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Thursday, March 05
Recording in-flight video
By Brady Lane at 2:15 PM
Flight log to date Hours flown: 14.8 | Days since I started: 142 | Cost: $2,601.20
I've received numerous questions about what gear we're using to record video of our flights. As a student pilot, I've benefited greatly from being able to watch the video of each lesson after the flight. It's amazing how much more you hear the second time through — and it's just fun to watch!
Basically, we are using two separate lipstick cameras from Race Optics. We have one camera mounted on the dash (looking back at me) and one mounted on the ceiling window above us (looking out over the nose).
Since there is not a separate line-in for audio on the digital video recorders (DVRs), I have to record our radio and intercom communications on a separate audio recorder, an Edirol R-09. For $6 I purchased a Y-cable to plug into the headset jack, so I could plug my headset into one end and the recorder into the other.
I keep both of the video DVRs and the audio recorder behind my seat in the small cubby space. By the time everything is installed, it's quite the mess of wires. I've taped down most of the cables to keep it as organized as possible.
The guys here at EAA's restoration shop made the mounts for me, but similar ones are available from Race Optics and other distributors.
Before each flight, I turn on all three units and then clap to give myself a marker to synch the two video files with the audio file when editing. It's not the best system, but we've been able to make it work.
That being said, here is a list of what I like and don't like about our setup. Hopefully it will help guide you if you're looking for a similar system.
Pros
- records digital video on an SD card
- easy to turn on/off in flight
- large screen for video preview
- DVRs are small and compact
- decent picture quality
Cons
- short battery life (just over an hour)
- no line-in audio into DVR
- records video in AVI format, which means I have to individually convert the videos before they can be edited on a Mac. (This takes a couple hours.)
- video interference when talking on the radio
There are numerous manufacturers out there that make similar camera systems, so I encourage you to look around. (DataToys.com was mentioned in a previous comment on the blog). You can spend several thousand or several hundred on these systems. We went somewhere in the middle. If you have a strong mount, you can also mount a small camcorder, but be careful it doesn't block your vision.
Whatever you do, take care that the cables and cameras aren't going to get in your way while flying the plane. Also make sure the electronics don't interfere with your radio.
If you have any questions, please ask. Recording video in flight is incredibly fun to watch and has been a priceless tool in my training. And as always, if you have another way to do it or have some other advice, please share with us.
16
comments:
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Posted by
@ 07:43 PM, March 05
I use a small video camera on my Decathlon but am distracted by the strobe effect of the propeller. Watching the Red Bull air racing series I note the same thing.
Are you able to block this on your forward facing camera?
Thank you,
Cordell
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Posted by
@ 07:08 AM, March 06
This strobe effect takes place due to the “shutter speed” of the camera. Nearly every bullet camera with out a camera control unit will have an auto adjusting “shutter” which changes based on light conditions. You can eliminate this by getting a camera with a CCU (camera control unit). Although we do not have these systems on our website we have access to and do work with a few installers who use CCU based cameras, keep it mind they are a bit more expensive.
Cheers,
Roy
http://www.datatoys.com
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Posted by
@ 09:29 AM, March 06
Hi Brady,
Thanks very much for posting the info on your in-flight video setup. That was very helpful, and it solved a potentially complicated problem with a very simple solution: gaffers tape. Now why didn't I think of that?
I'm sure you were hoping that this particular post would reduce the onslaught of questions involving your setup (to which I contributed - sorry), but I have just one more for you. You mentioned avi. As a fellow Mac user, avi encoding has been my single greatest source of frustration when looking for a DVR setup, and I have found no good solutions for converting the avi files into something useable. Would you please tell me what software you are using to transcode the video?
Thanks again, and I hope you get back in the air soon. That broken windshield must be frustrating.
Ben
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Posted by
@ 09:46 AM, March 06
Yes, I love gaffers tape! I've used it to mount these cameras inside as well as outside aircraft. It is extremely strong and doesn't leave residue like Duct tape will. I've used it on fabric, sheet metal and plastic surfaces with great success.
Like you, I've also been frustrated working the AVI video format. I've been converting it to a usable quicktime MOV file using Quicktime Pro. (File/Export - to quicktime movie using H.264 codec) The downside is this process takes about an hour to complete before any editing can begin, but at least it works.
Thanks for your comments and question. Hopefully this helps.
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Posted by
@ 06:08 PM, March 06
Brady: I enjoy your videos, when are you going to get back in the air?
This delay is not helping the manufacturer of the Remos.
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Posted by
@ 11:57 PM, March 06
what software did you use for the GPS tracks?
checkout VeoGeo for a nice free mashup of your video with the GPS track, I use GPSVisualizer.com
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Posted by
@ 12:03 AM, March 07
These video clips are a great way to remind me of my first solo flight. I fly a kolb firestar 2 place with a rotax 503 engine. Great job and thanks for sharing your training steps along the way. EAA knows how to keep avaition fun for all.
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Posted by
@ 03:00 PM, March 09
Stephen at the Airspeed blog is also talking about video in flight. Here are the specific URLs.
Video: http://airspeedonline.blogspot.com/2009/03/this-is-regular-blog-post.html
Audio: http://airspeedonline.blogspot.com/2008/04/ask-capt-force-no-1-how-do-you-record.html
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Posted by
@ 09:43 PM, March 09
Hey Brady (et. al),
A few months ago I took a trip to Hawaii and rented a C172 to fly to several of the islands in the chain. I wanted to get a lot of it on video but didn't want to spend an extravagant amount of money to do so. All I knew was I needed something other than a tripod, and I had to butter up my friend with a Mini DV camcorder.
I ended up finding a rather unique tripod that I set up in the back seat of the Cessna. While it probably would have worked better riding shotgun, I'm afraid the CFI that was with me had priority. :-) It's called a Multipod and is made by Cullman. It has a single leg and two arms with suction cups that stick to anything smooth. It has a strap to then hold it down tight. I placed it on the rear seat with the arms attached to a side window and the strap tightened down to one of the seat posts. The end result was a view almost identical to the over-the-shoulder shots you have of your flights.
For the audio, a trip to the local Radio Shack solved all the problems. For a whopping 13 bucks, I was able to buy a 6' audio cable with a 1/4" adapter to fit nicely into the rear seat headphone jack. The 1/8" plug (your standard headphone/iPod plug) slotted right into the external mic plug on the camcorder.
The end result was audio from the aircraft panel (all headset communication, me, CFI, ATC) and audio recorded to mini DV. A small investment in a 5 hour battery and a few DV cassettes and I had plenty for the entire trip.
For those interested in a similar setup (assuming you have some form of camcorder) it will run you under $100. Just make sure it does NOT obstruct your ability to pilot the aircraft.
I've also flown the Remos and while it might be a bit more challenging to mount, I'm sure their would be a way to make it work.
Here's some links:
Cullman Multipod
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Posted by
@ 09:47 PM, March 09
(My apologies if this double-posted...Accidentally hit the enter key)
Hey Brady (et. al),
A few months ago I took a trip to Hawaii and rented a C172 to fly to several of the islands in the chain. I wanted to get a lot of it on video but didn't want to spend an extravagant amount of money to do so. All I knew was I needed something other than a tripod, and I had to butter up my friend with a Mini DV camcorder.
I ended up finding a rather unique tripod that I set up in the back seat of the Cessna. While it probably would have worked better riding shotgun, I'm afraid the CFI that was with me had priority. :-) It's called a Multipod and is made by Cullman. It has a single leg and two arms with suction cups that stick to anything smooth. It has a strap to then hold it down tight. I placed it on the middle of the rear seat with the arms attached to a side window and the strap tightened down to one of the seat posts. The end result was a view almost identical to the over-the-shoulder shots you have of your flights.
For the audio, a trip to the local Radio Shack solved all the problems. For a whopping 13 bucks, I was able to buy a 6' audio cable with a 1/4" adapter to fit nicely into the rear seat headset jack. The 1/8" plug (your standard headphone/iPod plug) slotted right into the external mic plug on the camcorder.
The end result was audio from the aircraft panel (all headset communication, me, CFI, ATC) and audio recorded to mini DV. A small investment in a 5 hour battery and a few DV cassettes and I had plenty for the entire trip.
For those interested in a similar setup (assuming you have some form of camcorder) it will run you under $100. Just make sure it does NOT obstruct your ability to pilot the aircraft.
I've also flown the Remos and while it might be a bit more challenging to mount, I'm sure there would be a way to make it work. You'd need a Y adapter for the audio, and be careful of the aileron linkage behind the pilot.
Here's some links:
Cullman Multipod
http://www.adorama.com/CU3080.html
Radio Shack Adapter:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062468
Radio Shack Mic Cable:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102949
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Posted by
@ 09:51 AM, March 10
Bob: Thanks for your comment and sharing the links with us. I've never seen that monopod before, but it seems like a great way to support a small camcorder inflight. Thanks also for sharing details of your audio setup. That's exactly how I do it and appreciate you sharing the details since I left that part out. Thanks again Bob!
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Posted by
@ 03:00 PM, July 09
I've been working on a in-flight video setup and I've got most of the bugs worked out on the video side, but I'm still having some difficulty getting "good" audio. My latest setup includes a 1/4" Y plug into the aircraft jack, a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter and a 6' 1/8" to 1/8" audio cable to the camera mic input. My problem is that I have to have the volume on the intercom and radio WAY up to hear them in my headset. Suggestions?
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Posted by
@ 04:53 PM, August 31
Love the video, wish I had video for my solo and cross country flights. The how-to has been helpful also.
One critique:
When you click the watch all videos graphic and start watching videos they load backwards. That is they start with your last flight posted and go to the beginning.
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Posted by
@ 07:45 PM, July 09
I recently discovered this HD video camera system:
http://www.goprocamera.com/products
Although I'm oriented towards still-camera aerial photography, this looks like a very-good-for-its-size HD video camera (for $300) and will probably get one myself soon.
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Posted by
@ 11:22 AM, October 21
I'd like to know if the setup you used, isolated the engine noise? I used a bullet camera similar to the one you used. It came with a lapel microphone which worked great while we were on the ground, but as soon as we began the runup sequence, and takeoff__I noted that the audio was dominated by the engine sounds. I am currently thinking about getting a GroPro, or a Contour HD. Advice is welcome.
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Posted by
@ 02:51 PM, October 21
Good Question Hilaria. Audio can make or break a video so I understand your dilemma. It's really important to me that the video systems I use have an audio-input so I can record the intercom communications. Any ambient mic will become useless once the engine revs up like you've experienced.
Unfortunately, most of the inexpensive lipstick cameras only have the built-in mics. I recommend that you check out datatoys.com or the folks at lightsportgroup.com/aviator.html who've modified the ContourHD to be able to record intercom communications.
I've also had success with a lav mic before. What I did was put the lav mic in the cup of my headset (right by my ear) and it actually worked pretty well. It recorded everything I heard in my headset. It's not the most comfortable for a long-term solution, but it does work in a pinch.
Here's a forum thread with some more information as well:
http://www.oshkosh365.org/ok365_DiscussionBoardTopic.aspx?id=1235&boardid=147&forumid=175&topicid=3901
Hope some of this helps.
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