Aiman

Actually.. don't let your dream go up in smoke.. you CAN correct for it, a lot of the commercial models do. Target /----- >oo (eyes) | display | ----/ All you need to do is curve the / piece of glass (the beamsplitter) along the vertical axis.. sorry about the atrocious line art.

You could reflect an image off the canopy (using it as the secondary reflector/beamsplitter) but in order to do that, and still have a square image, your primary reflector would need to be optically matched to cancel the distortion that the canopy would cause. If you are thinking of doing it like a car windshields, those are much closer to 'flat' than any Cozy/EZ/etc canopy I have ever personally seen, and therefore easier to correct for. The canopies in our aircraft would be a veritable optical nightmare. So are the ones in any F-xx fighter. That's why they project onto a nearly flat beamsplitter. Even those beamsplitters are not perfectly flat so they can correct for portal effect. Portal effect: Your eyes are focusing through a single object to infinity, and therefore pointed slightly wider than they would be if you were focusing on something 3 feet away... try this.. hold your index finger (or middle finger, if you are so inclined) at arms length. Focus out on some object in the distance... say.. more than 25 feet away. You will see 2 fingers. That's an oversimplication of the issue.. but represents some of the challenges that HUD display innovators face.

I think I might pass on that one. . . Hell.. build me a hangar at desert center and get me internet. I'll be happy. heh.

I'm sorry... it feels like minus WHAT?!

Oh wow.. looks like someone has already done it. We can do something materially similar, I think. And yes... Anchor optics is awesome.

I can ask all those questions tomorrow to an optics person at one of the schools around here.

Yeah, those are.. but the type you would want to use are flat fresnel lenses, with a low magnification factor. In addition, you would need an air coupled Petzval lens for focus or zoom adjustment.. aaah.. you are making me remember stuff from my intro to optics "fluff" class i took in college. You know... I have two EXCELLENT schools near me with world class optics labs in them. I'll see if I can pull some strings and get some time in front of a graduate student or professor to see how to do this best. If its that feasable.. something like this could possibly be brought to market for the GA community, or open sourced. hmmm Time to pay a visit to RIT or U of R optics labs... I don't ahve anything else to do tomorrow. heh.

A little off topic, but damn, Marc... those epics are pretty slick looking aircraft. Sure wish I had a million some odd dollars to throw away on one. Oh.. and.. this guy is living on pluto if he thinks that plane will fetch $150K.

A fresnel lens can actually be part of a collimator assembly. and yes, you are exactly right. you would probably put it in the light path just near the primary reflector I think that I am going to get building a test box to test with an LCD this weekend. Example: http://www.mikesflightdeck.com/head_up_displays.htm EDIT: Much more detailed information, which also addresses stereoscopic and portal effect errors introduced by infinity focus http://books.google.com/books?id=rbKkojYNjecC&pg=RA1-PA25&lpg=RA1-PA25&dq=collimating+lens+system+hud&source=web&ots=PYEuJI2lqG&sig=3XWLn-x0brBHdfgBJcXjmbL0_-M#PRA1-PA37,M1

That's actually the easiest part. I'ts quite trivial. Remember, you are looking through the image, which is being rendered further away than it appears.. Bonus points to the person who can say the lens that would do it, and where it should be placed in the optical path .

I just looked at the BMA FAQ, and it runs RealTime Linux, an OS which I am VERY familiar with..... I'd need to look at the hardware, but I think something could be done. I could probably get (or could possibly already have) a VM/Development environment for whatever hardware they are using. However, I probably wouldnt 'go inside' without their blessing. VGA aux out would be optimal.

My whole idea to put together an LCD VGA display or Electroluminescent display, forward facing with a mirror, then shoot that up through a beamsplitter panel for the overlay. This isn't a difficult concept, it will keep the image upright and readable without any funky manipulation of the video signal, etc. So when I was pointing you guys at the 'glass panel' stuff, i implied using the 5.5" VGA LCD, or the EL panel for the HUD. Like this: http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pXPUvEYKdDQpkjEHLjjeOeSmHnnlkvxngEPlYoa-Ca4WnbAiGQ6nbVirXwGlHAIBsgVVPrqOmWSg http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pXPUvEYKdDQpz_4WrAt0_jjDe27sjAWAVfXytDY2huG1diP8eHdh8fI_zJJEg6aWd_VCH1LQoM0E EDIT: the only thing you would need to do is run remote brightness control to the front panel, or wire up something automatic. also have a way to shut it off, and height adjust it.

EUREKA! I've found it!! http://www.planaronline.com/el/ or try http://www.tftlcdpanels.com/

So far, this is the closest that I have seen, and I am sure that I could find a superbright VGA screen instead of the dynon one he used: http://dynonavionics.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?action=dereferer;url=http://spaces.msn.com/members/variviggen/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c01_photoalbum=showdefault&_c=photoalbum CozyGrrls... since you know more than most of the rest of us combined about BMA gear... I have a couple of questions: 1. Does the BMA EFIS controller really have a VGA out? What resolution? TrueVGA 640x480 or something else, selectable perhaps? 2. If it does, is there any way to select what data is dumped out this port? (ex: art horiz, gps moving map, card compass, etc)

I'd hit this... two times.... if it were actually a product that was out to market... http://www.microvision.com/vehicle_displays/head_up_displays.html Right now, I think the best option is OLED (organic LED) displays. One problem, they are almost impossible to find I think that a commercially produced HUD projector could be effectively reverse engineered though. Anyone have one laying around?

Isn't that what approach certified GPS (or ILS) and autopilot are for? I am pretty sure computers can fly better approaches than I ever could. commercial pilots have it so nice: turn final, push button, sit back and relax.

I actually spoke with Jim Petersen, the manager/president of Wendover (kenv), and he seemed pretty accomodating, so, I am going to look into taxation (business and personal), housing, and job opportunities, grants, etc out there. So far: Airport: pass Internet: pass (though wireless, there are 2 providers) Taxation: unknown Housing: unknown jobs: unknown (i can telecommute though) business: uknown (grants, tax breaks, etc)

Any of you familiar with the movie "Deliverance" ? I'd like to avoid areas like that, if at all possible. </dueling banjos>

Yeah, we tested those a little bit with that huge ocilloscope-radio looking thingy that was brought down to RR this year. My flashlight blew the socks off of it from a foot away, noise-wise. However, I think some of the higher quality automotive units are significantly quieter, electrically. I can also put them on their own noise-isolated bus. I'm also not going to stick them in the nose. I'd like to see them out on the inboard ends of the wings nearest the strake. That should put them out of optical 'reach' of the canards, and still provide plenty of light. Besides, have you ever heard of "Tempest Shielding" ? I'll build a Faraday cage around the damn things if I have to. But, I will have the best lights ever.

I'd actually be curious to see a side by side comparison of the 90mm vs 50mm HID Hellas in terms of light output. If you have them both sitting around, I would be eternally grateful if you could snap a photo of them both pointed at a wall next to one another. I still think you won't touch the light output of my Mcullough/ACRO handheld though... "brighter than the mid-day desert sun" it's been said

Wendover seems to be a finalist, if I can get a reasonable deal on a box hangar there. They even have high speed wireless internets!

Yes.. then it's just a matter of figuring out what any of the 30+ LED annunciators you have on your panel mean.... I know a couple of pilots who subscribe SO strongly to the K.I.S.S. principle, that they would probably put their fist through my BMA EFIS/One if they ever had to fly my plane when I get it done. Which is why nobody will be flying front seat except me. You want to fly RIO, thats your choice.

Looked at SEZ. Seems too expensive.. maybe a little too snooty. Bonus points if I could actually live in the hangar "occasionally", a-la 'wind' (a movie in 1992).

Ideas for LED's use din the aircraft: Panel lighting... you would need a Pulse Width Modulator controller for dimming. Puddle lights for ingress & egress at night, maybe on a timer.. so you don't step in dog doo. Taxi wig-wags.

Okay.. TSP and MHV are out.. What about historic Wendover? I believe that it's county owned, and the economy is utter garbage there. That would be perfect for me, really. I could rent a whole hangar out there. Build the plane, AND run my business from it.. Where is Nebrasky, do they even have airports?? ;) Suggestions? I'd like to have a full size hangar if possible. I'm starting my search on http://www.airfields-freeman.com/index.htm because they have the little known airfields that would probably be the cheapest..