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0 pointsnkozyra2y ago0 comments

Not saying this should be an alternative, but having read a lot of transcripts and video of things like this, I wonder why there aren't outside cameras that would potentially give pilots a visual indication of plane conditions outside? Is it just the cost of supporting resilient cameras?

A lot of incident reports have flight attendants or copilots leaving to try to make visual confirmation of things that it seems would be better suited if there were some actual visual feedback.

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nunuvit2y ago

You'd gain nothing, they can already see it with their eyeballs, and they don't require anything else like faster response or a different viewpoint. You'd lose in terms of putting another hole in the aircraft and maintaining another system, and you'd still need the manual procedure in case the camera didn't work.

ghaff2y ago

>and you'd still need the manual procedure in case the camera didn't work.

And presumably if the camera doesn't work as part of the pre-flight checklist for whatever reason, you're not going anywhere until it's fixed/replaced.

throwawaymobule2y ago

camera would probably just get an INOP sticker put somewhere, a surprising number of things can be nonfunctional on an airplane before it's grounded.

part of it is that there's a backup for most everything required.

nkozyraOP2y ago

> You'd gain nothing, they can already see it with their eyeballs

I'm talking about things they can't see, which I've heard in recordings as well.

For something like this they'd gain something for sure - time and redundancy

nunuvit2y ago

Why is the current time and redundancy requirement insufficient? They had plenty of time and opportunities to look at it, and they succeeded with time to spare. What is the scenario where they would run out of time, and why couldn't they land assuming that the landing gear wasn't deployed?

You'd need potentially an unrealistic number of cameras. Even if you decide on a case by case basis, you still have to weigh the risk that every component adds, and with a finite amount of money to spend on risk reduction you want to get the most bang for your buck.

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gambiting2y ago

....how can they see the area where the front gear is from within the plane?

nunuvit2y ago

The people in the airplane ask the people on the ground to look at it for them. "They" refers collectively to pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers.

alistairSH2y ago

The pilots "see" it with sensors.

The tower sees it with a set of binoculars. Hopefully.

wil4212y ago

A lot of aircraft could do this but the rules are most likely the same for the majority of air planes large and small.

kayfox2y ago

Newer aircraft have external cameras that can be pulled up on screens in the cockpit.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

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nunuvit2y ago

ghaff2y ago

>and you'd still need the manual procedure in case the camera didn't work.

And presumably if the camera doesn't work as part of the pre-flight checklist for whatever reason, you're not going anywhere until it's fixed/replaced.

throwawaymobule2y ago

camera would probably just get an INOP sticker put somewhere, a surprising number of things can be nonfunctional on an airplane before it's grounded.

part of it is that there's a backup for most everything required.

nkozyraOP2y ago

> You'd gain nothing, they can already see it with their eyeballs

I'm talking about things they can't see, which I've heard in recordings as well.

For something like this they'd gain something for sure - time and redundancy

nunuvit2y ago

1 more reply

gambiting2y ago

....how can they see the area where the front gear is from within the plane?

nunuvit2y ago

The people in the airplane ask the people on the ground to look at it for them. "They" refers collectively to pilots, flight attendants, and air traffic controllers.

alistairSH2y ago

The pilots "see" it with sensors.

The tower sees it with a set of binoculars. Hopefully.

wil4212y ago

A lot of aircraft could do this but the rules are most likely the same for the majority of air planes large and small.

kayfox2y ago

Newer aircraft have external cameras that can be pulled up on screens in the cockpit.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse