What's on this a/c's glareshield?

[Fokker28]

Can someone tell me, what is the device installed on top of this Q400's glareshield? Thanks!

Photos: De Havilland Canada DHC-8-402Q Dash 8 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/photo/QantasLink/De-Havilland-Canada/1370358/L/)

[Brian Abraham]

Checklists

[Fokker28]

I'm not familiar with that type of checklist. What's the blue-ish knob in the center for? How does that checklist work?

[vapilot2004]

American Airlines DC-9s and derivatives used mechanical checklists that were fitted down below. USAF uses something called a scrolling checklist on some of their larger craft. The Airbus A320 has some checklist items showing on the ECAM. :ok:

[Fokker28]

Thanks. That looks bizarre to me, as I fly the same type and have never seen the like.

[ad-astra]

A basic but good checkilist. Each panel can be raised for the phase of flight and a shutter system is used to either cover or uncover the item.
Multiple panels and individual items can be raised/uncovered at the same time if numerous items needed to be resolved (eg on the ground during maintenance checks).
Blue Knob is lighting control (dimmer)
We used them on our wonderful F28s in PNG and certainly were a simple yet safe system......you couldn't miss an outstanding checklist item.
$10,000 was the price thrown about in my day!

[john_tullamarine]

Common on two crew airline aircraft in the Oz of old ... DC9 in particular and, I think, IPEC may have used them on the Argosy as well ? For whatever reason, it didn't migrate to the 737 ...

[dazdaz]

Although, I cannot answer your query, I suspect the picture image from your link is CGI and a very good one.The screen and throttle leavers give the game away plus the the snow flakes.

Daz

[Brian Abraham]

JT - I think even TAA's first Friendships (late 50's) had a similar system, though I stand to be corrected for it was a long, long time ago. Was a mere teenager at the time. Associated Airlines had one of TAA's on lease and was the source of my involvement.

[Capn Bloggs]

Used to great effect also on MacRobertson Miller Airline's F28s in Western Australia. After checklist is completed, open all the shutters before stowing - less to do when you next you action it. :ok:

For whatever reason, it didn't migrate to the 737 ...
If it wasn't invented by the Yanks, they're not interested. :yuk:

[ACMS]

DAZDAZ:----------- stop smoking that weed.

That is a real phot of a Qantaslink Dash8-400 parked on the Apron on a wet Sydney day. CGI?????????????????


Screens and Throttle levers? yeah what's wrong with them?

The Throttles are closed correctly and the screens? Well the left Inboard display has the Terrain switched on, you can see the coast east of the airport. Most probably turned on for the photo.

Snow flakes? That is water drops on the window. Snow flakes!!! good one.

If it was Snow the warm windows would melt it back to water drops anyway!!

And yes the thing on the Glareshield IS A CHECKLIST as the posts above confirmed. I have very close family that fly that very Aircraft and maybe even on THAT wet Syd day.

You can even see the QF ground transfer Bus parked at the nose.

[Brian Abraham]

ACMS, worry not about daz, he's focussed on "testicals" at the moment, what ever they are - you need to be JB visitor to get the gist.

[mnttech]

Our American Airlines 707's had just a single column one on the forward edge of the FE panel. It was the Challange / Responce check list for takeoff and landing. Once the FE got the answer for each question, the slide went the other way for the next takeoff or landing. Very simple to use.

ad-astra
This is the first time I have seen one in a two person cockpit. Center location makes sense, but does it block your view in flight?

[dazdaz]

My apologies to those concerned. I sincerely thought the picture was CGI I shall now crawl back to JB and never darken your doorstep again. Tail between my legs.........

Daz

[Fokker28]

Surely it's not in the position shown for flight. Perhaps it's positioned so that it appears between the viewer and the center post of the windshield, and thus doesn't block any outside view? I really hate having anything whatsoever obstructing any part of my windows in flight- even the extra height added to the glareshield by that installation would irk me some.

[Fokker28]

"If it wasn't invented by the Yanks, they're not interested."


Great point! That's surely why old Whittle's gas turbine technology never caught on over here in the States!:rolleyes:

[ACMS]

It doesn't obstruct the forward view I'm reliably told.

Works really well and never breaks down:ok:

[AES]

John,

This thread really takes me back!!

Something very similar was also fitted to the ANZ (then called NZNAC) F27 fleet. I remember them clearly 'cos I was responsible for (at the time) the only "full" F27 flight sim in the world (motion, visual, full digital modelling) - this was before the days when "Cat D", etc, sims had been defined by the Authorities. The sim manufacturer was called Redifon/Rediffusion in those days, I'm talking about 1975.

To simulate that F27 checklist device on the sim we just fitted an aircraft item, received on "embodiment loan" from NAC stores in Christchurch if I recall correctly. No idea of the cost but probably USD 10K not too far out.

And also those items (very simple, very clear, virtually foolproof) never made it on to NAC's B737s either (at more or less the same time as the F27 we did an - early, 6000 light points only, no polygons - CGI visual onto the NAC B737 sim). I don't know why not, but as a guess, would say that rather than being a US "NIH syndrome" problem, this "mechanical Checklist device" was more than likely either an Oz or Kiwi "invention" originally, therefore fitted under local Authority approval/s rather than with an STC acceptable to the FAA and other Authorities.

My goodness, that WAS a long time ago. Happy daze! (at least in some ways).

Krgds
AES

[john_tullamarine]

My goodness, that WAS a long time ago

.. which is why I have far more grey than brown in my beard ... as, no doubt, does your goodself ....

[ZFT]

AES,

I too was involved with that F27 but from the UK end.

IIRC it had a weird 4th motion axis with the motion base on rails to give sway cues? Never caught on!!

[AES]

Spot on ZFT.

It was a "development" of the old 3 axis system, achieved by mounting the 3 axis motion onto a a pair of "linear bearings" - i.e. a sort of special "railway track" - to simulate Sway (e.g. for engine out at TO, etc). It was the "poor man's alternative" to a full 6 axis motion, (remember, the cost of that sim was MORE than the cost of a ready-to-fly F27 aircraft!), and as you say, the 4 axis never caught on. AFAIK it was a Refdifon-only offering.

Yup, the grey (I prefer the colour "silver" actually, much more "interesting) is definitely rampant in (the small amount) of hair remaining!

Krgds
AES

[sidestick stirrer]

I think the "NIH" mindset might only have been at Boeing and not America-wide, as our DC-9 fleet had them.
They were so effective that my employer installed them on the glareshield of the 767 and then the A320, 330, 340.
I think the reason this type of checklist was not used on the DC-8, B747 or L-1011 was the presence of the Second Officer who ran a somewhat-similar mechanical checklist( with sliding windows instead of vertically-flipping) from his position.
And they're not on the 777 due to the electronic checklist.

[moggiee]

Great point! That's surely why old Whittle's gas turbine technology never caught on over here in the States!:rolleyes:
Yes, but if you go to the Smithsonian in DC, they have Rolls Royce engines on display with no mention that they are British. American kit practically has "Made in the USA" stamped all over it by the museum keepers! Perhaps they're jealous. The Harrier and Spitfire get the same treatment, if I remember correctly.

Just sour (Napa Valley?) grapes:)