From: diego@minerva.st.dsi.unimi.it (Diego Montefusco)
Subject: INFO: Hi-Tech (military) HMDs?
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 92 00:13:07 CET



Hello... I a deep lover of Face Suckers, and I've seen quite a lot of
them, now.

Althought I never tried one, I've seen (only PHOTO!) some military
Hi-Tech, Hi-Performance, (Very) Hi-Price ones.

Fiber Optics (like CAE) or CRT based ones, I always have a question:

	What are they used for??? Just training or on-the-field?

CAE told me their fiber-optics HMDs are used JUST in ground-training
situations.

Prof. Roy Kalawsky, during last april Meckler Conference in London,
showed some pictures of some HMDs made in British Aerospace
laboratories, some of which almost hilarious (sp?): very big and
bulky. I asked if they were actually used in jet fighters (because I
always thought an helmet should be worn to PROTECT the pilot in case
of ejection or like, but with those 10tons-full-of-glass-optics-fiber-
optics-etc helmets, the chance not to die just FOR the helmet must be
VERY LOW) and infact he told me -NO-.

Is there anyone else who can tell me about the Kaiser HIDs? I've heard
they ARE used on F-16 (or F-18??). What about the ones developed for
the Super Cockpit at Wright Patterson Air Base? Are they ever been
used on REAL planes (don't care if on a full-time base) or JUST in
ground-based simulations?

Maybe someone doesn't care at all about these things, but I do. Reply
to me, if you wish, and I'll summarize if anyone else cares.

Thanks a lot!

Diego Montefusco

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