Aircraft cameras - as in views from outside - who has them?

[juddles]

Hi all,

I was just browsing the thread on window shades. I get both sides of the argument - those that want to see the view, but also the impact so much light can have on the cabin. I don't want to debate that here.

But a feature I have seen on a few airlines is those great cameras where you can see (via your IFE) views taken, live, from cameras on the aircraft itself. I distinctly remember one I loved which I think was on Thai - it even had a video camera pointed straight down.

Another view point I love is from a camera mounted on the tail facing forward - so you can see the whole plane and what's in front. I think the planes I have been on with these were A380's?

Who actually has these now?

 

[RooFlyer]

QR, A350s, at least.

 

[bigjobs]

I just flew Emirates this past weekend and their a380s have them. the 'nose' camera (or the one in that area) was cool once we started the descent.

also, your thread reminded me of a flight I took to Pittsburgh years ago where I could listen to the pilots talking to ATC through the in arm channel selection thingy. That was kinda cool for a bit and something i've not come across again. I think it was a US Airways flight.

 

[Hvr]

I love the QF A380 cameras but am annoyed that in J and Y+ you cannot view them because the screens have to be put into the arm rest. Also, QF only offers the tail view where as Emirates also offers the under carriage view.

 

[juddles]

QR, A350s, at least.

RooFlyer, have still not flown QR. A huge missing chunk in my experiences. Maybe after this "Juddles-no-fly" year of 2019 finishes, I will try them. (BTW, still have not flown an A350 either!) Do the QR A350's have several cameras?

I think it was on Emirates that you could watch from the tail camera all through taxiing and takeoffs and landings? On EK I have only mainly flown F so that was probably on their big screens. @Hvr , it is ages since I have flown QF A380's - most of my travels internationally have been on their 747's to sth america. I cannot recall the A380 product that much as those were also F flights (points redemptions of course) lo LHR, and I slept almost all of every flight. (My favorite flighst are EK F, but for sheer sleep nothing has ever beaten QF A380 bed glory)

 

[drron]

CX A350 also have them.

 

[Kerrodt]

Finnair A350 have both the tail and the undercarriage cameras. They are excellent viewing.

 

[RooFlyer]

Do the QR A350's have several cameras?

I think so. I like the cameras as well, but on departure, I couldn't find them on the IFE. Eventually came across them, but then forgot to look on arrival.

 

[The man with no name]

RooFlyer, have still not flown QR. A huge missing chunk in my experiences. Maybe after this "Juddles-no-fly" year of 2019 finishes, I will try them. (BTW, still have not flown an A350 either!) Do the QR A350's have several cameras?

I think it was on Emirates that you could watch from the tail camera all through taxiing and takeoffs and landings? On EK I have only mainly flown F so that was probably on their big screens. @Hvr , it is ages since I have flown QF A380's - most of my travels internationally have been on their 747's to sth america. I cannot recall the A380 product that much as those were also F flights (points redemptions of course) lo LHR, and I slept almost all of every flight. (My favorite flighst are EK F, but for sheer sleep nothing has ever beaten QF A380 bed glory)

I recently flew EK F into DXB and CDG and the view from the tail looking forward as we were on approach was amazing. Both were night time landings with the airports lit up like Christmas trees

 

[Ausbt]

Best one I've experienced was with a Japanese airline of 10 years ago that I sadly can't remember. Flying from NRT to CTS when the country was snowbound, the views were amazing.

 

[albatross710]

There is also an issue of quality. The CX A350 that I travelled in July had a far better resolution and clarity than the Emirates A380 that I had travelled in January.

Technology continues to improve.

I'm sure the pilot of the CX A350 would have liked the imagery of the HKG landing in which the runway centre line was precisely between the two tyres from touchdown until runway exit.

 

[offshore171]

Check this out.

A few years ago, flying on an A380 out of Zurich, by chance an insect was walking across the lens of the external camera at the start of the takeoff roll.

Naturally I had to record his efforts, as I wanted to see how long he could hang on.

Amazing determination, considering the speed at which an A380 gets airborne (around 300kph)

 

[levelnine]

A fun fact.

The A380s and A350s come equipped with tail cameras that are fed to the coughpit, but airlines have to pay extra to have them fed into the IFE.

British Airways on their new A350s did not stump up the extra cash for the IFE feed, so there is no tail cam on the new BA A350s even though the cameras exist.

 

[drron]

JAL's 767s had the nose camera and that was a long time ago-used to fly BNE-NRT back then.
It turned out not to be reassuring on one occasion flying into NRT in a typhoon with 2 go arounds with the camera still operating.

 

[marki]

Check this out.

A few years ago, flying on an A380 out of Zurich, by chance an insect was walking across the lens of the external camera at the start of the takeoff roll.

Naturally I had to record his efforts, as I wanted to see how long he could hang on.

Amazing determination, considering the speed at which an A380 gets airborne (around 300kph)

Links is down any other links you can mention?

 

[Himeno]

JAL's 767s had the nose camera and that was a long time ago-used to fly BNE-NRT back then.
It turned out not to be reassuring on one occasion flying into NRT in a typhoon with 2 go arounds with the camera still operating.

JAL has nose cameras on most of their aircraft, and the IFE often defaults to that camera when under 10k feet.

 

[ramboflyer]

It is amazing to watch the aircraft approach and the landing while sitting in your seat. These 2 shots were coming into DXB on an EK A380 in July.
The same camera was mounted on an EK 777 into SYD on Monday but I didn't get any photos.
The large screens in EK J help make the experience more enjoyable.

 

[jb747]

The Qantas 380s have both tail and nose gear cameras (actually on the bottom of the fuselage, looking at the nose gear), but only the tail is fed to the cabin. These cameras actually exist to help with positioning the aircraft during taxi. I don’t think you’d really want to see how close the nose gear gets to the edge of the taxiway during some turns.

 

[Hvr]

How could we forget the TAA tail camera advertisements from the 1970s?

I seem to remember that there were all sorts of regulatory approvals required before they were allowed to take to the air, presumably without passengers.

 

[jb747]

I'd love to see one mounted on a 380 winglet, pointing at the fuselage. No practical reason, but...