Warbird Information Exchange

I was on YouTube, and happened to see some vids on tail-wheel warbirds that couldn't quite see well over their noses, and as you would guess, ran into something that didn't say I'm sorry.
My thoughts ran to this...with our technology nowdays, we have remote cameras in out cars, to keep us from running over Jounior's bicycle in the driveway...Has anyone ever installed a remote camera on their warbird/spamcan taildragger, to at least help with the visuals in taxi-ing? Or should I patent a devise?

Pat Holloran in Firecracker did just that. I believe there is a lipstick camera under chin.

http://www.airventure.org/2007/news/070 ... acker.html

Good for them! I know it's added luggage on weight critical aircraft, but now everything is so compact, it seems its usefullness would override its cost in weight

I agree the weight gain on even the lightest of general aviation aircraft would be negligible. The distraction would be a greater concern from my view. Perhaps it is no worse than an occasional glance in the rear view mirror while motoring down the highway, but I can imagine some getting so distracted they would fail to S turn or even look at their wing tips and the wipe off a tip on a gate post.....or worse, take off the other wing tip of a nearby $13M Citation. Like any other tailwheel airplane....keep your head in the game and you'll do OK.

_________________
" excuse me stewardess I speak jive"

Gary thats a great Idea, A whole system like that can be installed for very little and there would not even be a weight issue.you can go wireless with small monitor in panel.

The one example that stands out in my memory is that the late Jim Wright had one mounted in his reproduction Hughes H-1, due to severe loss of visibility while on the ground. The camera was mounted just under the cowling and the feed was sent back to a small, hand held TV monitor in the cockpit that could be removed at will. On the H-1, it was almost a necessary addition since S turning wouldn’t provide any relief like it does in most tail draggers.

...of course

_________________
EVERYTHING that CAN fly should be ALLOWED to FLY!
IWO JIMA'S best narative..."GOD ISN'T HERE"
http://www.amazon.com/God-Isnt-Here-Ame ... 0976154706


P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.

S: Took hammer away from midget.

It's now obvious that I can't patent the concept, I had just never heard of anyone doing this....Maybe even adding the ground collision avoidance warning to it as well...........just a thought......I still remember watching the Moon Spillers Mustang eating the tail off the Beech 18 years ago at the Topeka, Ks airshow....things that really make you wince!

I believe Kevin Eldridge has one in his Nemesis NXT also.

Gary

We discussing this on the L-39s and Mi-24 in the Gun Camera port not just for extra FOV, but for cool videos too like the 262 video. It would be nice to have a belly and/or tail camera on the R4D though, make for some good video and extra set of eyes in the cockpit.

Didn't a TBF/TBM Avenger taxi up on a small homebuilt a couple of years ago and kill the passenger with the prop?

One year at Oshkosh there was a super tricked out Stearman. It had a chromed 450, three bladed prop, enclosed cockpit, and every option you could possibly put on a Stearman. Autopilot, color radar, etc. It had about 30 coats of red lacquer, and gold leaf paint everywhere including the striping and the control stick. It had a periscoping camera with color t.v. screen in the cockpit so you could see in any direction, not only for forward taxiing but also to check behind you before doing a run-up.
A few years later it was for sale for $500k and later reduced to $325K.
Reminded me of the proverb " A fool and their money are soon parted."