Axle-Mounted Camera Video

[rwanttaja]

I clamped a GoPro to the axle of my Fly Baby and shot a couple of patterns. It's an interesting POV, since the camera is only ~8 inches above the asphalt. One guy said it looked like a go-kart video until the plane took off.

Normally, I fly a high approach and slip down. Got distracted this time, kept it high too long, so this slip is a bit more aggressive.


https://youtu.be/A4IJ4C6ZsdY

Ron Wanttaja

[Frank Giger]

Very sweet!

I was not expecting that landing.

[CHICAGORANDY]

Neat video. I assume the music was added rather than listening to the jet engine whine?

[rwanttaja]

Very sweet!

I was not expecting that landing.
Neither was I, apparently. I normally come in a bit high and slip in, just to have a bit of altitude in the bank if the engine fails. Like your Nieuport, the power-off approach in the Fly Baby is to throw a brick out and fly formation with it.

For some reason, I turned base quite a bit earlier than normal, and ended up with a crap-ton of excess altitude. The Fly Baby slips like a sonovagun, and I used all of it on that approach.


Neat video. I assume the music was added rather than listening to the jet engine whine?

Actually, most of my life seems to be accompanied by Gilbert and Sullivan music. "The Pirate King" is playing when I get up, "From the Sunny Spanish Shore" whenever I take a ferryboat, "Loudly Let the Trumpets Bray" when I fly, and "The Headache Song" whenever I log into the EAA forum.

I know there are some folks out there who get offended when people eliminate the "natural" soundtrack to aviation videos and dub in music instead. For them, I offer this:

http://www.wanttaja.com/st.mp3

This is the actual sound that was recorded by the camera during my flight. Call up the YouTube video, disable sound, and start the video and this audio track at the same time.

Crank up the volume, if you like.

Ron "Titwillow" Wanttaja

P.S., this is serious...that MP3 *is* the original soundtrack for the video.

[Dana]

I know there are some folks out there who get offended when people eliminate the "natural" soundtrack to aviation videos and dub in music instead.

If the sound is good, like a a big radial engine ship taking off, I agree with those folks. But for airborne videos when all you'd hear is wind noise mixed with the steady drone of a modern engine, well selected music can make the video a lot less boring. I like to start my videos with no music, and fade the music in around the time the original sound would get annoying or boring, but I mix the original soundtrack with the music at a lower level. Extra points if the music matches the video in content and/or timing. I'm pretty pleased with how the music matched at touchdown at the end of this one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHgCcPoFQ8U

[FunInAviation]

[QUOTE=Dana;75089]If the sound is good, like a a big radial engine ship taking off, I agree with those folks. But for airborne videos when all you'd hear is wind noise mixed with the steady drone of a modern engine, well selected music can make the video a lot less boring. I like to start my videos with no music, and fade the music in around the time the original sound would get annoying or boring, but I mix the original soundtrack with the music at a lower level. Extra points if the music matches the video in content and/or timing. I'm pretty pleased with how the music matched at touchdown at the end of this one:

Agreed. Sometimes a little music adds to the effect of the video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oBn-lHMR_k

[rwanttaja]

II like to start my videos with no music, and fade the music in around the time the original sound would get annoying or boring, but I mix the original soundtrack with the music at a lower level.
That really worked nicely. I'm going to do it this way in the future.

As you mentioned, a lot of the fun is finding ways to synchronize the music with the action on the video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf3QEsHWkjA
Ron Wanttaja

[Frank Giger]

I think it all depends on the video - I've done it just about every which way, with no music, music coming in over wind and engine sound, and all music.

Some videos just beg to be "in the raw" with wind and engine noises; when things are interesting enough on their own it can actually be distracting to have music. Other times it's required, especially when dealing with slow aircraft where speeding up the footage is best. The biggest advantage of mixing engine and wind sounds with music is if one is sure that even a small sampling is going to be tagged - fair use is nearly dead on YouTube - and rolling some noise under it can thwart the music bots.

Clearly I'm no master - my YouTube channel wishes it had the rating of the old local access cable channels - but I'm pretty pleased with the results in the main.

[Sam Buchanan]

I've edited several ways, here is one example of using both air-borne audio and music:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6qFSZWmGw&t=4s

And one with just music:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMd2zDm9qCw

Both videos shot with sub-$50 Chinese GoPro clones.

[Frank Giger]

Of course music can completely alter the perception of action:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYRWT_U--cQ

:)

[edit]

I love how Sam can fly in a regular cap and no goggles. I guess my windscreen isn't large enough, but I can't stand the wind blowing into my eyes, even around glasses.

[Sam Buchanan]

Of course music can completely alter the perception of action:

<snip>

[edit]

I love how Sam can fly in a regular cap and no goggles. I guess my windscreen isn't large enough, but I can't stand the wind blowing into my eyes, even around glasses.

Great use of music, Frank! (Now where did that pesky centerline go??) ;)

The cap is one I found only after considerable internet searching, think it is a shooting or driving hat or something like that. The short bill is attached to the cap and it won't blow away like a regular hat. I lucked out with the windscreen on the D.VII, it has three panes and is just large enough to avoid having to use googles.

[Frank Giger]

[derailing thread]

That whole center line thing is me being a bit paranoid about the rudder losing authority at lower speeds, particularly since I land under power.

I tend to force the tail down a bit too early, and thanks to being short coupled (and my wheel bearings being a bit ragged) it's a tad wiggly for a few feet.

Btw, I experimented with the whole "keep the tail up as long as one can" thing to see what would happen. Hilarity is what happens - that is to say one laughs about it after the fact. :)

[Sam Buchanan]

My excuse is that I can't see the centerline when the D.VII is touching down..... :)

[rwanttaja]

I love how Sam can fly in a regular cap and no goggles. I guess my windscreen isn't large enough, but I can't stand the wind blowing into my eyes, even around glasses.

You and me both. My eyes really can't stand the wind blowing around, yet I know Fly Baby guys who fly without goggles and don't have any problems.

My eyes have always been sensitive, though. I wonder if the folks who get by without goggles are contact wearers, and are a bit more accustomed to stuff being around the eyes.


The cap is one I found only after considerable internet searching, think it is a shooting or driving hat or something like that. The short bill is attached to the cap and it won't blow away like a regular hat. I lucked out with the windscreen on the D.VII, it has three panes and is just large enough to avoid having to use googles.

Looks like a classic early-century sort of flat cap, worn a lot by autoists and aviators back then. Like Lincoln Beechey....
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Lincoln_Beachey_in_his_plane.jpg/220px-Lincoln_Beachey_in_his_plane.jpg

Bought a nice one in Ireland a couple of years back...in fact, the men of the whole group I was with bought them. Got back to the US, and a friend told me that in Britain, these are known as "rat catcher" hats...as they're the type of headgear often worn by men of that class.

Edit: Found a site that advertises them as "ratcatchers" (http://www.charleswall.co.uk/caps-hats-countrywear-menswear/Ratcatcher).

Ron "Squeek" Wanttaja

[Sam Buchanan]

Looks like a classic early-century sort of flat cap, worn a lot by autoists and aviators back then. Like Lincoln Beechey....
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Lincoln_Beachey_in_his_plane.jpg/220px-Lincoln_Beachey_in_his_plane.jpg

Bought a nice one in Ireland a couple of years back...in fact, the men of the whole group I was with bought them. Got back to the US, and a friend told me that in Britain, these are known as "rat catcher" hats...as they're the type of headgear often worn by men of that class.

Edit: Found a site that advertises them as "ratcatchers" (http://www.charleswall.co.uk/caps-hats-countrywear-menswear/Ratcatcher).

Ron "Squeek" Wanttaja

Here it is, a "Newsboy Driving Hat":

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F55ETR4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

7806

I like that better than "rat-catcher"......and the slight airfoil shape adds a bit of cruise performance..... ;)

[Dana]

Funny, I've never felt the need for goggles in any of the open cockpit aircraft I've owned. I've tried them just to see what it was like, didn't like the tunnel vision. Even in completely open (no windshield) ultralights, I wore sunglasses or clear safety glasses just to guard against bugs.

Yet the old time aviators are all shown with goggles.