Night vision Monocular.

Vance I use gen 3 pvs14 monocular and with any moon light over head the reflection off wires are quite visible. I do always schedule any night training on moon lit nights
 
Vance I use gen 3 pvs14 monocular and with any moon light over head the reflection off wires are quite visible. I do always schedule any night training on moon lit nights

Thank you Greg, I would love to try it out when I am at Bensen Days or Sun N Fun.
 
Compared to most of you I'm a noob. but My Friend Dan Has a piper with a Big GPS and on his GPS he has a voice warning for wires bridges towers antennas and stuff like that tells him to pull up or turn.

Maybe this could help you with other systems.
 
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Thank you Frank.

Thank you Frank.

Compared to most of you I'm a noob. but My Friend Dan Has a piper with a Big GPZ and on his GPS he has a voice warning for wires bridges towers antennas and stuff like that tells him to pull up or turn.

Maybe this could help you with other systems.

One of my concerns is fences and ditches; will it tell me about them?

This is about emergency landings, not flying low. I don’t fly low at night.

My Garmin 496 makes me aware of towers and terrain. It does not show wires.

I would be interested in what a system like what your friend has costs Frank and what is costs to keep it updated.
 
Greg, a Gen 3 ANPVS 14?
Thats a nice piece of kit!
 
I may have missed it one of the post Vance but my experience while training is that any light at night isn't a good thing with NV on. Your strobes will bilind you even being indirect. Just a thought.
 
Thank you J.R.

Thank you J.R.

I may have missed it one of the post Vance but my experience while training is that any light at night isn't a good thing with NV on. Your strobes will bilind you even being indirect. Just a thought.

That is why I am trying to learn.

I don't know if it will have any value.

I suspect finding out may be costly.

I am hoping to learn from others experience.

Greg is a CFI I would like to emulate. If it works for him I want to get it to work for me.

The FAA is expansive about approving an aircraft for night vision aids.

I have a call into my FSDO to make certain I will not be breaking any rules.
 
The night vision equipment may have a place in mission-oriented situations but may be out of place in general aviation.

What you get is Fuzzy Tunnel-Vision.

Looking at the specs of a couple of night vision monoculars...

A 240x180 Pixel sensor with a 24 deg field of view.
That is a view slightly larger than a standard piece of paper held at arms-length with the equivalent of 20/120 vision.

At the higher end...
A 640x512 sensor with an 18 deg FOV.
That is slightly smaller than a piece of paper held at arms-length and 20/33 vision.

Ref: Vision corrected to less than 20/40 is medically disqualifying.

So you are either legally blind, or you are viewing the world through a TP tube. Or Both!

Not a good situation in a SEE and be-seen environment.
 
Thank you Bill.

Thank you Bill.

The two night vision monoculars I have tried on the ground appeared useful to me.

With the aid of the night vision monocular I could see lots that I feel would be useful to see during a forced landing.

If it doesn’t work it won’t be the first thing I have tried that didn’t work out.
 
Vance, more than one has said get a digital camera and matching display. Seems simple, cheap, much more suited to your needs ?
 
The two night vision monoculars I have tried on the ground appeared useful to me.

With the aid of the night vision monocular I could see lots that I feel would be useful to see during a forced landing.

If it doesn’t work it won’t be the first thing I have tried that didn’t work out.

I might argue that a forced landing is a mission-oriented situation.
You are going to put it on the ground no matter what! That is the mission.
The NV equipment may very well be useful as you will only be looking at your intended landing spot.

However, you stated that you intend to fly the entire flight NV equipped.
That will leave you with tunnel-vision, and without your peripheral vision you are only going to see what you directly look at.

As a pre-flight experiment, take a spotter with you and try driving your car down a dark, deserted road with them. See how that works out.

If all else fails, if your NV Monocular is "Thermal Vision" you could always use them to spot the MJ grow houses in the area. :lol:
 
One of my concerns is fences and ditches; will it tell me about them?

This is about emergency landings, not flying low. I don’t fly low at night.

My Garmin 496 makes me aware of towers and terrain. It does not show wires.

I would be interested in what a system like what your friend has costs Frank and what is costs to keep it updated.



I sent my friend a email we just have to wait for his reply could be fast or slow can never tell with him.
 
Vance, more than one has said get a digital camera and matching display. Seems simple, cheap, much more suited to your needs ?

Thank you for the input Jamie

I have not ruled out a digital camera with a display.

The ones I have seen would not be suitable.
 
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Thank you Bill.

Thank you Bill.

I might argue that a forced landing is a mission-oriented situation.
You are going to put it on the ground no matter what! That is the mission.
The NV equipment may very well be useful as you will only be looking at your intended landing spot.

However, you stated that you intend to fly the entire flight NV equipped.
That will leave you with tunnel-vision, and without your peripheral vision you are only going to see what you directly look at.

As a pre-flight experiment, take a spotter with you and try driving your car down a dark, deserted road with them. See how that works out.

If all else fails, if your NV Monocular is "Thermal Vision" you could always use them to spot the MJ grow houses in the area. :lol:

I don't know enough to know exactly how I am going to use a night vision monocular.

I will have to see how long it takes me to adjust to it if I don't use it until we are hurtling toward the earth.

I plan to fly high enough to where I have some time to pick out the best landing zone.

I am not the pilot in command so I don't see where tunnel vision is a problem.

Part of how we practiced for the Isle of Mann TT was at night with the lights out in a rental car. It allowed us to use the racing line because we could see lights coming the other direction and it made it feel as if we were going faster than we were. One person would read off the names and directions of the corners while the other drove.
 
Hi Bro
I think it would be a great learning experience even if you don’t use them and look forward to leaning from your experience.
Only one comment I can see a problem with:
...
I am not the pilot in command so I don't see where tunnel vision is a problem.
The problem with that is I’ve been given the controls as a high time pilot on final 100’s of times in real bad wind landings often a few hundred feet before landing which I do not mind it’s the ones where they take their hands off the controls and say your airplane a few feet before touchdown and the crosswind is about blow us off the runway and I discover he’s been at full stop on the rudder etc.

I would want to test landing them hundreds of times in the full pattern at my airport so I know I’m as competent at anytime to take over the controls from any pilot at any point in the pattern as it will happen to you sometime in your carer. I’ve seen weather change in an instant where they will say your airplane.

Also we had an instructor sitting in the back seat of an aircraft and because he was the high time pilot he was deemed the pilot in command by the FAA and had to all anwser the FAA questions regarding a violation during the flight. I do not think it's changed as it's happen to me once when I took over the controls at about 500 feet and landed for the pilot in command of the entire flight until the landing!

From my experience at night.
I’ve flown thousands of hours at night in FW small aircraft and during the full moon phase (about 6 or 7 days) you can see on a clear night about the same as an heavily overcast day. It’s always amazes me that I can still see the telephone poles and fence polls if they do not match the background foliage color too closely. Rule is fly over the polls!!! If you look for the poll line your pretty certain that there are no wire where there are no houses to be attach to them. Not 100% but nothing is.

I plan my night flight with gliding from one landing zone to the next landing zone I suspect that is what you will do also.
So plan your flight then do emergency landing fly-by's at all the zones during the day.

Then take a safely pilot and do test emergency landing pratice at each zone on a full moon night and see if it’s a problem? Also when you do have a real one along the same route you are ready for it as you practice it all the time. My instructor practice them with me on my first night cross country. But I was taught the full Navy course at the time because it was the only thing a just retired Navy instructor knew to teach me.
 
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I am not the pilot in command so I don't see where tunnel vision is a problem.

That's an enormously irresponsible statement Vance. So you don't think you need to be in the loop ? You're the Instructor Pilot Vance. NTSB Law judges tend to go after the highest rated aviator on board. You need to be dialed in and not in a tunnel vision situation.

A one eyed man looking thru an NVG monocular with no previous NVG training trying to conduct instruction in an experimental gyroplane it kind of reads like the beginning of a bad joke............just throw in a Rabbi and a Priest !
 
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I appreciate the effort.

Garmin Pilot GDL69-3D about 900$ CND 150$ a year for updates.

But he tells me that.

Forefligth is the best but more expensive he did not give me pricing for it.

I will copy paste original reply but it's in French.






Bonjour Frank,

J’utilise Garmin Pilot, mais le meilleur est Forefligth.

Les deux utilisent une « antenne » pour localiser précisément l’aéronef. Chez Garmin on l’appelle GDL69-3D, environ 900$.
Les deux fonctionnent avec un abonnement, ± 150$ par an.
Cela donne les obstacles au sol et les cartes précises. Ils donnent aussi un « Glass cockpit » complet, l’ ADSB-IN (soit la position des autres avions, malheureusement seul. aux USA).
La météo, les prix de l’essence, plan de vol, enregistrement des heures de vols et les Notams à jour sont d’autres avantages qui rendent ces services indispensables si ont voyage.

Au plaisir!

Daniel, actuellement au Mexique
 
Thank you for your advice John.

Thank you for your advice John.

In my experience John I cannot see fences, ditches and specifically the wire that goes out to the pump in the middle of a lot of fields around here on a full moon night.

It is not practical to try out all the emergency landing zones along the route.

I don’t know how it is going to work or if it will work.

I will certainly try lots of landings if I am going to use it.
 
That's an enormously irresponsible statement Vance. So you don't think you need to be in the loop ? You're the Instructor Pilot Vance. NTSB Law judges tend to go after the highest rated aviator on board. You need to be dialed in and not in a tunnel vision situation.

A one eyed man looking thru an NVG monocular with no previous NVG training trying to conduct instruction in an experimental gyroplane it kind of reads like the beginning of a bad joke............just throw in a Rabbi and a Priest !

I have no control over what you read into my posts Randolph and I hope your comments are intended to be helpful.

I take the safety of my clients seriously and will not do something that I feel compromises safety.

I have tried to make it clear that I don't know if a night vision monocular will work, I don't know how it will work and I am trying to learn about a night vision monocular that might be suitable for my specific need.

The two I tried on the ground did not appear to me create tunnel vision.

Greg has found something that works for him and I hope to see if it works for me.

I don't know if I will need training or how much.

The representative of the local FSDO was the one that brought up that I will not be the pilot in command and that is why he didn't have a quick answer for me on the regulations. He is supposed to get back to me today but I am not a priority and made it clear there was no rush.

FAR 61.31 K

(k) Additional training required for night vision goggle operations. (1) Except as provided under paragraph (k)(3) of this section, a person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft using night vision goggles only if that person receives and logs ground training from an authorized instructor and obtains a logbook or training record endorsement from an authorized instructor who certifies the person completed the ground training. The ground training must include the following subjects:

(i) Applicable portions of this chapter that relate to night vision goggle limitations and flight operations;

(ii) Aeromedical factors related to the use of night vision goggles, including how to protect night vision, how the eyes adapt to night, self-imposed stresses that affect night vision, effects of lighting on night vision, cues used to estimate distance and depth perception at night, and visual illusions;

(iii) Normal, abnormal, and emergency operations of night vision goggle equipment;

(iv) Night vision goggle performance and scene interpretation; and

(v) Night vision goggle operation flight planning, including night terrain interpretation and factors affecting terrain interpretation.

(2) Except as provided under paragraph (k)(3) of this section, a person may act as pilot in command of an aircraft using night vision goggles only if that person receives and logs flight training from an authorized instructor and obtains a logbook or training record endorsement from an authorized instructor who found the person proficient in the use of night vision goggles. The flight training must include the following tasks:

(i) Preflight and use of internal and external aircraft lighting systems for night vision goggle operations;

(ii) Preflight preparation of night vision goggles for night vision goggle operations;

(iii) Proper piloting techniques when using night vision goggles during the takeoff, climb, enroute, descent, and landing phases of flight; and

(iv) Normal, abnormal, and emergency flight operations using night vision goggles.

(3) The requirements under paragraphs (k)(1) and (2) of this section do not apply if a person can document satisfactory completion of any of the following pilot proficiency checks using night vision goggles in an aircraft:

(i) A pilot proficiency check on night vision goggle operations conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces.

(ii) A pilot proficiency check on night vision goggle operations under part 135 of this chapter conducted by an Examiner or Check Airman.

(iii) A pilot proficiency check on night vision goggle operations conducted by a night vision goggle manufacturer or authorized instructor, when the pilot—

(A) Is employed by a Federal, State, county, or municipal law enforcement agency; and

(B) Has logged at least 20 hours as pilot in command in night vision goggle operations.


FAR 61.57 f

(f) Night vision goggle operating experience. (1) A person may act as pilot in command in a night vision goggle operation with passengers on board only if, within 2 calendar months preceding the month of the flight, that person performs and logs the following tasks as the sole manipulator of the controls on a flight during a night vision goggle operation—

(i) Three takeoffs and three landings, with each takeoff and landing including a climbout, cruise, descent, and approach phase of flight (only required if the pilot wants to use night vision goggles during the takeoff and landing phases of the flight).

(ii) Three hovering tasks (only required if the pilot wants to use night vision goggles when operating helicopters or powered-lifts during the hovering phase of flight).

(iii) Three area departure and area arrival tasks.

(iv) Three tasks of transitioning from aided night flight (aided night flight means that the pilot uses night vision goggles to maintain visual surface reference) to unaided night flight (unaided night flight means that the pilot does not use night vision goggles) and back to aided night flight.

(v) Three night vision goggle operations, or when operating helicopters or powered-lifts, six night vision goggle operations.

(2) A person may act as pilot in command using night vision goggles only if, within the 4 calendar months preceding the month of the flight, that person performs and logs the tasks listed in paragraph (f)(1)(i) through (v) of this section as the sole manipulator of the controls during a night vision goggle operation.

(g) Night vision goggle proficiency check. A person must either meet the night vision goggle experience requirements of paragraphs (f)(1) or (f)(2) of this section or pass a night vision goggle proficiency check to act as pilot in command using night vision goggles. The proficiency check must be performed in the category of aircraft that is appropriate to the night vision goggle operation for which the person is seeking the night vision goggle privilege or in a flight simulator or flight training device that is representative of that category of aircraft. The check must consist of the tasks listed in §61.31(k), and the check must be performed by:

(1) An Examiner who is qualified to perform night vision goggle operations in that same aircraft category and class;

(2) A person who is authorized by the U.S. Armed Forces to perform night vision goggle proficiency checks, provided the person being administered the check is also a member of the U.S. Armed Forces;

(3) A company check pilot who is authorized to perform night vision goggle proficiency checks under parts 121, 125, or 135 of this chapter, provided that both the check pilot and the pilot being tested are employees of that operator;

(4) An authorized flight instructor who is qualified to perform night vision goggle operations in that same aircraft category and class;

(5) A person who is qualified as pilot in command for night vision goggle operations in accordance with paragraph (f) of this section; or

(6) A person approved by the FAA to perform night vision goggle proficiency checks.
 
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