Flight :
After my last trip to Idaho Where I saw several cameras mounted on aircraft>I've decided I want one on my 182.
I'm most interested in the Go Pro stuff-from the White or Silver models.I want to mount the camera on the strut or inspection plate. Need to have remote on and off > maybe blue tooth operation.Any thoughts ??

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Bill Reid PAMA>AMT>VHPA>
A&P/I.A.CPA Rigger,Pilot AZ50
"Have tools can travel"

I have a Swann HD camera and this is the inspection plate mount I fabricated. Works great, and fits any Cessna. The camera has a remote with horribly limited range to enable/stop recording. It must be within 3 feet or so when it's mounted inside the waterproof and apparently radioproof case. The main problem with this and a GoPro is that the design seems to be based on a 1990's disposable camera. It's high drag and the turbulence in cruise flight makes for rather shaky video.

A friend of mine has a Drift Ghost and I'm convinced that it's the way of the future. Streamlined and compact, with a rotating lens to level the view while mounted at any angle.

Go with a drift, for the reason noted above and a GREAT remote, ease of filter adaptation, and good quality. Filters allow you to limit prop artifacts.

MTV

I bought the Drift Innovations HD180 6 years ago because it had a remote and GoPro didn't. I just added the new Drift Ghost. The only problem with the new one is the limited battery life. My old one still going strong and battery lasts 5-6 hours - new one only about 3... The new remote has to be charged as well. I still like them though... True about remote range. If I mount the camera on the rear of the airplane the remote doesn't reach it..

https://vimeo.com/dianavotaw/videos/sor ... mat:detail

I upgraded from the hero to the hero 3 black edition, specifically for the remote function. I was pleasantly surprised when the app for the iPhone and iPad came out for the hero 3. I can now start and stop recording and view what I'm recording on my phone. It is a great feature for setting up the camera position and cuts down on the in between footage that I don't want or use. It also has a great filter adapter so you can put a standard 55mm ND8 filter on it to eliminate the propeller. I went with a ram mount setup on my strut, I also use helmet mounts on the tail and front cowling. So far I am very happy with the hero 3 black edition, just make sure you have a fairly new computer to do the editing with. I found that the high shutter rates that the camera is capable of could not be played back on my 5 year old iMac computer due to an older graphics card. I set the fps at 28 and everything agrees with one another, plus a slower fps eliminates the jello effect.

Thanks for all the input - pulled the trigger via Amazon to get the Drift HD 1080 kit . I'm mounting it on my airplane not doing motorcycle jumps or going over Niagara falls. Could be used to shoot pictures:-) movies of family stuff . Awaiting UPS guy in few days.

Let us know how that works for you, and congratulations!
The drift also has an ipad/iphone app, I have not tried mine out yet...
Looking forward to some vid's!

Hey Bill:

I have owned the Drift and the Go Pro. I now have upgraded to the Drift Ghost and I like it, BUT the wireless application leaves a lot to be desired. It functions just great with the wrist band remote, but I quit using the wireless because it just does not work. I have been back and forth with Drift about the problems, and all I get is lip service from them.

They have promised to release new firmware to fix the problems since Jan 2013, and it still has not happened.

Here is a short list of the problems with the wireless access on my iPhone:

1. Camera loses connectivity with the iphone.
2. Camera will hang when snapping still photos while shooting video. Of course this requires a landing and removal of the battery to get the damn thing working again. Nothing works on the camera when this happens including the power switch.
3. Camera gets out of synch with the phone. Phone says the camera is recording but it isn't. and Vice-Versa Boy is that fun when you think you captured some great video and find out the damn thing was not recording.
4. Camera setting changes made with the iphone are not reflected on the camera.

IMHO, Drift service has gone off the cliff and straight down. 3 yrs ago, I swore by them and their great customer service. Now, I am so frustrated with them I have attempted to return the camera and they won't even answer my email or return my calls.

As I said, the Ghost works great with the remote, BUT DO NOT PLAN ON USING WIRELESS OR BLUETOOTH WITH IT.

Anybody have experience with the Contour + camera? It has a Bluetooth connection that let's you control the camera from a smart phone (iPhone or Android). You can also watch the video on your smart phone as you're shooting, or to preview when you are done. It costs about the same as the drift and the GoPro with their WiFi connections, but Bluetooth uses less battery power than WiFi. The Contour also has a built-in GPS, and can provide an overlay of speed, rate of climb or descent and altitude on top of the video. I'm about to pull the trigger on a camera and am leaning towards the Contour, but haven't seen any buzz from actual users.

I have, and use the Contour camera as a wing cam. Mine is an older version without remote. Really wish I had the remote. But as far as the camera is concerned I like it. Small size and ease of putting it on the wing strut is very good. The swivel lense is handy for leveling the shot. Good pictures, etc.

I have the Contour with Bluetooth and still like it. You can change capture settings and take look at camera view before you start capturing video. What I like best about it is that it is more simple than GoPro. I didn't like the GPS feature because it used a lot more memory.

I've been waffling on which sport cam to get for years . . . mostly waiting for a functional, longer range remote. Recently got a GoPro Hero 3 Black for both the planes and a quadcopter (DJI Phantom).

The WiFi remote works flawlessly and at long range. The small remote that comes with the camera is okay for normal start, stop, check battery etc, and with practice you can access all camera settings with it. However, the smart phone app is way the heck better than that little remote. Using the GoPro app on my Android phone is straightforward and I can monitor what the cam is seeing. A recent app update also lets you review videos and pics that are stored on the cam as well. Altogether very well thought out,

Many of the sport cam review sights put the Hero3 Black edition at the top of the list in terms of performance. However, a number of reviewers also claim the software is buggy (as far as I know, this was before the most recent update). I haven't had any problems with mine, but I've only had it a couple of weeks.

bumper

Have a Hero 3 Black edition.

Use it mounted inside on a frame tube and outside on strut.
Use both hand-held remote and iPhone and iPad for remote activation. Find that the hand-held remote allows longer camera battery life. Getting about 1hr 15min video time.

The filter is a must and you can contact the guys @ nFlightCam for mounting options and hardware
which are simple and usable in multiple places.

GoPro customer service was excellent about helping with set up of camera and instruction on using App for iPhone and iPad. Reminder: Camera will not charge from your computer...even though the light is on. GoPro suggests to only use "small block" or 1amp charging. (Using "big block" charger, for iPads, can significantly affect battery in the long run...)