| Re: Pilot makes first NVG Antarctic landing |
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Group: aus.aviation · Group Profile
Author: Atheist ChaplainAtheist Chaplain Date: Sep 13, 2008 03:33
>>>
>>> "Ned" aioe.org> wrote in message news:gadt3s$b8p$1@aioe.org...>>>> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in
>>>> the dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that
>>>> could lead to more supply flights to scientific bases in the frozen
>>>> continent during its dark winter months, officials said Friday.
>>>>
>>>> The C-17 Globemaster cargo airplane landed in a driving snowstorm on
>>>> the 10-kilometer (six mile) ice runway at the U.S. Antarctic research
>>>> center at McMurdo Station, after months of practice runs by pilots
>>>> using the goggles.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Can NVG's see through a driving snow storm?
>>>
>>> Graham
>>
>> Good question. And with the aircraft's landing lights on, the amount of
>> reflected light from the snow-flakes would normally overwhelm the
>> goggles. I know from personal experience that NVGs aren't that great when
>> using them in heavy rain and active illumination.
>>
>>
>
> Which was pretty much what I was thinking.
>
> Graham
>
>
>
>> --
>> "Those who beat their swords into ploughshares will plough for those who
>> didn't".
>>
High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job quite well
without having to worry about the reflected active illumination from the
main landing lights, in conjunction with IR reflectors (as used on the back
of most military vehicles in night time full tactical situations) would
finish the job, Hell I have been doing some experiments with IR stuff for
the last couple of months, and it would seem pretty trivial (and I can get
my pissy little civilian grade high intensity IR's to project for at least
100 meters with a decent reflector) so for the guys in the military who have
been working with this stuff for decades it should be a relative walk in the
(dark)park :-)
--
God made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom?
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