Heads Up Display for GA Aircraft

[nomorecatering]

Will it possible in the near future cost and weight wise to get a HUD for light GA types.

Would it be useful?

Some American cars have a simple HUD set up allready, for speedo, and it doesnt even need a seperate pane of glass to show the display.

[propblast]

The simple answer, there isn't one.

Without knowing the exact weights, I would say it would have to be less than 2-3 kilos as a whole unit. Otherwise owners will start jumping up and down about lost payload.:ugh:

Cost wise, will never happen. Hard enough to get owners to spend money on 30 year old aircraft now to keep them serviceable(just read through some of the threads about at the moment for an indication about aircraft not being maintained), let alone a luxury item like a HUD.

Just my opinion, and this is for commercial ops. In private ops, depends on the individual.

Would it be useful??

For IFR, **** yeah.

I suppose it' the natural progression though. We are starting to see glass cockpits appear more and more in GA aircraft nowadays, so it's a very real possibility that HUD units will eventually arrive.

[Jabawocky]

They do have them, I saw on AVweb an article a while ago with a video showing it.

[eocvictim]

Actually cars have had them since the late 80s. Cars have also had IR camera's since the late 90s. The unit itself wouldn't be costly but "TSO" would be. Until there is a large call for it I wouldn't hold your breath.

[sprocket check]

hmm. I am going to be both loved and hated for this one....

but the iPhone has it. There are a couple of apps that allow you to mirror the screen, put it on your dash and voila, there's your HUD on your windscreen.

You can even change the tint.

When the iPhone gets TSO'd... until then, ultralights only...:=:yuk::zzz::ugh::uhoh::confused::}







just checking if smileys work

[propblast]

the iPhone has it. There are a couple of apps

And you can couple the auto-pilot app via an aux plug.:}:ok:

[VH-XXX]

And you can couple the auto-pilot app via an aux plug

Don't joke about it too loud, it's certainly possible in the later model and only a matter of time.

[kibbet]

Would it be useful??

For IFR, **** yeah. I'm interested, would it really be that useful for IFR? The HUD would need to replicate every IFR scan instrument, but for what benefit? Assume that you're flying in cloud; is there any benefit looking out the window through a HUD at the cloud rather than a full panel, with all controls/charts/etc close by? I would have thought that, apart from the possible distraction, it would be more useful for VFR, where you're mostly looking out the window.

kib. (VFR pilot.. someday IFR) :}

[propblast]

Kibbet, fair point in regards to looking out the window more when VFR.

As far as the IFR part, I was thinking more along the lines of shooting an approach, single pilot. To have an artificial horizon, airspeed, tracking information (ILS, LOC etc), and a VSI all showing on the windshield would I feel would make the approach easier when when nearing the DA/MDA, ie instead of head in the cockpit flying the till DA, then looking up and trying to make out approach lighting, you are already looking out the front window.

[HarleyD]

HUDs are around in the GA world, and they will become more common.

They were initially the preserve of the Military and prodigiously expensive, but the wonders of, what us older pilots call 'modern', technology mean that this has been simplified made reliable and affordable - for home builders, experimental, RAA and some Ga pvt types of flying but as far as becoming a 'standard' type of item we have a way to go.

Full C of A aircraft require STC to fit ( and may still be operationally restricted), or data incorporated into TCDS. STC is a very expensive option for the STC holder and would need to be researched, developed, complied, certified and munufactured under very onerous regulatory requirements for each type of aircraft applicable.

I think it is more likely that a manufacturer will do such in house for a particular type/model of their line and incorporate into the TCDS for that type. this requires will from the maufacturer and they need to be convinced that customers desire it sufficiently to order and pay for it , and it will not be cheap especially if certified for commercial IFR ops. ultimately the customer will pay, and when they are ready to do so, Cessna, or similar, will do it and then when the technology is proven reliable and accepted to be popular others will follow. the sort of thing that happened with large format PFD/MFD panels.

Yes, the technology is there and it is , in its current non-certified form, reliable (ish), but the big step into commercial IFR ops is a long way to go. integration of IR and SAR images overlaid onto the meta data of a HUD will come with that as well, but high quality images in these spectra are still relatively expensive. time and the utilization of COTS components by tech heads will bring that into the realm of the GA world sooner or later as well.

I am looking forward to my new lightweight, fuel efficient and inexpensive gas turbine engine for light/medium GA aircraft as well. RR and PWC have both promised them soon. Otherwise if you are going to OSH look for the ever present home-made jet engines on static display, that are made from vacuum cleaners and the like and ponder why we are all not using such engines now.

It won't happen overnight, but it will happen, if there is a buck in it.

HD

[PyroTek]

Just a quick google search uncovered: VirtualHUD (http://www.virtualhud.com/virtualhud/VirtualHUD.aspx).
What it is, is a device that projects a laser onto the spinning propellor, making a HUD on the propellor...
:ok:

[frigatebird]

That Tunnel through the Boxes, (down a 3 degree slope to a touchdown point) sounds interesting. Had a novelty toy a couple of years ago (it buggerdup pretty quick), that had the officegirls amused when it was programmed with short messages and the fan switched on.

[Cougar]

Hmmm... HUDs are fantastic (almost all my flying done on HUD aircraft) but they do come with significant training burden, as well as significant human factors issues.

Info overload is generally the biggest problem - you can ultimately display every bit of info from the MFD/FMS on the HUD if you want depending on manufacturer and size.

As for their benefits, once you go HUD, you will never go back! They are the bees knees. Fantastic for IF, especially IF transition. And they make their money in low viz (both T/O and LDG).

I struggle to see how they could be cheap enough to be viable in GA; especially with the training overheads.

[tail wheel]

I struggle to see how they could be cheap enough to be viable in GA; especially with the training overheads.

Hmmmm. An old mate of mine said exactly the same words in the early 1950s. He was referring to the mandatory installation of HF AM 'wireless' transmitters in commercial aircraft.

Ditto GPS in the late 1970s when the first Navstar satellites were launched.....

[solowflyer]

Most Ag planes these days have them in form of a light bar but even then you spend more time looking out the main HUD, in the old days they used to call it a windscreen.

Will get to a stage when all these young blokes coming through will have only seen the old steam drive in Museums.

[RatsoreA]

"Quote - Today 01:23

PyroTek

Just a quick google search uncovered: VirtualHUD.
What it is, is a device that projects a laser onto the spinning propellor, making a HUD on the propellor..."

Yeah, looks great, but how do I get maintence to fit a propeller to the the front of the Aerostar?? lol! :}