REFLECTOR: Expensive (but cool) video

Alex Balic velocity_pilot at verizon.net
Sun Sep 16 19:29:13 CDT 2012


Great perspective shots Geoff - sorry about the case coming loose..BTW (
half joking ) how long do you think before those new subdivisions on the end
of the runway will start petitioning to have the airport closed/noise
abatement procedures implemented?  Seen It before many times.. 

 

From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
Behalf Of Geoff Gerhardt
Sent: Sunday, September 16, 2012 7:25 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: REFLECTOR: Expensive (but cool) video

 

Guys,

 

How cool would it be to strap a gopro video camera to my nose gear so it
retracts/deploys with the gear, right?  I found a spot to mount it and made
it a secure as possible.  After mounting it, I put the plane up on jacks and
exercised the gear - yep, still retracts/deploys fine.  Time to try it.  I
have the "wifi backpack" for my gopro, so I can control it from the cockpit
(turn it on/off, start/stop recording).  Once I got clearance to take off, I
started recording.  Did a  couple takeoffs and landings, flew around for a
half hour or so, then headed back to the hangar.  Once I got out, I noticed
that while the camera case was still nicely attached to the nose gear, the
camera case had opened up, and there was no camera inside it.  Apparently
one of my landings wasn't smooth enough and it jarred the case open.  I
called airport operations (ORH is class D) and told them to do a runway
sweep.  A few minutes later, one of the airport ops guys came by my hanger
with the camera in several pieces.

 

You can see how I had it mounted here. 

http://thegerhardts.com/velocity/?p=573

 

Here's the video I was able to retrieve from the SD card.  You can see where
the camera case popped open and the camera is just jiggling loose inside.
On the next landing, the case must have opened up all the way and the camera
popped out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE78J4ahlJ4 

 

I love the whoosh sound the camera made when the nose gear dropped down. 

 

So, if you use a gopro - probably best to put a zip-tie around the case to
make sure it stays closed - particularly if you mount it in a high-vibration
place.  I've never had a problem with a gopro mount coming loose.

 

I sent the video to gopro's support folks - they gave me 20% off a new
camera - better than a kick in the teeth.

 

Geoff

 

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