HUD display
The flight path marker in the A-7, F-16, F-15, F-18 and Space shuttle shows inertial velocity vector. Watch the space shuttle landing tonight and you'll see it NASA TV should use a lot of the HUD video as it will be dark outside for normal TV coverage. Sucker shows exactly where you will impact the ground if within the field of view. On one night landing they showed it until the craft lowered the gear. Also showed it a lot when a buddy of mine ( Lindsey) had a decent cloud layer to penetrate.
Scales on left and right show altitude and airspeed. Other guidance symbols are also present.
The A-7 showed inertial vertical velocity on same "thermometer" scale as the altitude. It also displayed an AoA symbol all the time. If inertial went bat sh^%$, it used doppler and basic attitude to provide a reasonable vector, actually a doggone good one. Altitude was either radar or baro. Spped was dynamic pressure as per the steam gauge.
F-16 could display IAS/CAS or TAS or GS. It only displayed the AoA symbol with gear down, but we had other indications of AoA. Altitude was baro until we got the LANTIRN birds and later models.
The good thing about the flight path marker in a fully developed stall is that it is "pegged" at bottom of the HUD field of view or even below it!! In the Viper it would have an "X" over it to tell you it was invalid being outta the field of view.
Last edited by gums; 31st May 2011 at 14:22.
Reason: addition