Cessna 172 Camera Mount Vibration Problems

[mockspeed]

I was curious if anyone had some solutions to the vibrations I am experiencing with my setups. I am shooting a real estate development video that requires a path of 6 miles thus I can't shoot with my quadcopter. The footage I shot a few days ago is unusable. Footage has to be rock solid for production. Here is my set up so far.

Aircraft: Cessna 172
Camera: GP Hero 3+ Black @ 1080/60fps, narrow FOV, no protune
Mount: Cessna 172 strut mount:
http://www.aerovideo.net/
I mounted everything according to manufacturer specs. They said that prop may need balancing.

I am now going up again. I have ordered another mount from Cloud Engineering. I also ordered the Snake River Prototyping BlurFix, ND .9, and metal GP cage:
http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/Products/blurfix-kit--original.aspx

It's getting rather expensive 'testing' in an aircraft by the hour and I'm committed once we are up so I am trying to reach out. I'm sorry if this has been covered before. I am also going to post in other forums and categories. Thank you for any help any one can offer.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

I was curious if anyone had some solutions to the vibrations I am experiencing with my setups. I am shooting a real estate development video that requires a path of 6 miles thus I can't shoot with my quadcopter. The footage I shot a few days ago is unusable. Footage has to be rock solid for production. Here is my set up so far.

Aircraft: Cessna 172
Camera: GP Hero 3+ Black @ 1080/60fps, narrow FOV, no protune
Mount: Cessna 172 strut mount:
http://www.aerovideo.net/
I mounted everything according to manufacturer specs. They said that prop may need balancing.

I am now going up again. I have ordered another mount from Cloud Engineering. I also ordered the Snake River Prototyping BlurFix, ND .9, and metal GP cage:
http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/Products/blurfix-kit--original.aspx

It's getting rather expensive 'testing' in an aircraft by the hour and I'm committed once we are up so I am trying to reach out. I'm sorry if this has been covered before. I am also going to post in other forums and categories. Thank you for any help any one can offer.

You might do better to hire a pro, especially if this is a one-time thing. It's going to cost $$$, but probably less than you'll spend trying to achieve the same results yourself.

 

[N801BH]

I was curious if anyone had some solutions to the vibrations I am experiencing with my setups. I am shooting a real estate development video that requires a path of 6 miles thus I can't shoot with my quadcopter. The footage I shot a few days ago is unusable. Footage has to be rock solid for production. Here is my set up so far.

Aircraft: Cessna 172
Camera: GP Hero 3+ Black @ 1080/60fps, narrow FOV, no protune
Mount: Cessna 172 strut mount:
http://www.aerovideo.net/
I mounted everything according to manufacturer specs. They said that prop may need balancing.

I am now going up again. I have ordered another mount from Cloud Engineering. I also ordered the Snake River Prototyping BlurFix, ND .9, and metal GP cage:
http://www.snakeriverprototyping.com/Products/blurfix-kit--original.aspx

It's getting rather expensive 'testing' in an aircraft by the hour and I'm committed once we are up so I am trying to reach out. I'm sorry if this has been covered before. I am also going to post in other forums and categories. Thank you for any help any one can offer.

First post to POA mockspeed...... Welcome...

I just bought the exact same camera and made two test flights so far... I built a custom mount for my plane and the pic is rock solid and NO vibrations at all...

Are you attached to your strut?

Have any pics on the mount ?

 

[tehmightypirate]

For what it's worth I've never seen a non-professional mount that actually was 100% vibration free. These two videos are probably the closest I've seen and aren't perfect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtj3GsaQDT0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaLVizJlGM0

I'd say that you're really going to have to shield the camera from the wind and really get a rock solid mounting to the frame. Not just clamped onto the strut but actually bolted into the frame of the aircraft. You're really not going to be able to do this without getting an A&P involved, to say nothing of legalities. Also, keep in mind that aircraft vibrate, it's in their nature.

Probably your best bet is to have a handheld steadycam setup held by a passenger with the window (or even door?) removed while flying somewhat slowly to keep the plane as stable as possible. A little cross-controlled action will allow the videographer to look almost straight downward without putting the camera into the airflow. A little careful camera positioning and/or cropping will probably keep the strut and wheel out of the frame or you could take the video out the rear of the aircraft (reversing the video will present the appearance of forward motion if that's required).

 

[poadeleted20]

Mounts like that were never properly engineered for this purpose, so it's somewhat naïve to expect professional results from it. And make sure nobody from the FAA sees your unapproved installation -- even though "everybody does it," they still get upset when they see external mounts that are not either STC'd or field approved.

 

[Velocity173]

Mounts like that were never properly engineered for this purpose, so it's somewhat naïve to expect professional results from it. And make sure nobody from the FAA sees your unapproved installation -- even though "everybody does it," they still get upset when they see external mounts that are not either STC'd or field approved.

That's something that amazes me. You see all these guys mounting cameras to the outside of their aircraft with no official flight testing supporting said installation. I'm all about aviation freedoms but throwing a Go Pro on a wing with a suction cup seems like an FAA enforcement action waiting to happen.

 

[N801BH]

That's something that amazes me. You see all these guys mounting cameras to the outside of their aircraft with no official flight testing supporting said installation. I'm all about aviation freedoms but throwing a Go Pro on a wing with a suction cup seems like an FAA enforcement action waiting to happen.

Yup....

All the certified guys/gals need to watch their rear ends.....

Us experimental guys can play till the cows come home.......