Per Kevin's request for more flying porn!! I've posted this before but it's buried in another post somewhere so I'll post it here in the video gallery too.

This is my latest video, and until I get another camera, my last My Contour decided to depart the plane prior to landing Guess I'm in the market for a GoPro now...

Whoever said King City had nothing to offer.

Nice Bart, and don't think we didn't notice you took off from the ramp

That dog has nerves of steel!

Nice video, Bart! It looks like you need to host a fly out on the "Southwest Circuit" soon!

xcalibursword wrote:That dog has nerves of steel!

How about it!

Great video.

robw56 wrote:Nice video, Bart! It looks like you need to host a fly out on the "Southwest Circuit" soon!

I've been talking with my hangar neighbor about this. He has a private strip that would be perfect for base camp and he's all for it!! The best time of year would probably be sometime between late fall and early spring. The weather around here is the best flying during those times...calm sunny days with generally light winds. As long as a system isn't going through, it's nice weather. Also, all that brown dried grass on the hills is all nice and green.

Only downside is short days and colder nights but still tolerable. That and there's a bunch more cows out on the hills.

In the meantime I'm scouting as many landing spots as possible around here.

rw2 wrote:

xcalibursword wrote:That dog has nerves of steel!

How about it!

Great video.

Yes, he's pretty chill most of the time! The only time he gets real excited is when you say things like, ball, walk, or squirrel The best thing is he could care less about chasing airplanes so he's a perfect airport dog!!

bart wrote:Per Kevin's request for more flying porn!! I've posted this before but it's buried in another post somewhere so I'll post it here in the video gallery too.

Nice work Bart! Thats what I am talking about. Now we need more...

You busy this weekend or weeks end? I am chomping for a reason to go flying. Looking for new spots sounds like a really great idea.

December fly in??

AKT

aktahoe1 wrote:

bart wrote:Per Kevin's request for more flying porn!! I've posted this before but it's buried in another post somewhere so I'll post it here in the video gallery too.

Nice work Bart! Thats what I am talking about. Now we need more...

You busy this weekend or weeks end? I am chomping for a reason to go flying. Looking for new spots sounds like a really great idea.

December fly in??

AKT

I'm busy every weekend until November Still busy at work, saving up my fun tickets!! Good thing is, still have plenty of time to go play locally...

A December fly in would be great, possibly last weekend in Nov/first Dec

bart wrote:Guess I'm in the market for a GoPro now...

Before you do that, do a comparison with the Drift HD Ghost. Same price, more cam.

NimpoCub wrote:

bart wrote:Guess I'm in the market for a GoPro now...

Before you do that, do a comparison with the Drift HD Ghost. Same price, more cam.

Yup. The rotating lens on the drift is pretty swank. The market dominance (and thus, accessory availability and community support) of the gopro is nothing to sneeze at though.

Keep in mind that when selecting on of these you're probably making a decision for a system that you'll live with for years. I went gopro during the original hero days and, because their mounting system has remained the same since then, have just been buying additional ones as new models came out.

rw2 wrote:

NimpoCub wrote:

bart wrote:Guess I'm in the market for a GoPro now...

Before you do that, do a comparison with the Drift HD Ghost. Same price, more cam.

Yup. The rotating lens on the drift is pretty swank. The market dominance (and thus, accessory availability and community support) of the gopro is nothing to sneeze at though.

Keep in mind that when selecting on of these you're probably making a decision for a system that you'll live with for years. I went gopro during the original hero days and, because their mounting system has remained the same since then, have just been buying additional ones as new models came out.

I do like the rotating lens, my contour had that and was super easy to mount because of it. To be honest I haven't done much research on the Drift, but did read a few negative comments about the remote not working too well when mounted on wing or tail...not acceptable for my application. Also read about the short battery life which is more of a nuisance really, but makes a difference when you're making a decision to buy.

I'm leaning toward the GoPro simply because of the market dominance as you stated. Support, accessory availability, mounting options, and commonality are the main reasons. Now I just have to get drunk and hit the "buy it now" button Geez I hate spending that kind of money on yet another toy....

I have had 2 Drift HD Stealth's. One went TU and I sold the other one. Both were under achievers IMHO for several reasons. The swivel lens is a nice feature and so is the remote when it works.

I'm holding out for better options to come along; yes, that could be awhile but technology is still moving pretty fast. The videos shot with GoPro's look better to me on the screen so I'm leaning that way.

bart wrote:Now I just have to get drunk and hit the "buy it now" button Geez I hate spending that kind of money on yet another toy....

I just got another GoPro3 Black at AirVenture. They were doing a show special where you got a mount pack, the LCD back and an SD card for free. Easier to afford if, like me, you're not flying for a few months due to a political crap storm that has your airport still closed 10 months into a 6 week resurfacing project.

Seriously, your home base has been closed for 10 months?

To me, it's about image quality and overall sharpness and richness of the video. Whatever you think about the mounts or swiveling camera head or remotes, the final decision should be made on quality of the video. I think the Hero 3 is still on top for that.

blackrock wrote:Seriously, your home base has been closed for 10 months?

Yup. Closed for resurfacing. The contractor was connected instead of competent. The inspector keeps inspecting and telling the contractor what isn't up to code and the contractor keeps finding ways to drag his feet and then, finally, do an incomplete job. Thus starting the cycle again. The last meaningful update I got was that it was ready for striping and should be open in two weeks. That was, geez, 8-10 weeks ago.

Good thing you fly a Maule; a clandestine early AM takeoff to another field sounds like it is in order! Bummer about the delays.

Are federal or state $'s involved? Seems like there should be some leverage there, not to mention some corrupt morons taking up free residence at a federal or state retreat.

Well I finally but the bullet and got the GPH3 Black. So far happy with the video/picture quality, and the different settings available for those. (Not that I really know how to utilize them to their fullest potential)

Battery life with the included battery is dismal from what I can tell so far, not sure I'd I have a bad battery or if the Wi-Fi just kills the batt fast or what. Have two aftermarket batts that I have yet to try, maybe they'll be a little better. Also, not sure if I have the latest firmware update or not, I'll look into that soon.

The wi-fi stays on when the camera is turned off...this can't be right, maybe an update addresses this, or maybe it turns off after a set amount of time (I'm not patient enough to wait and see). Either wAy, it doesnt help the battery life situation. My computer is all stuffed up and I need a new one so an update might be some time away...

I don't like the gopro mount system, it just seems like too much monkey motion and clunkiness, but I understand the whole proprietary mount system makes money on accessories so these problems aren't unique to gopro. I really miss the rotating lens of the Contour....made it extremely versatile and easy to get the right angles. I ended up buying some RAM accessories to figure out a more versatile way to get the angles required, and replace the cheap clunkiness with robust clunkiness I ended up making my own strut mount, and I think it will make for some good placements...it's just a prototype, but I think it'll last until I find out how to make it better...

Here's the aforementioned strut mount. It utilizes zip ties for securing to the strut which I think are plenty substantial for this application,considering the wind force would probably keep this thing attached to the strut...at least until I hit the brakes It's basically made out of a piece of 2x4 with some lite ply on the sides to keep it from potentially splitting grainwise. There is a 1/4" x20 stainless bolt holding the RAM ball on the front, and some cork padding protecting the strut... Not easy to see in the pic, but the zip ties are sunken in to the wood in 3 places to eliminate the chance of them slipping off the mount.





Here is a screenshot of the gopro iPhone app..

Bart, you're on the right track. My GoPro must haves are:

1. RAM mount grab bag (yoke mount for overhead tubes, suction cup, GoPro adapter, extender arm)

2. Circular polarizer or neutral density attachment. I prefer the CP because it can improve cloud definition and reduce glare. It has enough stop-down to blur the prop.

3. Wasabi double battery pack.

4. Use the wi-fi only long enough to verify your shot, then turn it off and use the on onboard button to start and stop the video. Not really possible for wing mounts, I know. Just have to resolve to use a lot of juice for those.

5. I got to see the Addicted2climbing wing mount this weekend. Pretty well made.

6. Get a good SD card with the highest write speed available. Lexar, Sandisk, Etc are good brands but they each offer different models at different price points. Get the good ones. I've roasted one SD card permanently and lost footage, though I have no idea why it failed.