What would u like in the cockpit ?
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What would u like in the cockpit ?
Hello and thank you in advance for reading my post.
I wonder if you can help me, to help you.
At present I am studying a Bsc(Hons) in Industrial Design. My final project in third year, the one I am undertaking in the next few weeks, involves identifying an existing problem and finding a design solution.
As a keen but low hour ppl, I was wondering about cockpit management. Ie, maps, charts, pens paper etc. General organisation outwith proper pre departure planning. I have a knee board but find it far from perfect for keeping everyhting in order !
I would welcome any suggestions for a product or design that may improve the cockpit enviroment, improve safety or enable you to get more from your flying.
There are no bad ideas in my book, so please if you have ever thought " I wish I had that, or I wish it did that " or " wouldnt it be great if..."
Please let me know !
Thanks again for your time.
I do hope some of you have some ideas !
Yours hopefully,
Buster
I wonder if you can help me, to help you.
At present I am studying a Bsc(Hons) in Industrial Design. My final project in third year, the one I am undertaking in the next few weeks, involves identifying an existing problem and finding a design solution.
As a keen but low hour ppl, I was wondering about cockpit management. Ie, maps, charts, pens paper etc. General organisation outwith proper pre departure planning. I have a knee board but find it far from perfect for keeping everyhting in order !
I would welcome any suggestions for a product or design that may improve the cockpit enviroment, improve safety or enable you to get more from your flying.
There are no bad ideas in my book, so please if you have ever thought " I wish I had that, or I wish it did that " or " wouldnt it be great if..."
Please let me know !
Thanks again for your time.
I do hope some of you have some ideas !
Yours hopefully,
Buster
Not so N, but still FG
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What I would most like in the cockpit..
if the weather is nice and the engine is running smoothly: Michelle Pfeiffer, dressed as Amy Johnson
if the weather is crap and the engine is blowing up: Squadron Leader James Bigglesworth DSO MC DFC
sorry, knackered and in a facetious mood and so can't think of anything sensible, but good luck with your worthy project.
Edit: OK, trying to be serious, for a type without a clear canopy overhead, some sort of pull down concertina file arrangement to hold stuff? Problem is that types are so variable in layout and space/weight are so limited. Must say that the further I get from doing my PPL, and as a strictly VFR bloke, the less bumf I have with me when flying. Often have nothing more than map, pen and watch these days. Bag stays in car (no, not you Michelle)
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: FNG ]</p>
if the weather is nice and the engine is running smoothly: Michelle Pfeiffer, dressed as Amy Johnson
if the weather is crap and the engine is blowing up: Squadron Leader James Bigglesworth DSO MC DFC
sorry, knackered and in a facetious mood and so can't think of anything sensible, but good luck with your worthy project.
Edit: OK, trying to be serious, for a type without a clear canopy overhead, some sort of pull down concertina file arrangement to hold stuff? Problem is that types are so variable in layout and space/weight are so limited. Must say that the further I get from doing my PPL, and as a strictly VFR bloke, the less bumf I have with me when flying. Often have nothing more than map, pen and watch these days. Bag stays in car (no, not you Michelle)
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: FNG ]</p>
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FNG,
Thank you kindly for your post
may it be the first of many !
I to would like a beautiful woman to hold all my, erm, equipment for me while jollying around the sky too
As you rightly pointed out the various cokpit layouts both open and closed, stick or yoke, provide a host of challenging problems.
I think these reasons alone should make it an interesting area to work in.
And of course, I may need to put in a few hours to 'test' the final product
Thanks again, your thoughts are duly noted and any others, please let me know any cockpit related problems you think I could work to solve.
Yours
Buster
Thank you kindly for your post
may it be the first of many !I to would like a beautiful woman to hold all my, erm, equipment for me while jollying around the sky too
As you rightly pointed out the various cokpit layouts both open and closed, stick or yoke, provide a host of challenging problems.
I think these reasons alone should make it an interesting area to work in.
And of course, I may need to put in a few hours to 'test' the final product
Thanks again, your thoughts are duly noted and any others, please let me know any cockpit related problems you think I could work to solve.
Yours
Buster
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If often wished for a fine nibbed pen that writes indelibly on paper, but can be rubbed off a laminated surface. I use a chinagraph on my chart fairly regularly in-flight, and a fine ballpoint on my flight log, and I'm fed up of having to swap between the two.
Any chance you could invent such a pen? It may have a much bigger market outside aviation.
I've also had another idea (along the same lines) that I feel would be more of a "design" problem, and hence fit better with your brief. Send me an e-mail if you are interested in discussing this other idea.
Good luck
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: tacpot ]</p>
Any chance you could invent such a pen? It may have a much bigger market outside aviation.
I've also had another idea (along the same lines) that I feel would be more of a "design" problem, and hence fit better with your brief. Send me an e-mail if you are interested in discussing this other idea.
Good luck
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: tacpot ]</p>
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Britney Spears in a skintight flying suit behind me.. .Map.. .Compass.. .An unlimited supply of wonga to pay for the P-51 Mustang I'd be sitting in.
Thats about it really. As you can see, I'm easily pleased..
Being serious...
A chart that folds itself. . .Self cleaning visor for the flying helmet (Why is it that how ever many times you religiously clean the visor before you fly, when the time comes to use it, it always has dirt and grime on it?). .A flying suit with decent kneepads to write on. Then again, a flying suit without all those pockets that i could never, ever find a use for. (What do the RAF guys keep in them?). .A flying suit that fits a normal sized bloke well. . .A good cockpit heater for a Tiger Moth.. .A coating that repels mud and dirt from the wing fabric.. .Everlasting fuel (sorry, couldnt resist that!)
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: Zlin526 ]</p>
Thats about it really. As you can see, I'm easily pleased..
Being serious...
A chart that folds itself. . .Self cleaning visor for the flying helmet (Why is it that how ever many times you religiously clean the visor before you fly, when the time comes to use it, it always has dirt and grime on it?). .A flying suit with decent kneepads to write on. Then again, a flying suit without all those pockets that i could never, ever find a use for. (What do the RAF guys keep in them?). .A flying suit that fits a normal sized bloke well. . .A good cockpit heater for a Tiger Moth.. .A coating that repels mud and dirt from the wing fabric.. .Everlasting fuel (sorry, couldnt resist that!)
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: Zlin526 ]</p>
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Buster, I know what I'd really really REALLY like.
I'm 5ft 2ins, and I can rarely see over the nose without a cushion in most f/w aircraft. In some aircraft, and most helicopters, I need a cushion behind me to reach the pedals. So I carry a couple of cushions in the boot of the car, but if I end up suddenly wanting to fly, as I did last week in Florida, I have to improvise - and flying a helicopter with your flight bag behind you is not ideal. So I need an inflatable cushion, which can either be used behind me, or to sit on, or both, and easily packed away for travelling.
And while you're about it, I'd also like a reasonable length ladder that folds to fit in an R22, so I can take it with me to reach the rotors for the A check, if I take a helicopter away overnight.
If you make either of those, I'll buy them instantly.
I'm 5ft 2ins, and I can rarely see over the nose without a cushion in most f/w aircraft. In some aircraft, and most helicopters, I need a cushion behind me to reach the pedals. So I carry a couple of cushions in the boot of the car, but if I end up suddenly wanting to fly, as I did last week in Florida, I have to improvise - and flying a helicopter with your flight bag behind you is not ideal. So I need an inflatable cushion, which can either be used behind me, or to sit on, or both, and easily packed away for travelling.
And while you're about it, I'd also like a reasonable length ladder that folds to fit in an R22, so I can take it with me to reach the rotors for the A check, if I take a helicopter away overnight.
If you make either of those, I'll buy them instantly.
How to solve the 'one writing stick for everything' problem:
Don't laminate your charts & use a SOFT-ish pencil eg 2B or similar. Soft enough to write on charts & be erased after use without damaging the chart, marks the whiz wheel easily, writes on flight logs or equivalent etc.
Hard enough so that it lasts for more than 3 mins of use.
As for the original question: Maps & charts that have intermediate or sufficient overlapping coverage to make it easier to transition from one chart to the next AND remove the annoyance of having a waypoint only an inch or two into the next chart.
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: Tinstaafl ]</p>
Don't laminate your charts & use a SOFT-ish pencil eg 2B or similar. Soft enough to write on charts & be erased after use without damaging the chart, marks the whiz wheel easily, writes on flight logs or equivalent etc.
Hard enough so that it lasts for more than 3 mins of use.
As for the original question: Maps & charts that have intermediate or sufficient overlapping coverage to make it easier to transition from one chart to the next AND remove the annoyance of having a waypoint only an inch or two into the next chart.
[ 28 February 2002: Message edited by: Tinstaafl ]</p>
I fond the answer to at least one of my niggles - where to stick my pen / pencil on my kneeboard where it was a) easily accessible and b) didn't stick out when not in use.
Answer : the harder side of Velcro on the kneepad clip, the softer side stuck around the pen/pencil shaft. Bingo. Implement stays stuck, out of the way, and easy to hand.
Answer : the harder side of Velcro on the kneepad clip, the softer side stuck around the pen/pencil shaft. Bingo. Implement stays stuck, out of the way, and easy to hand.
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MMMMM..........."improve cockpit safety, cockpit design, cockpit environment AND get more out of your flying" as well as "making everyday management significantly easier, especially during emergencies"... well, that's VERY easy...install a Flight Engineers station and make as much use of him/her as you can.....problem solved!!!. .Cheers.
The pen issue again. If you use a fine, permanent OHP pen (basically a non water soluble felt tip) it will write on both. If you go to a good art shop, you can buy something called a "Staedtler Lumoplast", which is basically a very posh rubber. Then will rub out permanent felt tip from your laminated map. Problem solved.
Regarding cockpit ergonomics.
(1) Ergonomics that suit a wide range of pilots, from 5th percentile oriental female (now there's a thought), to 95th percentile Caucasian Male (which should keep Whirly happy as well). There are ergonomic tables for these, published by NASA, but they are rarely taken into account by light aircraft designers.
(2) See if you can get hold of a book called "Design for Flight Safety", by DB Thurston, ISBN 0-02-618501-6, and another called "The book of flight tests", by A Bramson, ISBN 1-85605-000-9. Both may be out of print, so inter-library loans is probably your best bet.
(3) If you can design a reasonably accurate and reliable fuel level gauge for light aircraft, you will earn the undying gratitude of millions.
(4) A CWP.
G
Regarding cockpit ergonomics.
(1) Ergonomics that suit a wide range of pilots, from 5th percentile oriental female (now there's a thought), to 95th percentile Caucasian Male (which should keep Whirly happy as well). There are ergonomic tables for these, published by NASA, but they are rarely taken into account by light aircraft designers.
(2) See if you can get hold of a book called "Design for Flight Safety", by DB Thurston, ISBN 0-02-618501-6, and another called "The book of flight tests", by A Bramson, ISBN 1-85605-000-9. Both may be out of print, so inter-library loans is probably your best bet.
(3) If you can design a reasonably accurate and reliable fuel level gauge for light aircraft, you will earn the undying gratitude of millions.
(4) A CWP.
G
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re Genghis' eraser - if you have a 'Staedtler Lumoplast' be very careful where you store it as the solvents in the eraser will disolve plastics.
I have one in my desk drawer, it has already melted a patch in it so now it sits on a paperclip clear of the plastic. The cardboard sleeve around the eraser is not for decoration.
I have one in my desk drawer, it has already melted a patch in it so now it sits on a paperclip clear of the plastic. The cardboard sleeve around the eraser is not for decoration.
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How about a heater that works!! (I understand this is more difficult than in cars, due to the fact the airplanes are air cooled).
A radio that can replay the last 10 seconds of a transmittion (for those missed clearances).
And a glove box!! When you travel in your car, which stay's pretty level, you need to store things that you don't currently need, but don't want to fall around. However in the plane, which spends lots of time inclined, you have nowhere to put bit and pieces!!!
A radio that can replay the last 10 seconds of a transmittion (for those missed clearances).
And a glove box!! When you travel in your car, which stay's pretty level, you need to store things that you don't currently need, but don't want to fall around. However in the plane, which spends lots of time inclined, you have nowhere to put bit and pieces!!!
Why do it if it's not fun?
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Wow, great thread, Buster172!
FNG, you can have Michelle Pfeiffer if I can have Anna Kournikova. (PS - I will reply to the mail you sent me back in Jan some time!)
Zlin - chart that folds itself is a nice idea, but much easier to fold before you fly. But my major complaint about US sectional charts while flying out there is they are double-sided - which means having to completely re-fold in-flight if you're going across the half-way point! Was a pain in a PA28, extremely difficult in a Super Cub, and I'd hate to think what it would be like in an open-cockpit plane - I think I'd be buying two charts! But apart from that, and the fact that they're not laminated (personal preference, I know Tinstaafl prefers un-laminated charts but I don't!) US charts are mostly better than ours. I particularly the fact that runway layouts are shown on the chart, which makes identifying airports for navigation purposes easy, and also helps plan an arrival. We could learn a lot from that.
Pulse - when I took my Uncle flying, my cousin warned me that he'd been practicing on Flight Sim, and that I shouldn't let him fly the plane because he's always using the pause/reset buttons on Flight Sim!
Dublinpilot - if you fly in balance, it shouldn't matter whether you're banked or not, things won't slide around!
And my own addition: PA28s (well, most of them) have nice pockets next to the pilot to store charts, etc. in during flight. PA18s have similar pockets, except the pocket on the PA18 is metal. I'm pretty sure that this accounts for my charts becoming damaged very easilly since I started flying the PA18 - my UK (laminated) chart has a big hole in it right on a fold that often catches on the pocket, and my US (unlaminated) chart managed to last less than a month before being completely destroyed! Let's keep pockets made out of vinyl or something similar that's not going to tear the things we put in the pockets!
FFF. .---------
FNG, you can have Michelle Pfeiffer if I can have Anna Kournikova. (PS - I will reply to the mail you sent me back in Jan some time!)
Zlin - chart that folds itself is a nice idea, but much easier to fold before you fly. But my major complaint about US sectional charts while flying out there is they are double-sided - which means having to completely re-fold in-flight if you're going across the half-way point! Was a pain in a PA28, extremely difficult in a Super Cub, and I'd hate to think what it would be like in an open-cockpit plane - I think I'd be buying two charts! But apart from that, and the fact that they're not laminated (personal preference, I know Tinstaafl prefers un-laminated charts but I don't!) US charts are mostly better than ours. I particularly the fact that runway layouts are shown on the chart, which makes identifying airports for navigation purposes easy, and also helps plan an arrival. We could learn a lot from that.
Pulse - when I took my Uncle flying, my cousin warned me that he'd been practicing on Flight Sim, and that I shouldn't let him fly the plane because he's always using the pause/reset buttons on Flight Sim!
Dublinpilot - if you fly in balance, it shouldn't matter whether you're banked or not, things won't slide around!
And my own addition: PA28s (well, most of them) have nice pockets next to the pilot to store charts, etc. in during flight. PA18s have similar pockets, except the pocket on the PA18 is metal. I'm pretty sure that this accounts for my charts becoming damaged very easilly since I started flying the PA18 - my UK (laminated) chart has a big hole in it right on a fold that often catches on the pocket, and my US (unlaminated) chart managed to last less than a month before being completely destroyed! Let's keep pockets made out of vinyl or something similar that's not going to tear the things we put in the pockets!
FFF. .---------
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Think of what is in your car, & put it in a plane.
For example. A decent lock, including immobiliser, in the door. The average aircraft door can be opened, without damage, with a screwdriver.
Seats with adjustments for rake angle, squab angle, height, distance and cloth covers. You can't beat PVC seats for discomfort after a couple of hours in the sun.
Inertia reel seat belts.. . Tinted windscreens.. . A real handbrake the position of which clearly indicates on or off. (Cessna drivers will be nodding their heads in agreement here, I'm sure).. . More stowage space.
For example. A decent lock, including immobiliser, in the door. The average aircraft door can be opened, without damage, with a screwdriver.
Seats with adjustments for rake angle, squab angle, height, distance and cloth covers. You can't beat PVC seats for discomfort after a couple of hours in the sun.
Inertia reel seat belts.. . Tinted windscreens.. . A real handbrake the position of which clearly indicates on or off. (Cessna drivers will be nodding their heads in agreement here, I'm sure).. . More stowage space.
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A moving map display that was legal to use as a map and save all that folding!
Electronic flight and engine instruments - all in the same gadget?
Fuel gauges that actually show how much fuel is in the plane.
Seats that adjust to fit me, rather than bend my bones to fit them.
Electronic flight and engine instruments - all in the same gadget?
Fuel gauges that actually show how much fuel is in the plane.
Seats that adjust to fit me, rather than bend my bones to fit them.