System and method of preventing aircraft wing damage

An aircraft wingtip tracking device to prevent collisions with obstructions while the aircraft is being taxied, comprising:

• a laser light source adapted for attachment proximal the tip of a aircraft wing and directed in a horizontal plane along the path of travel during taxi operations for said aircraft;
• said laser light source adapted for projecting a two dimensional pattern of illumination whose relative size reflecting from an obstruction along the path of said wing conveys distance information and which is readily discernable from ambient lighting of an obstruction;
• and
• a power activation circuit which activates said laser light source in response to the receipt of a pilot activated electrical signal.

A method of detecting obstructions along the horizontal plane of an aircraft wing that are positioned along the path of said aircraft wing as it is being taxied, comprising:

• generating a source of illumination centered on a horizontal plane projected forward of said aircraft wing along the travel path;
• patterning said illumination into a two dimensional pattern wherein a reflection from an obstruction allows distance to be easily discerned from pattern size and which can be readily discerned by a pilot or crewmember from ambient reflected lighting on an obstruction surface;
• and
• projecting said illumination in the direction of travel at the extremity of the aircraft object which is subject to contacting obstructions.