Airframe Dossier for every airframe listed for every Location Dossier. Creating these Airframe Dossiers will take time, and I plan to do just that but it will take a long time. The photo upload tool requires that an airframe dossier be created first so the photo can be attached to an airframe history. If you visit a location where you don’t see a link to the dossier of an airframe for which you would like to uploaded a photo, don’t worry! At the bottom of the Location Dossier look for the section titled Start a New Airframe Dossier. Just click the button labeled, Airframe Dossier Wizzard, to start the process of creating an Airframe Dossier. I believe it has been made simple to use (although I am the only person who has used it so-far). After you have created the new dossier you will been taken to it where you can then upload photos.
These pages are just the first of hopefully many new features to come. I will be adding new tools in the fall including a community gallery, individual galleries where you can show-case the photos you have uploaded, a page where you can list survivors of various airframe types and the ability to contribute to the histories of various airframes. If you have any suggestions for new features please let me know. I’ll see what I can do about adding them.
I very much hope this new tool will catch on. If you have photographed a plane on pole, in a park, or in a museum I would appreciate it if you could take the time up upload it to Aerial Visuals so that it becomes part of the airframe database and becomes available for viewing through the Locator.
I look forward to your photo contributions. I would also appreciate any feedback you would like to share about these new tools. Comments regarding how the tools could be improved and made easier to use would be most welcome.
Regards,
Mike
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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
http://www.AerialVisuals.cahttp://www.facebook.com/AerialVisualsDo you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the
The Locator.
Do you want to find or contribute to the documented history of an aircraft? If so then start with the
Airframes Database.
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