For heaven's sake,
please not
Danger Zone or
Learning to Fly... way too many out there already.
I've found it hard to find songs that fit and also have some reference to flight- what I do now is first do a rough edit of the video, then find a track that's about the same length. I'll take chances and try different stuff... may not be to everyone's liking, but it works for me.
I believe you can capture the mood of a flight without being so obvious as to use a song that's "about flying". Heck, the video shows the flying, how much more do you need, anyway?
I like happy accidents, too- for my first Champ clip, I really wanted to use Django Reinhardt, and wouldn't you know I found an old recording of him doing
Found a Brand New Baby that was almost the perfect length. I think it helps create a mood, and of course the song fits the occasion of me falling in love with that little airplane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dk6QOJ0efQ
Another happy accident: they were playing this song over the PA at Old Rhinebeck one day I was there, and I realized suddenly I had my soundtrack for this one! Eureka!! Mixed it up with a studio recording of the same tune, and filled it out with the "intermission" music from the same DVD (fun movie, BTW)...I had to start it up twice because it's short, but the video shows repetition, anyway, so it's kinda fun, IMHO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEz4lPwo82U
Also, if you have any clean ambient audio, try to use it. Mix it with the music if you like.For my very first clip, I knew even pilots would get bored listening to endless engine noise, but I loved the audio during the landings, so I worked it back in from under the music.
Sometimes I leave a little ambient audio, way down under the music, but usually all that engine blat is just distorted and annoying. And if your camera or external mic is out in the slipstream, it will just sound awful... useless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqoo1kZeclU
If you have a longish or multi-part thing, you gotta go with classical. Or maybe jazz. I hate it when people just string three pop songs together; it rarely works. I chose Wagner for this mostly because at one point my pax and I were singing that "Valkyries" melody and it came out on the tape, but in general, it provides nice atmosphere, and a little humor (the very dramatic music for a silly C-152 flight on a bumpy day)... and that Wagner stuff just goes on and on for years... great for filling in the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IejNoXb2lI
But don't be like me if you don't want to- do your own thing. Don't try to please anyone but yourself- it will probably come out better that way.
