Portable PAPI?
 

I am filming an aircraft landing on a private strip from the pilots pov and the story calls for a number of shots of a PAPI.

It needs to work but doesn't need to be certified.
Any ideas?

Could we make one?
It is a daylight scene.

Mickjoebill

You can hire small Fresnel theatre spot lights from people like these for about £4.00 a week all you need, apart from some red filters, is some sort of rig to mount them in, they normally hang on 2" scaffold bars, and can be mounted either above or below the bar. And some mains power of course.

Thanks green granite, I can imagine it working. Has DIY been tried before?

Update, ggogle has found this portable papi

iPAPI portable

jobs done:ok:

mickjoebill

We used to use 5 Gurkhas with torches !!

“I can imagine it working. Has DIY been tried before?”
It should be comparatively easy to build a system. IIRC the first evaluation units at RAE Bedford were hand-built from 3in plastic gas pipe, a good lens, and a red/white filter like a large 35mm slide. And of course a lamp, but not too powerful as it might melt the plastic pipe!
Most of the early PAPIs were portable; - a friendly manufacture might lend you a set – you found one.
Also, I recall some PAPIs were air droppable – self levelling systems for more obscure operations.
A note on the Research Engineers website who credit RAE with ‘devising’ PAPI. Whilst the BLEU/Flight System division at Bedford developed and proved many PAPI applications, the original idea came from a French test centre; a British ‘boffin’ had seen the units and commissioned some more for steep and two segment approach work. The subsequent development improved the all weather operations capability.

Why 5??????

(Question marks needed to reach the minimum post length rather than exaggeration - but then again...)

Since Gurkhas come as standard 5` tall,with a grin to match,you have 3 of them standing with red filament shielded torches spaced 4-5 yards laterally and facing the approaching helo;approach angle is determined by lining up heads above any trees from a point 25-30 feet behind*, with the other 2 on the ground ,facing in the opposite direction,but torches facing the approach path.During the approach,you fly the `reds`,ie if they go above the whites you are low,so climb,and v-v.If all the lights go out,scoot,the LZ is hot,or you`ve landed in the trees....
* Geometrically it`s the 1-in -60 rule to determine approach angle....
Anyway,you know you`ve arrived safely,as there are all these rows of shining teeth,and shouts of `punkah-wallah sahib is here with the rum`..

Does it have to be a PAPI
 

or can you use a PLASI?

http://www.devoreaviation.com/scripts/p.asp

Very useful piece of kit when carrying out initial tests of an aircrafts Steep Approach capability.