Where to mount GoPro (Cessna)

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Z06_Mir

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I got a GoPro 3 Black Edition (YEAH!!!) for my birthday and on Tuesday I'll be able to try it out pending the memory card I ordered on Amazon arrives ($41 for a 64gb class 10 and free 2 day shipping.. woohoo). Where do other Cessna drivers put their GoPros? I've thought about putting it under one of the wings near the strut and putting a "fail" string attached to the tiedown loop. I have the suction cup mount and some of the sticky mounts too. I've also thought about putting it on the tail with the sticky mount like I've seen Cirrus guys does and use the old bolt holes from an old ADF antenna as a fail safe. I'm guessing it will take some messing around to get it how I want it. Also, I plan on buying the audio cables as well, but I'm assuming I'll need the camera in the airplane to get it to record audio through those. Which brings up... where in the world do you mount the camera inside? I dont' think it will stick to the ceiling very well and if my CFII is in the airplane I doubt he'll want it on the windshield. It doesn't matter to me, I can't see a darn thing with him anyway :rofl:
 
On every forum I have been on there are long threads about where to mount these cameras. I use two and mount them in my cockpit. One I mount on the windshield pointing foward and slightly up to minimize the amount of cowl seen, the other one on the copilot window looking down and foward or down and backward. I have also mounted it on the back window looking backwards. I do not mount it outside. Too many different discussions concerning changes of flying characteristics(which I do not really believe are significant), FAA regulation considerations(not an aviation lawyer and do not want to get involved in this fight if stopped by an FAA investigator for a taxiway inspection), and liability should the mount fail. The movies I get from inside are quite good. I have not used audio, as at this point I do not want to deal with an extra wire going to my comm. I have not bought a Hero 3, waiting for the black which I believed was going to be out at the end of the month, but I guess it came out early. Where ever you mount it, have fun.
 
congrats on getting the gopro 3! you can get pretty creative with it - in aviation and just about anywhere else.

i too would have liked to mount it outside of the cockpit but am a bit paranoid that the suction cup will no longer "suck" and the camera, case and mount adapters could hurt someone. (i rent so there's no option for me to have a different mount).

but if i could i would mount it such that it would point towards the tail/rudder. i think it would be way more interesting to see the rudder and elevator at work while doing maneuvers and stuff.

oh, and you should really get at least one more gopro ;-)

for now i mount mine in the cockpit. luckily i've had it the day my instructor signed me off to solo; i now get a kick of how scared i was (okay, maybe not totally scared, but overly alert). so even with the instructor on board you can mount it on your side of the window, high and slightly in front of your eye sight, aimed diagonally. also consider if u wnat the camera to set the exposure biased towards the cokpit or outside (primarily important if there is a "large" difference in exposure values between light in cockpit and outside - so u kind of get to pick one that u will favor).

besides figuring out where you mount it, consider the aspect ratio setting as that makes a difference as well. if mounting it in the cockpit, u might wanna consider getting the skeleton case along with an audio adapter cable and find a way to mix the ambient engine noise with that of the comm radios.

have fun and post some videos.
 
How do you eliminate the propeller from the in-cockpit video or does it not appear at all?

David
 
Legalities aside, do NOT tie a safety string to it. Tape it down around the mount if you have to, but a gopro attached to a long string is going to beat the hell out of your paintjob, not to mention if it got blown around and jammed in a control surface.
 
Mount it in a sturdy cardboard box with about 1 1/2" of bubble wrap around it. Then PM me and I'll send my address...problem solved. :D
 
I have never mounted a GoPro with the suction cup outside of the airplane. I have however had 100% success with the seat post mount, the rollbar mount, and the sticky mounts on the outside of various aircraft.

Here is an under wing shot mounted to the Pitot tube housing (not the tube its self) on the Marchetti SF260:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnrzEe5X_Uc

Here is the camera mounted to the strut of a Citabria:

https://vimeo.com/53373248

I don't have any exterior videos of the 172. I did sticky mount it to the tail of a 172 and it worked great. I have also mounted it to the rear tie down. The wing tie down might be an option although I have no clue when I will see a 172 again.
 
flhrci said:
How do you eliminate the propeller from the in-cockpit video or does it not appear at all?

David
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I haven't used mine yet, but an ND filter will help a lot. They can be purchased on ebay specifically cut for your model GoPro.
 
I use the same setup as Oliver here. Only difference I use 2 hose clamps for that extra bit of safety. All parts can be purchased at HD/Lowes for under $15.
 
Armageddon Aviator said:
That's the mount I use...

I'm happy with it...was afraid to use the suction mount ( though I admit it looks quite sturdy ).

http://www.aerovideo.net/
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone. We actually have 2 GoPros. He has a Hero 2 and I have the new one now. Both have the BestBuy insurance thing or w/e it is so we are covered if it falls off and goes into the abyss. We will probably use his inside and mine outside. $120 seems a little steep for a mount like that, maybe I'll just make one.

As far as the tiedown thing went I mean that's how I'd safety wire it. I'd just attach a piece of wire or w/e to it as short as possible it had the least amount of travel possible. I'm pretty excited though. I haven't gotten to see outside the airplane in months except for a few fun flights. Now I can maybe figure out where I go wrong in my lessons too. I'm also interested in how shooting approaches looks out the window.
 
Wow thats awesome. I might have to add that coverage to my Hero 3 Black then.
 
Please be careful if you guys are using the suction cup and not some kind of "permanent" attachment. My fear is not that the GoPro will fall off in flight (likely injuring nobody) but that it would fall off on the runway after a hard landing. I flew a couple times using the suction cup mount before I recognized it could fall off on the runway and get sucked into a jet engine or blow a tire before i could retrieve it. Just didn't seem like a risk I wanted to take, especially with a camera full of footage of my face and N number. So, not wanting to rig up a permanent mount and get it approved, i chose to use it inside only.
 
Do not remember where I read it but the suction mount will lose its suction at about 6000 ft agl.
 
I have used the suction cup mount inside at much higher pressure altitudes with no issues.
 
douglas393 said:
Do not remember where I read it but the suction mount will lose its suction at about 6000 ft agl.
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Why AGL?

I have flown with the suction mount on the belly of a Duchess doing 150 KTAS through Monument Valley and it stuck like glue. Also held through an approach and departure from Telluride. I was definitely above 12k pressure altitude, not sure what my max AGL was on that trip.
 
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I mount my gopro hero2 inside the cockpit and just change the position. It looks like I have more than 1 gopro. For the audio, I used a CD/MP3 player headset adapter for fixed wing aircrafts. Here's an example of my video.

 
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Z06_Mir said:
Also, I plan on buying the audio cables as well, but I'm assuming I'll need the camera in the airplane to get it to record audio through those.
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I don't believe that is the case. I have seen videos from external cameras and internal audio.

Awesome gift! :goofy:
 
Inverted said:
I haven't used mine yet, but an ND filter will help a lot. They can be purchased on ebay specifically cut for your model GoPro.
Click to expand...

Using the 60 fps setting ( 960 - 60 fps if I remember the right setting ) greatly reduces the prop effect...
 
Armageddon Aviator said:
Using the 60 fps setting ( 960 - 60 fps if I remember the right setting ) greatly reduces the prop effect...
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I will have to try that along with my ND filter. The Citabria video was filmed with the Hero 3 Black Edition on 720@30 in video picture mode taking a picture every 10 seconds.
 
I should also add that if you use a Bose QC-15/uFlyMike combo that the audio jack is both input and output supposedly. I have not tried it but maybe I will today on my flight home.
 
I've used the Go Pro suction cup mount on the out side to film a couple of flights with no problems. Also used it on my car at the track. In my Comanche Im flying somewhere around 145kts and no problems yet. (I like to use it to watch the gear cycle in flight)

Here is one of them is the cessna
www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9eVHL5x3VY

here is one at Laguna Seca
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-iyFfV1_iA
 
Armageddon Aviator said:
Using the 60 fps setting ( 960 - 60 fps if I remember the right setting ) greatly reduces the prop effect...
Click to expand...

The higher frame rate should stabilize the prop view.

Armageddon Aviator said:
I also purchased a dedicated audio cable from Marv Golden...Works fine.
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Great idea, I'm currently using a regular lapel mic that I drop inside the headset.
But that looks like it would be a much cleaner setup and it wouldn't need a battery like the lapel mic.

Inverted said:
Best Buy coverage does not cover loss I am pretty sure.
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I don't buy any of their insurance anymore after being given a major run-around.
Maybe it was just that store but I don't think its worth the hassle.
 
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I was wondering what peoples thoughts would be on using the gopro app for an android tablet, and be able to use it to livestream from your gopro and help perfect your landing? Not use it as a crutch, but rather as an enhancement.
 
Also as someone who has used the suction cup many times on my bike during trackdays and regularly seeing 130+ mph on the straights, I would feel fully comfortable mounting it on the outside of a slower aircraft(as stated by someone else, legalities aside). Just need to mount it on a smooth panel free of rivets, and clean the surface of dirt/oil, etc.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Also as someone who has used the suction cup many times on my bike during trackdays and regularly seeing 130+ mph on the straights, I would feel fully comfortable mounting it on the outside of a slower aircraft(as stated by someone else, legalities aside). Just need to mount it on a smooth panel free of rivets, and clean the surface of dirt/oil, etc.
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The issue with suction cups is not speed(though at a certain speed they will let off), but loss of suction at altitude. It seems that at about 6000 agl the suction is no longer effective in holding on due to loss of atmospheric pressure and goodbye camera.
 
Which is fine, I kind of read it as if he was going to view them during landing, which I hope not! Only reason I questioned it is because he said live stream.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Which is fine, I kind of read it as if he was going to view them during landing, which I hope not! Only reason I questioned it is because he said live stream.
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I wasn't saying that I was going to do it -- I was wondering the ability of doing it, or the safety of doing it. After having read every post in the thread, I was wondering why it hadn't even been mentioned... clearly it's because everyone else isn't an idiot :)
 
teamcoltra said:
I was wondering what peoples thoughts would be on using the gopro app for an android tablet, and be able to use it to livestream from your gopro and help perfect your landing? Not use it as a crutch, but rather as an enhancement.
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I used a GoPro mounted externally when I got my first GoPro for exactly that reason. It helped me not one iota. Though I am anything but an expert lander, I like to think I have adequate to above average(albeit slightly) landing skills. The most important things I have learned that have helped my landings have been nailing the speeds, appropriate use of trim and flaps, and looking ahead of the plane and not directly in front of the plane. That site picture tells you everything. Anytime, I have not nailed my speeds, my landings show it. This is something the GoPro will never help you with.

By the way, I have well over 300 flight hrs of GoPro recordings including many recordings from multiple views. For me they are interesting to watch, but their educational value is somewhat limited.
 
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