AMX wrote:Broomstick wrote:There actually IS a mirror on the underside of the upper wing - go back and look. It's to the left of the red hat as you look at the picture of the forward view.
Unless there are actually two mirrors in the picture, I've seen that - and it's not exactly in the right position to show you the runway...
You are correct - it is not intended to show you the runway. It is intended to show you the other person in the airplane.
Anyway, I was rather unclear what I meant (again); of course, the mirror would have to be "hull-conforming", and actually set into the wing... basically, you see where the forward part of the wing starts looking blue-ish? Imagine if that part (and a bit to the rear of it; roughly out to the mirror, and about the same on the other side) were made of polished metal (or covered with reflecting foil).
We have two problems here - first, you don't know what this airplane actually looks like, because you're working from my photos which, I freely admit, do not do justice to this thing nor do they fully reveal all aspects of the machine. Second, it's really really early while I'm typing thing and I'm not sure I'm seeing what you're saying (in addition to you perhaps not saying what you mean)
There's no part of the wing that's "bluish" - but I'm assuming what you're refering to is a part of the wing that's reflecting some of the blue sky. What is technically called the "leading edge" of the wing, the forward part. Yes, you could mirror that, but I don't think, given the angle of the surface vs. where the pilot is, that this would provide you with useful runway information. You can't change the angle of the wing vs. the angle of the fuselage, you'll get a distorted view at best because it's not a flat surface, and altering the shape of the leading edge to allow for proper viewing angle is going to destroy your lift. Since it's lift that allows you to fly it's sort of important to the whole enterprise, which I hope explains why your idea - despite it's creativity and ingenuity - is just not going to work.
Me, I've suggested simply duct-taping a look-out to the top of the upper wing. This is not as outrageous as it first appears - this airplane was part of a wing-walking routine for years, it will happily fly with a human body strapped to the top of it. This solution still has three problems associated with it:
1) Communication between the look-out and the pilot. Even with sound protection and a headset, that engine is LOUD - you may need to use hand signals or something.
2) Finding someone nutty enough to fly strapped to a wing. Quite a few people, even my fellow pilots, are very nervous and uneasy sitting in the open, even when strapped in two times over. I'm sure you can find
someone comfortable with the notion of hanging out in the breeze but they will be a distinct minority.
3) It will scare the hell out of the tourists. You can solve the first two problems but this is going to be a real kicker. I mean, you got folks who get queasy just
looking at pictures taken in flight. Some is going to scream "It's not safe! It's not safe!" even if it is. Then they call their Congressman and the next thing you know the FAA is proposing more rules to ruin our fun. Er... improve safety. Umm.... err... appease the public. Something. Anyhow, public sentiment will be a problem.
In real life, in tight spaces on the ground using people to guide pilots of such airplanes is nothing unusual - there are standarized hand signals used by all aircraft and ground personnel. You see this all the time with big passenger jets and the same principals work for little airplanes. That, at least, solves most of the ground handling problems. In flight, though, it's up to the pilot(s).