See this CAP News Online story about mounting video cameras linked to ground maps mounted in an AL wing aircraft: http://www.cap.gov/visitors/news/cap_news_online/index.cfm?fuseaction=display&nodeID=6192&newsID=4713&year=2008&month=9
The story doesn't mention whether this is something mounted to the aircraft or shot out the window.
This is just the sort of equipment that CAP needs to get in order to stay relevant in the disaster damage assessment and reconnaissance field.
You know, I had read about this too, and just have not had the time to comment. I hope this works out. Live video feed that is of decent quality would be an outstanding improvement.
I hope they are able to roll it out to more than just a few airframes and also get coordinated training available through an online medium so that people don't have to travel miles and miles to get the fundamentals training.
I have sat in EOC's where the only imagery is from slow-scan, SDIS, and carry-back from our aircrews. It is great to be that resource, but it would be even better if we can provide a better product.
Go AL!
It will be flying over TX today
This would actually give us the ability to really compete with the Air National Guard's recon planes and in the future with UAVs.
Yesterday, at the CAWG Conference, we were briefed by a member of the Hq CAP Staff on this airplane. It is one aircraft, a 182, with a video ball mounted outside the aircraft, and it is entirely experimental. No plans at the moment to do more than one aircraft until it is used and evaluated.
Hope that this helps some.
you mean like this:
(http://specialmissions.cessna.com/single_engine/images/patrol-2.jpg)
I think we've had this conversation a year ago... add FLIR, satlink for real-time transmit... then you're competing with UAVs
Add ground command & control vehicle/trailer - meaning comm setup w/ generator & sat internet card to receive feed back from NOC. Fwd deploy this at the FOB/EOC where agencies are operating from. Deliver straight to the people that need it & on demand. And, you can put that same feed on the Gov/President/FEMA/etc's desk, also in real-time.
Add to that 4 GTs doing ground assessment based on the FLWG recon model... now you got a task force.
Per USAF today
Global Hawk Flies Hurricane Support: The Air Force's Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, operated by the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, Calif., covered last year's California wildfires and, adding to its homeland defense repertoire, this year Global Hawk has supported hurricane watch activity along the Gulf Coast. Ed Walby, head of Global Hawk business development for the UAV-maker Northrop Grumman, told reporters at AFA's Air & Space Conference Monday that a Block 10 Global Hawk had just flown a Navy support mission during Hurricane Ike, responding to a tasking from US Northern Command. The near 25-hour mission provided imagery passed along to first responders and local officials who were organizing rescue and recovery efforts.
when we are out of Iraq and Afghanistan wht do you think the UAVs will be used for?? The USAf can care less about saving money, they need a reason for spending 16million on a an aircraft and 20 man support team.
Tags - MIKE
agreed. However that are still many issues with UAVs. Airspace is a problem, but more importantly they are not well distributed geographically & difficult to relocate.
Having a similar, though admittedly lesser, capability with CAP airframes right near the situations & avail to both state/local as well as federal (including HLS) uses is a viable alternative. Even if you wanted to argue that, UAVs in those roles certainly put eyeball only search out of business to some degree or another. Adding serious industry standard capabilities only makes us more viable & capable for the future. And, we have to think 20 years out here, not next year or the next 5 years.
At National Board this year I heard Col. Hodgkin's and what I perceived to be his boss state that UAV deployment required SECDEF authorization currently and there was nothing "rapid" about it.
Quote from: DNall on September 15, 2008, 06:05:12 AM
you mean like this:
(http://specialmissions.cessna.com/single_engine/images/patrol-2.jpg)
I think we've had this conversation a year ago... add FLIR, satlink for real-time transmit... then you're competing with UAVs
Add ground command & control vehicle/trailer - meaning comm setup w/ generator & sat internet card to receive feed back from NOC. Fwd deploy this at the FOB/EOC where agencies are operating from. Deliver straight to the people that need it & on demand. And, you can put that same feed on the Gov/President/FEMA/etc's desk, also in real-time. That particular aircraft belongs to Kern County Sheriff.
Add to that 4 GTs doing ground assessment based on the FLWG recon model... now you got a task force.
Thats the same exact airframe and set up I fly at work. To put it in perspective. Thats about a $475,000 plane with a $500,000 camera system with Microwave Downlink. You can see the downlink antenna on the belly directly left of the camera. That Gyro-cam takes a lot of training and use to stay proficient with also. If you dont know what you are doing, you can do a lot of damage to the camera, and flying a turbo charged airplane at 90 kts, you better keep an eye on your CHT.
Keep in mind too, that camera set up is about 160lbs. The camera ball itself is almost 80lbs. That set up on a 182? Ouch.
Quote from: Flying Pig on September 17, 2008, 03:59:58 PM
Thats the same exact airframe and set up I fly at work. To put it in perspective. Thats about a $475,000 plane with a $500,000 camera system with Microwave Downlink. You can see the downlink antenna on the belly directly left of the camera. That Gyro-cam takes a lot of training and use to stay proficient with also. If you dont know what you are doing, you can do a lot of damage to the camera, and flying a turbo charged airplane at 90 kts, you better keep an eye on your CHT.
Keep in mind too, that camera set up is about 160lbs. The camera ball itself is almost 80lbs. That set up on a 182? Ouch.
We've talked about this before. The picture is an example. It is NOT what I'd like to see us field. We're not looking for anything like production quality video. I have no need to read a license plate from 500AGL, much less 1-3k. We would not be looking for anything like this camera system. Rather, we'd be using a much simpler much lower resolution FLIR/Color video ball that's currently used by the Marines on UH-1s, been around for 15 years. That full system weighs closer to 50lbs, operated off a laptop in the front. I certainly would not want a microwave transmission system. Sat is cheaper on the hardware side. The sat time is the cost, and that is already avail from 1AF.
I talked to the manufacture and Cessna about all this. The numbers work out. And you are not talking about anything remotely close to 500k for the system. Maybe 100K on the outside including installation, training, and support.
Now, you are correct that there are flight issues though. You can't hang a bowling ball out in the wind on one side of the airframe & not have some changes in flight characteristics. That's really the biggest issue at this point. If we could find a way to run a belly mounted pod that wouldn't cost a fortune, this would already be in service.
Actually, it is hardly noticable. When the camera swings around, you can feel a slight buffet. Other than that, you wouldnt even notice its there. I just spent 5 hours flying in circles with it today!
^ that's good to know. my biggest concern was pilots not used to flying with it getting in & messing things up.
I did see the FMV aircraft on our flight line yesterday. It's a straight down facing "pod" about the size/shape of a kids sand box bucket - say 6x8 cylinder - and mounted in the luggage compartment. Runs off a laptop in the back seat. That's okay for a start, but obviously I don't think it reaches the level of utility/capability we need to be fielding.