Do any of you have a horn on a Light Aircraft?

[airpolice]

I've not seen an intercom with a PA facility. or a horn fitted to GA Aircraft.

There are times when this would be very handy, to alert or attract the attention of people near the aircraft.

Why isn't this a thing?

[TheOddOne]

There was a Pitts Model 12 operated at White Waltham fitted with air horns. Alan Cassidy used to do a low flypast at extremely high alpha, tooting the horns, very amusing. Otherwise, I think the police use a shouty thing on some aircraft, but you'd probably not really be able to make out what they're saying while you're running from justice.
Seriously, what would the point be in real life. Most aircraft make a significant racket to attract attention, anyway. Hopefully you shout 'CLEAR!' loudly enough to wake the dead before starting...

TOO

[Sam Rutherford]

I have a friend who has a horn fitted to his (ICAO) plane, and another with airhorns on his light sport. Fun, not really very useful.

Had Skyshout in Northern Ireland, interesting and fun, also not really very useful! The nightsun, on the other hand, was a lot of fun and very useful! :)

[Pilot DAR]

I do recall a long time ago, a ground marshaller was inattentive while I was approaching the spot he was supposed to be marshalling me into. I sensed this was a potential hazard for him. So I stopped, and selected reverse on that engine, and blew him out of my way. It was icy, so he moved easily. Otherwise, I have found that apron control [of people] is the best way to assure safety. If you, as the pilot, are uncertain that people are safely away, you should shut down until the path is clear. Having a horn would suggest that it's okay to have unattended people on the apron with running airplanes - it's not.

[BackPacker]

A guy at a flying club was renovating an old, slow glider and was proud to have sourced a (cheap) handlebar grip from a bicycle shop for his control stick, instead of the original and expensive grip. So we gave him a pushbike bell to go with the grip. He actually put it on for a few days and used it to summon the tip walkers when he wanted to take-off. After a few days the novelty wore off though.

['Chuffer' Dandridge]

G-AXGP, a Piper Cub, used to have a French horn mounted on the boot cowling.... For those low flying, door open moments...

[dogsridewith]

Might have helped at least one engine-out landing on a populated beach.

Some bicycle air horns are pretty loud, not heavy, and charged by hand pump or compressor. There must be some light weight electrical/electronic audio warning devices. What are the back-up beepers on construction equipment?

[pilotmike]

There are certain people who get the horn from almost any aircraft.

[Curlytips]

Don't have a horn, but do have a rear-view mirror.......

[chevvron]

Police helicopters have a police siren, I've heard them on several occasions; don't know about ambulance helicopters.

[Whiskey Kilo Wanderer]

Observed on a Breezey that used to attend the St. Omer fly-ins.
Assumed to fulfill the requirement for Mode S in certain airspace.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/636x509/french_mode_s_transponder_12f2f081408c848d10a63ac85795f3322c 0459bf.jpg

[Pilot DAR]

There is this modified Helio Courier....

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/400x300/pod_helio_turbocourier_0704_01a_8e2c7b86b219f58dc4d6d71eda3c b33afb28358d.jpg

[treadigraph]

I have a friend who has a horn fitted to his (ICAO) plane, and another with airhorns on his light sport. Fun, not really very useful.

Had Skyshout in Northern Ireland, interesting and fun, also not really very useful! The nightsun, on the other hand, was a lot of fun and very useful! :)

I remember Skyshout being demonstrated from a Skyvan at Farnborough - I don't recall it being all that easy to hear what was said. Perhaps they should have had John Blake do his commentary from it, the clarity of his diction might have suited it better

[TheOddOne]

John Blake

Aaaah, perfect thread creep!
'...and now, from the Black Sheds end'.

I do recall him regaling us with how he lost his arm, but a little while later giving someone else an entirely different story! It didn't really matter, it was wonderful just listening to him.

TOO

[Checklist Charlie]

Helo's, aircraft and ultralights used for cattle mustering are often fitted with a siren or multi-tone air horns to encourage those recalcitrant beasts get a move on.
Shark spotting aircraft also come with a siren to warn swimmers that something nearby is looking for lunch.
In days gone by it was usual during gliding competitions to carry either a starting pistol or a bicycle bulb type horn to alert other glider pilots that you were in the same thermal, electronics have taken over that role these days.

CC

[ChickenHouse]

Bushflying in Africa we had a compressor and a truck horn fitted to a C206 to clear the airstrips.

[effortless]

A slight aside, a mate stopped by the police was asked if he had an audible warning device. YES, DO YOU WANT TO HEAR IT?

[rolling20]

I could have done with a horn on a few occasions. Mainly when flying into grass strips. Once at Newmarket, 2 fools deep in conversation were walking straight down the strip. I didn't see them until I had touched down. Too late to go around ( you cannot at Newmarket anyway) they saw me with feet to spare.

[Big Pistons Forever]

When I was working in aerial forest fire suppression operations I started out as a bird dog pilot ( ie basically like a forward air controller). The airplane had a siren so that you could warn the fire fighters on the ground a tanker drop was imminent. It also had a loud speaker system so you could pass instructions to people on the ground. Needless to say it was very loud to ensure it could be heard over the noise of the engines and at a distance..

I used both on the ground once when we were in the thick of a big fire action. I had dropped in to a nearby small field to get gas leaving the tankers circling over the fire. When it was time to leave, the taxiway to the runway was blocked by some guy in a C 172 head down, going through the 100 item flight school check list:ugh:, so I gave a blast of the siren and yelled at him on the loud speaker to get out of the way.

The look on the poor guys face was rather priceless but the desired result was achieved. There have been several other instances in other aircraft when I wished I had the same ability to reach out and touch some moron doing something silly on the ground......

[ShyTorque]

Police helicopters have a police siren, I've heard them on several occasions; don't know about ambulance helicopters.

The police heli I flew some years ago was retro-fitted with "SkyShout". I didn't think it was worth carrying the extra weight of it (we were already very payload limited) but it was decided well above my payscale.
The first time we were tasked to use it was to warn people in the vicinity of a chemicals factory that there had been a dangerous acid gas leak drifting their way, so they must stay indoors and close windows and doors etc. Unfortunately it had the opposite effect, people came out to see what all the noise from the helicopter was about - so we bu££ered off quick and I don't think we ever used it again in my time on the unit.

[Right Hand Thread]

I've not seen..... a horn fitted to GA Aircraft.


You've not been looking in the right places!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKQP_qz4B9A

[abgd]

As an aside, there are bicycle horns available which work on a compressed air bottle which you pump up to several atmospheres and which provide enough air for several long blasts. They're very lightweight so if one did wish to attach an air horn to a plane, that would be the way to do it. Obviously one would want to derate it slightly so it didn't explode at altitude.

[DaveUnwin]

I flew a Rotax-powered tug fitted with an air-horn that played 'Dixie' and gave it a blast on final. It sounded as if the Dukes of Hazzard were flying in!

[Maoraigh1]

We bought a Jodel which had a car horn as the stall warner, inside the cabin. We changed it.

[sablatnic]

Saw an Auster with one - and heard it.
Owner said it was for driving cattle off the runway before landing.

[snapper1]

The Eurofox demonstrator we used for aero-towing last summer had a horn that played 'Dixie'.

[Sir Niall Dementia]

And the Luftwaffe fitted a very loud one on the Stuka..............................

[YorkshireTyke]

Saw an Auster with one - and heard it.
Owner said it was for driving cattle off the runway before landing.

Yes, I bought an aircraft from an owner who had flown it off a farm strip, often had do a low pass to clear the livestock - and then do a quick circuit before they started grazing again.

Not my problem, but I kept it to alert club members when I wanted the multi bay hangar doors re-arranging !

[CloudHound]

G-AWWW Cessna 401 based at Squires Gate and owned by Edward John Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby was for a time equipped with a way for the pilot to speak (I nearly said Speke) to subjects on the apron.

btw the radio call sign was Double Whisky.