|
Author
|
Topic: how far can the eye see?
|
JT
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 02:24 PM
   
Anyone know how far the human eye should be able to see on a clear day?
In other words, at what distance should planes (the lowest detail lods) become visible? IP: Logged |
Jaguar
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 02:58 PM
Thats a tough question. It TOTALLY depends on the size of the object. Eg, I can see the rocky mountains clearly from my house, yet I live 100 Km away from them. What you could do to determine this, would be to drive down a LONG stretch of highway, and see when the oncoming cars become visiable........ I would guess that (depending on the pilots eyesight) 2Km would be an accurate distance for the plane to be visiable.The best thing to do, would be to try to find a fighter pilot's training manual...... something of that sort. ------------------
Cheers!
Jaguar
The FS Hangar
 [This message has been edited by Jaguar (edited 02-27-2000).] IP: Logged |
Sv
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 03:32 PM
I can see the stars on a clear night...  -Sv IP: Logged |
Pang
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 03:54 PM
"I can see for miles, and miles, and miles, and miles and miles".Couldn't help it, the song just popped into my head. Pang IP: Logged |
Tailslide
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 04:04 PM
Nooo.... now it's in my head too
IP: Logged |
Jaguar
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 05:07 PM
as Nelson would say:
HA HA  IP: Logged |
Mk10 225th
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 07:29 PM
One of my favorites, by that great British ace, Peter "Birdman" Townsend.Mk10=225th= IP: Logged |
Ronin
Pilot
|
posted 02-27- 09:47 PM
Boy JT!! This thread sure wandered!!! hehehe<... miles and miles and miles...> Oh no! Make that tune stopp!!!! Ronin IP: Logged |
Stark
Pilot
|
posted 02-28- 06:22 PM
On a truly clear day (ie. no pollution) you can see a small AC (like a Cessna) from as far out as 4.5 to 5 miles from a control tower. But you have to know where it should be to find it. For a B-17 sized plane it would be practical to see it at 5.5 to 6 miles and identify it at about 3.This is by no means scientific - just my observations from hanging out at a control tower (my sister was an air traffic controller - she worked tower at Sacramento International Airport). -Stark IP: Logged |
Spanky the Mad Dog
Pilot
|
posted 02-28- 10:06 PM
Spanky here.. Those #s sound like a good start. Theirs probly more data out there somewhere. Whats your plan JT? IP: Logged |
Smokey
Pilot
|
posted 02-29- 07:20 AM
I recall reading somewhere that WWI pilots
could spot a plane at 3 miles. I think it
might be from the book "No Parachute" by
Arthur Lee. I can't varify that because I
don't have the book anymore.IP: Logged |
Mighty
Pilot
|
posted 02-29- 04:07 PM
In Yeager's book he stated a couple of times that he and his squad mate (Bud Anderson? I'm bad with names) both had exceptional eyesight and could see formations of fighters at about 40 miles. Even when told where to look, most of the rest of the squad couldn't see them until 10 miles. Which implies that without guidance a fighter-sized plane should become visible to the average pilot at something less.So Stark's experience of spotting a Cessna-sized plane at 6 miles seems to fit Yeager's anecdotal account pretty closely. IP: Logged |
DanW
Pilot
|
posted 03-03- 09:19 AM
Stark's assesment is right on. As a former USAF controller, I've seen a lot of different aircraft from a tower. If you know where to look you can see a F16 at about 5-6 miles, depending on the weather and your eyesight.For SDOE, I would set it at about 4 miles..and experiement from there. IP: Logged |
Mighty
Pilot
|
posted 03-03- 01:09 PM
I think that at altitude one can see farther. There's a lot less dust and moisture at 15,000 feet than on the ground.IP: Logged |
Jerry
Pilot
|
posted 03-03- 01:23 PM
Four sure beats the two we have now, at least in 800X600.IP: Logged |
FSIC Messageboard
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! 
