Return-Path: Received: from [207.30.206.50] (account ) by logan.com (CommuniGate Pro WebUser 4.1b6) with HTTP id 2371020 for lml@lancaironline.net; Sun, 01 Jun 2003 22:31:41 -0400 From: "Marvin Kaye" Subject: annunciators To: lml X-Mailer: CommuniGate Pro WebUser Interface v.4.1b6 Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2003 22:31:41 -0400 Message-ID: In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; format="flowed" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Posted for ClarkM : Annunciator Ideas Just in case anyone was wondering what Boeing does in the latest model F/A-18F, here goes. It a combination of a voice, tone, and light system. First the voice is female with a southern accent. They changed to his because it gets the attention of the majority of the populous better. Remember they are designing for the 95th percentile. Betty, as we all call her will announce very bad things in different voices. i.e." Engine Fire Left, Engine Fire Left" At the same time this happens, a red Annunciator panel light will illuminate right in front of my eyes. As for the lights, standard convention, red worst yellow bad, green good. There is also a master caution light. It is tripped anytime you have a malfunction the get deemed greater than an advisory. This light will remain on till the malfunction clears or I punch it out. There is also a deeble-deeble tone associated with this light. For the majority of all malfunctions, I get a word describing what has happened on one of my displays. I also have a back up annonciator panel that will show items that are deemed critical to know about should the display fail but do not have there own red light. So I have basically triple redundancy everywhere. As for things like the gear, green good, flashing/steady red bad. Having flown the majority of my flight time in A-4s,F-14s, and F/A-18s, I think the system in the Super Hornet is as good as it gets. I realize this is out of the price league for a home built, but I have built in many of the features into the circuitry I am building for my plane. I have had the lucky/unlucky experience to be several hours from home, with bad guys shooting at me and losing systems like the HYDs. You want to know when there is a problem and not be able to miss it when I am looking outside at bullets and missiles coming up hill. Same goes for having your head in an approach plate, if the right main does not come down. I want a whoop to let me know and I also want to know immediately if the hyds are operating to minimize my trouble shooting. As life goes plan for the worse, and expect to have to manually blow the gear down at 3nm and fly a ILS to well below mins and land on a boat. I do. SA is life along with gas and speed and I would put the annunciator panel near the top of my list. Mike "Swampy" Clark 320/80%