Lights, Camera, Action!
In this section I look at filming during flight: mounting cameras and other useful information.
It seems the world has gone mad with capturing everything on video. It’s hardly surprising; there are now more ‘action cams’ than you can shake a stick at and all smart phones, tablets and stills cameras have video capture. Furthermore, there is a whole host of software available on which to edit all your footage.
Although I have been filming and editing for years I don’t profess to be an expert. I know a fair amount but over the past three years or so have failed to keep up with the advancements. I certainly don’t film or edit in 4k preferring instead to keep to 1080 hd.
This post is not intended to be a video filming/editing blog. Instead I want to concentrate, although briefly, on the mechanics of filming during flight.
Internal or Externally Mounted Camera(s)?
Clearly, an externally mounted camera is going to capture outside shots better than an internal camera that has to film through windows of the plane. But of course, there are a lot of considerations:
- how are you going to control the camera?
- how are you going to mount the camera?
- how are you going to power the camera?
- what do you want to capture externally?
I decided that I definitely wanted to capture the scenery of my flights and therefore an externally mounted camera was going to be essential. I have a number of small cameras that were possibilities:
This is a cheap ‘GoPro’ type camera. It is surprisingly good. This was on the list of contenders because it was probably one of the cheapest cameras I have and, while I most certainly do not want it happening, I could afford to lose this in-flight.
A Good camera but often accompanied by technical problems. Not cheap. It had appeal, it was aerodynamic. However, the technical issues which I have come across has led me to mistrust it. As an external camera which I could not visually ‘supervise’ it was down at the bottom of the list of contenders.
I have the first model of Sony Action Cams. Since getting mine there have been new additions to the family on which I have read very good reports. I have no experience of the newer models. I purchased the Sony because it was available very cheaply in an offer that was run and, because Jersey is zero-rated for VAT I got it even cheaper than advertised.
I haven’t used it that much. But, it was included on the contenders’ list because it has a surprisingly good battery life compared to its rivals.
While I was a positive fan of the Contour everyone around me was using GoPro. I don’t have enough experience with the GoPro to make useful comparisons and there are swathes of sites on the web that give far better information than I could ever hope to provide. However, I do have a couple of bits of ‘advice’ to which I will turn in a moment. Anyway, the GoPro made it to the list because of the amount of accessories you can buy which may make life easier when mounting the camera externally.
My Decision
I have decided to mount two cameras externally. The two that got past the finishing line were the Sony Action Cam and the GoPro.
The Sony has a good battery life. Just under 3 hours. Some of the flight legs will be longer and so, unless I can get more staying-power to the camera it will die during the longer flights.
The GoPro has a disappointing battery life. In fact, I think it’s terrible. But, actually, unless I could get a camera that could last 4.5 hours it would mean that on a long flight leg all of them would die during flight and not capture the all important landing in a foreign airfield.
I started researching how to provide external power to the various cameras but found that so many people had encountered the same problems. While many of the cameras can be externally powered via a wall charger or from a PC, ‘external battery banks’ often did not work. The external battery bank solution was an obvious solution. You design some form of mount that will hold the camera and the ‘bank’ and away you go. But, the problem of powering via a bank put me off. There were people who had posted work-arounds but many of these required soldering new cables etc. While I am capable of doing that I just wanted a very easy solution; it was proving difficult. Eventually, I found the answer: The Brunton Battery.
This battery replaces both the battery and the back door on a GoPro case. The manufacturer claims it will last 4 times the length of a normal GoPro battery. I haven’t tested it yet but I don’t believe it. But, 2.5 times would suit my needs. I found getting hold of one very difficult. The actual manufacturer’s site (US) was sold out. Something tells me that they may not be produced any longer. I have no basis for that statement apart from a ‘feeling’. There may also be another reason why that could be so: the limited application of the battery (see Warning below).
As far as I was concerned, it was the perfect solution for battery stamina.
Warning! Warning! Warning! This battery will ONLY work with the GoPro Hero 3+. It will not work with Hero 3; it will not work with older models; it will not work with GoPro Hero 4. So, be aware. It is clearly stated as being only compatible with 3+ but I mention it just in case.
The Mounting
I decided I was going to use both the Sony and the GoPro to capture external footage. Since I could power the GoPro for the longest period I was going to position that camera to capture the best scenic views and capture good footage of take-off and landing. Mounting options for me meant finding something on the plane to which a camera clamp/mount could easily be attached. I considered wheel protrusions, any nut or bolt I could find or the tie down rings. The tie down rings were the easiest and best choice.
Mounting a camera to the ring would be easy. It would give great forward looking, unobstructed view and would be secure. Very quickly I decided upon the mount: a GoPro case and some ‘bits’ put together from Ram Mounts. Ram Mounts produce a special fitting for GoPro cases:
By using this along with some of the other Ram Mount products I was able to produce a mount that would attach to the tie down ring, allow full movement and be secure. With the Brunton All Day battery and the camera mounted all that was necessary was to press ‘record’ on the camera before rolling of the aircraft stand and starting the voyage.
The Sony Cam was going to be fitted on top of the wing, as far to the end as possible and pointing toward the cockpit. This would give a great view of the plane actually in flight as well as capturing scenery along the way. Any flight longer than 2.5 would mean the camera would stop filming but I wasn’t too worried about that. I was only planning on using the footage here and there in the edited ‘production’ to provide some variation. Mounting options were limited. The easiest solution was a suction cup mount. But, would it hold? Don’t know. But, my gut reaction and some ‘field tests’ tell me yes. If I didn’t believe that to be the case I wouldn’t even be contemplating it. It had to be a reliable mount and the one I opted for (already in my bag of accessories from years ago) was the Cullmann Suction Mount
This adheres exceptionally well. However, as the manufacturer states, the suction plate must be clean and grease free and the surface to which it is to be fixed must also be clean and grease free as well as being absolutely smooth. The manufacturer also clearly states, “Please note that we will not assume liability when fastening the CS33 suction pod to moving vehicles”. I’m not surprised at such a disclaimer.
The Legalties
There are rules and regulations about attaching/modifying an airplane. Nothing in this post replaces the need for you to ensure that anything you do related to this topic meets your obligations under the applicable law.
2015 Euro Flight 
I’m planning a trip similar. Thanks for the info.
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