[Moderator OO-VEX has removed the picture, as it was not in line with forum rule 9 (no pics allowed bigger than 640*480) and rule 22 (copyright protected picture)]
At Schiphol the handling appears to be done using light signals on the terminal building. I would have expected that the Japanese would have some amazing gizmo for that task..
In BRU there's a guidance system that tells pilots if they're left or right of the centerline and how much further they can taxi (counting down till 0.1m I think). When STOP flashes then that's exactly what the pilots should do
In CDG it is more or less all right to park a 747 by hand signal but at MAD for example the aircraft comes so near the terminal that sometimes I wonder how they see you
The numbers you see in the yellow squares on the picture are the parking positions. The large black "screens" underneath or above these numbers are there for the pilots. That's where the information is shown that I was talking about in my previous post...
Much easier than the Japanese system if you ask me
Bob_Marcotte wrote:In BRU there's a guidance system that tells pilots if they're left or right of the centerline and how much further they can taxi (counting down till 0.1m I think). When STOP flashes then that's exactly what the pilots should do
That seems to be the same system they have at CHC. It is programmable with the A/c code, if the wrong code is put in & the sensors pick up it's not the same type as programed for that gate then the :stop: flashes. I will try to find the link to that info for you. It states in great detail how the system operates.
PS. Once when I flew into NRT & we approached the gate our 'plane had to do a sudden :stop: for some reason, perhaps the flagman hadn't seen us :lookaround: :shakehead:
It's called a DGS (=Docking Guidance Sstem). There are many different versions in use, the most modern versions scan the position with some kind of sensor (also different ones in use, some laser, some radar. some cameras) access a database to identify the type and display the taxi information accordingly. Some systems also use sensors integrated ni the center lighting of the position or combine both kind of sensing systems.
It could work totally automatically, but for safety reasons many airports require the stand free check and the selection of the aircraft type to be performed or at least confirmed by an operator.
There are also some simpler versions in use - a company from NZ has developed a mirror which allows the pilot to see the stop point markings on the ground - in order to work the markings have to be painted mirror-inverted.
Other systems work with pure geometry, but these can only be used from the pilot - or two systems have to be installed, one for each crew member.
I like this one very much, because I think it's most fascinating that the problem can be solved just by thinking about some rather basic geometry and maths, without having to use tons of wires (aside from lighting), cameras, sensors and computers.
