I was hoping to post some video of landing at Gary's place but the battery died on final so not much to show. I had rigged up a new mount for the strut and was hoping to show how well it worked. Took one of the ones made for Cessna struts and adapted it to fit the Maule strut. Worked pretty well I'll post some pictures of that any way.

Was nice to have you visit. We've got to do more of that.

Did the battery really die or was the camera just scared? I do like your camera mount.

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Here's a picture of the mount. Gary I'm not sure it seems to die every time I land at my place or yours it must be closing it's eyes either way I'll give it another try soon
http://s63.photobucket.com/user/captnki ... sort=3&o=0
http://s63.photobucket.com/user/captnki ... sort=3&o=1

I have a hard time with cameras mounted outside of the plane up here. Those little batteries are very susceptible to cold and just don't last. I have thought about running aircraft power out there and might still if I can find a permanent mount I like.

Bryan and I have been doing a lot of experimenting with the GoPro HERO4 cameras both inside and outside the airplanes. It's not as cold in the winter here as Alaska but we get about 3 hours out of the camera with the Battery BacPac installed. Occasionally we can get more depending on how much recording we do in flight. Mounting the camera inside the airplane clamped to the Rosen visor arm with the GoPro "Frame", a neutral density prop filter and the NFlightcam or Sporty's audio/power cable connected to the camera provides a lot of flexibility, good videos that contain cockpit audio and long recording time using an external battery pack. The biggest problem with mounting the camera inside the aircraft is reflections off the inside of the Plexiglas. If we position the camera close to the Plexiglas but not touching it, then it minimizes the reflections but you can't get rid of them entirely. The mounts that we fabricated for the left wing strut work well but the camera has such a wide field of view that we sometimes get part of the aircraft in the picture. With my Maule, I can mount the camera on the tie down ring, which is rigid and strong and far enough toward the wing tip that I can omit any part of the airplane. The C185s have a spring loaded tie down ring that retracts into the strut and can't be used to mount the camera because it moves too much. There's no good place to mount the camera any farther out on the wing without replacing an inspection port cover, which our mechanics view as a permanent attachment to the aircraft requiring a STC or field approval.

Also we have discovered that any shakiness in the video with the camera mounted outside the aircraft is caused by air pressure. The shakiness vanishes once the camera is mounted inside the aircraft. You definitely don't want to mount the camera close to the prop wash or engine or it will create a pronounced jello effect in the video, especially at high power settings. GoPro cameras have no image stabilization but you can minimize shakiness by using as short an arm between the mounting point and the bottom of the camera as possible. The material of the mounting arrangement makes a difference, too. I've found that the stiffer aluminum RAM mounting components work better than the composite components.

Andy maybe you and Bryan give a little ground school one day. Because I I'm need all the help I can get. I've been playing with this camera and not much to show for it. Pun intended. What do you use to control the camera the app or a remote or do you just turn it on and fly. Talk to you soon stop by some time I have the grandkids in town this weekend and I'm sure we will be doing some flying.

I apologize for the thread hijack but it looks like a NC reunion in here. I already messaged Kirk but we are having a poker run leaving out of Lincolnton Saturday. Safety meeting at 9am and finishing at Carthage for lunch. Let me know if any of you are interested and I will send over the info.

Might be the third day in a row without rain which is good news!

Jackson

Adding to the high-jack if any you NC or elsewhere guys want to meet up on Sunday @ Carthage (BQ1) I would like to get together with you all, Mrs. VA Maule has none flying plans for me on Saturday.

Unfortunately, work intervenes. Looking like a great weekend for it.

Kirk

Darn it. Here I sit with a seasonal dose of the crud and can't talk above a whisper. I will be onboard next time but unless the antibiotics work fast I won't make this one. Sounds like a maneuver that should be practiced often. VA Maule, keep asking. I'm prone to pop over to BQ1 at the drop of a hat.

Depending on one's route fuel at HBI, not far away, has been 3.99 the last couple of weekends.

Shelby EHO was selling fuel for 3.70 last week. They are one of the cheapest in the state. I have the grandkids headed to town I'm sure they would love it but don't think I could get my daughter and wife to agree. I hate missing it but keep me on the list.

Love to meet up with you at the Flying Pig on Saturday but we have a work-related Christmas party that conflicts. Sounds like Kirk and Gary can't make it either. Maybe we can all get together in January. I have an unavoidable Christmas party just about every other day in December and we'll be traveling the last week of the month.

Kirk, stop by the hangar if you get a chance and Bryan and I can show you what we've done with the GoPro on the 185s. I don't think I'll be able to make it to your place in December between Christmas parties, work, weather and travel but if we still haven't gotten together before then, I'll check with you in January - assuming there's no snow on your airstrip.

My mistake, it's the Pik-N-Pig, not the Flying Pig, which is in Shelby.

Andy can you share some more on the Flying Pig? Is it on airport, or how close, what's the identitifier, always on the lookout for a new lunch spot.

Really jealous that you guys in NC have a great BBQ joint next to a strip.