I’m considering an external mount for the VIRB on the R44. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Ordered these today:



Thank you.

Be darn careful with anything external that could possibly come off. I know that you know this but sayin... Think tail rotor. Think safety lanyard.

Kurt

G44 wrote:Be darn careful with anything external that could possibly come off. I know that you know this but sayin... Think tail rotor. Think safety lanyard.

Kurt

Keep low and on the “Right side” of the ship. Bulletproof is an understatement. Thank you for the lanyard reminder. There is a RHC SB for tail rotor damage from debris, which is the Gospel to live by.

Aloha Kurt!

I saw the Vertivue Skybox Gyro Stabilized Camera Box in action with a DJI X5R Gimbal and was seriously impressed and it is totally enclosed (no stuff falling off). Downside is that it is not cheap. Not sure how much you want to invest but might be worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnYR5TpvqZM

Milford Sound wrote:I saw the Vertivue Skybox Gyro Stabilized Camera Box in action with a DJI X5R Gimbal and was seriously impressed and it is totally enclosed (no stuff falling off). Downside is that it is not cheap. Not sure how much you want to invest but might be worth a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnYR5TpvqZM

How much? Do you have a link to it?

Thanks

Kurt

Received two action camera mounts this afternoon. A GoPro Large Tube and an NFlight single screw (#8, #6).

The factory GoPro “Large tube mount” is too small for the R44 skid.


The NFlight looks pretty good for a low speed aircraft. Not the strongest I would suggest but on an aircraft that rarely goes over 100k TAS it might work.





I have not decided yet. Any thoughts would be appreciated?

Thank you again for reading the thread.

Rocksteady from hover to cruise! Low air resistant and easy to maintain.

I mounted the NFLIGHTCAM EXTERIOR BALL-HEAD MOUNT FOR GOPRO. Takes about 30 minutes including a log book entry. Very solid, I, accidentally, mowed into the camera mount with my 400LBS tow cart and it didn’t damage it. Lesson learned early.

Definitely a super good value:

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/nflight11-14395.php

Welcome onboard this fine morning...

Day two of field testing the VIRB/NFlight . Good old “Oregon Trade Winds” returned this morning sending gusts up to 20 knots. It’s the seasonal return of the Pacific High Pressure (Same Systems stoking trades in Hawaii). Spring is now relevant!

Even though the air is stable from the High Pressure, orograhic turbulence (mechanical turbulent) is felt below 2000’ MSL. The helo is pretty light and was affected.

THE GOOD NEWS IS the VIDEO was really stable and bright! I really am amazed at the quality you can get these days for a few bills.

Note: The microphone is full open and the wind/rotor is loud.


Installation notes:
I moved the unit 4” to starboard because the tow cart was in the way:


(Minor grammar changes 2020.03.22)

Nice. Very little one to one vertical vibration as with two blade titering rotor like the Huey.

contactflying wrote:Nice. Very little one to one vertical vibration as with two blade titering rotor like the Huey.

It’s also important to maintain track and balance. Operations are adversely affected because track and balance are deferred. Takes a good mechanic to do it right and an owner willing to spend the time and money. Sometimes that’s hard to do in the field or when mission revenues get tight.

Thank you for watching!. My beta testing went well!

Using the NFlight and VIRB decided to fly over the forest, feet wet over surf, and more hovering. Can’t see any reason to preclude using the exterior camera rig for daily videos. Great value for what I wanted!

Climb aboard and see what the excitement is all about:

Caution loud audio...turn down the volume (<40%)

Seems a little over the top to do a logbook entry for that single screw mount, but I suppose it doesn't hurt and you're a mechanic so might as well.

asa wrote:Seems a little over the top to do a logbook entry for that single screw mount, but I suppose it doesn't hurt and you're a mechanic so might as well.

Depends on several factors. Under contemporary FAA guidance, I understand, it’s a minor alteration from what I read and see. What (or who) leads you to believe a logbook entry is not needed? Seems reasonable to me, takes a few minutes.

Hope you enjoyed the video, thank you for your comments.

This interior mount was back ordered at Spruce and arrived late yesterday. The mount is designed for the R44 windshield and primarily seems to be used facing towards the occupants. For those who relishes commentary face to face with the video audience. It also rotates for those specific picture angels too.

First impression out of the box: Very well constructed and installation guidance good.

As usual I would enjoy constructive feedback on this new great looking device!

Newport Municipal Airport (KONP) is out of AvGas until tomorrow. This limited me to flying locally for about an hour until I can refuel on Friday.

Several rain showers passed by producing some mild squalls. Anyway, I really am having a great time tuning my camera and sharing video! Thank you to all for the input and knowledge. Aloha!!!