octave Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 G day all, I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but its too good not to share. I went for a flight along the coast yesterday, only recently having attained my pilot certificate. The scenery along the coast is stunning and I had my very cheap and nasty digital camera with me so I thought I would attempt to snap a few pictures. Being a bit of a newbie I didn't want to become distracted by operating the camera so I held the camera and randomly clicked off a few pics. Somehow the camera got switched to its video mode. I held the camera up high to take a picture through the windshield. Having taken a few pictures I put the camera away so that I could just enjoy the flight. Back on the ground and sitting in my usual after flight coffee shop I scrolled through the pictures on my camera and came across the first frame very short vid, taken through the front of the aircraft I was confronted with a sight that almost made me spit my coffee across the coffee shop. :ah_oh: In the bottom left corner (see pic attached) there appeared to be an aircraft shaped image, now you have to remember that this really is a nasty cheap camera with a very small LCD display. I was stunned, could I have been involved in a near miss? I was sure I had kept a good lookout. I decided that it wasn't another aircraft but I couldn't come up with any other explanation. The only thing to do was to race home and upload the image to the PC so that I could enlarge it. I could see straight away that it was not another aircraft but I couldn't work out what it was, suddenly it came to me. Some of the instructors at our club get the students during the first lesson to place a small marker pen cross on the windshield to mark the horizon in level flight, because I held the camera up high the cross appear quite low on the windshield.Mostly these crosses get cleaned off. I am used to this cross being there and I don't even notice it any more. I am not sure whether there is a moral to this story but I did find it alarming then amussing:big_grin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fred Bear Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Good one ;) Spooky story at first. It does indeed look like an aircraft though and I can see why you would have been alarmed at first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whack777 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Good story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brentc Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 I'd better watch out for that phantom aircraft when I head up there to Moruya next weekend! Octave, would I be able to call you before heading up there, say Friday 3pm to check on the weather? Today was a good example where the weather looked perfect, but when I got to Sale there was a stack of cloud almost on the ground by the look of it, same goes all the way along the coast back to Phillip Island where it was at about 300ft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motzartmerv Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 haha...they couldn't have drawn a bettr aeroplane on the windscreen....good thing u didnt suddenly see it in flight and try an emergency steep turn to avoid it hey:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Redair Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 What I find most interesting is how they managed to get such a detailed Rotax 912s into that little cross, and the worried look on the other pilot's face is amazing... just zoom in to see it for yourself!!! Redair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Leave the poor bugger alone Redair...you'll frighten him. :ah_oh: Uhh...I just had another look at that photo zoomed up and that aint no red cross on the window....:;)2: ...... Dont know what it is....low wing ...other pilot with video camera though.... Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Redair Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Dont know what it is....low wing ...other pilot with video camera though.... Regards Phil Looks like one of those JVC hard-disk camcorders to me. Redair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Redair Posted February 5, 2008 Share Posted February 5, 2008 Image enhancement Well, it just goes to show what you can do if you have enough time and the right image enhancment tools on your computer. so, first off, I took some measurements, and from that was able to pick a point in space where I could begin from, the next part was easy, just set in all the details I had, into the computer and then let the image software do it's thing... and there you have it, a positive ID of the other aircraft. At first I thought the other plane was a single engine aircraft, but as you will see, it is not! Next, I further enhanced the image, so as to see the pilot. A task made easier by the fact that the poor fellow had almost fallen from the flight-deck, (box office ha-ha) with shock from the apparent "Near miss". You can quite clearly see the JVC camcorder, which I am assuming was just about to fall from the window ledge, as he tried to capture the other aircraft. This assumption is based on the fact that we have not heard of any "Near Miss" reports in the press, or heard of any impending action to be brought against the other pilot. And finally, after much extra work, it was possible to extract and further magnify the camcorder image to a point where I think you will agre that we can clearly see a very good likeness of the offending pilot. Safe flying everyone!! Redair. Another lie down is called for I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octave Posted February 5, 2008 Author Share Posted February 5, 2008 An airtight case. Dam you and your technology (photoshop). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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