GoPro Mountings and Settings

Any DA40 related topics

Moderators: Rick, Lance Murray

User avatar
BkFlyer
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 2:47 am
First Name: Adam
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N269RB
Airports: KLDJ
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 25 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by BkFlyer »

I also use the tie-down points on the wing tips. They’re very easy to remove without tools.

The camera mount can be jacked down quite tightly with an M8 screw- no fear of losing a camera.
User avatar
Ultrapilot1
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 118
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:19 pm
First Name: Steven
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N446SB
Airports: KPIE KTHA
Has thanked: 20 times
Been thanked: 12 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Ultrapilot1 »

I used the tiedown point with my GoPro Sessions but kept losing the WIFI connection. Maybe too much metal blocking the signal?
User avatar
BkFlyer
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 90
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 2:47 am
First Name: Adam
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N269RB
Airports: KLDJ
Has thanked: 8 times
Been thanked: 25 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by BkFlyer »

Yes definitely have had mixed results with the wifi... 20 feet and several gas tanks in the way.
User avatar
mdieter
3 Diamonds Member
3 Diamonds Member
Posts: 132
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2013 7:03 pm
First Name: Mark
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N43LM
Airports: KROC
Has thanked: 54 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by mdieter »

I also think the wifi from the stratus and other in cockpit electronics degrades the signal. Try turning some of that stuff off if you can.
Mark
N43LM
DA40.1047
User avatar
Karl
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 317
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:58 am
First Name: Karl
Aircraft Type: DA40
Airports:
Has thanked: 68 times
Been thanked: 102 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Karl »

I know GoPro and similar cameras are very light weight but a word of caution.

A team in the UK decided to make a video about spinning and spin recovery. They mounted a camera at the wingtip to capture what was happening during the spin.

The aircraft entered the spin with the greatest of ease............. but wouldn't recover. They videoed the spin all the way to the ground. Luckily it ended in a standing crop and they survived. The weight and drag created by the camera prevented the aircraft from recovering.

Be careful what you add and where you add it. Weight, acceleration, turbulence over flight controls can all have unintended effects on the handling of your aircraft.

Be careful out there.
User avatar
Sandy
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:30 pm
First Name: Sanford
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N159PS
Airports: KPDK
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 48 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Sandy »

@Karl

Do you know what kind of aircraft? What camera?

Years ago, famed air show performer Art Scholl was killed when his camera equipped plane entered a flat spin while filming footage for us in the movie, "Top Gun". Neither the aircraft (which crashed in the Pacific) nor his body were ever recovered, although I am quite certain that the camera involved was significantly larger/heavier than a GoPro.

Sandy
User avatar
Karl
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 317
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:58 am
First Name: Karl
Aircraft Type: DA40
Airports:
Has thanked: 68 times
Been thanked: 102 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Karl »

Sandy wrote:@Karl

Do you know what kind of aircraft? What camera?

Years ago, famed air show performer Art Scholl was killed when his camera equipped plane entered a flat spin while filming footage for us in the movie, "Top Gun". Neither the aircraft (which crashed in the Pacific) nor his body were ever recovered, although I am quite certain that the camera involved was significantly larger/heavier than a GoPro.

Sandy
Hi Sandy,

In this case it was a glider so the long wings would have given the camera a large moment and it was some years ago IIRC so the camera would have been significantly heavier than a GoPro.

I posted it as a cautionary tale about unintended consequences. Something as simply as the camera generating turbulence could cause flight control flutter or if the turbulence interacts with an aerodynamic balance like a control horn it could force the controls to go hard over in one direction.

What aircraft was Art Scholl flying and where were the cameras mounted?
User avatar
Sandy
4 Diamonds Member
4 Diamonds Member
Posts: 247
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:30 pm
First Name: Sanford
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N159PS
Airports: KPDK
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 48 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Sandy »

User avatar
Boatguy
5 Diamonds Member
5 Diamonds Member
Posts: 1827
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 4:48 am
First Name: Russ
Aircraft Type: DA62
Aircraft Registration: N962M
Airports: KSTS
Has thanked: 1328 times
Been thanked: 1163 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Boatguy »

I'd like to revive this thread with some questions for all the GoPro users out there. I've read all the other threads I can find and now have a few questions in no particular order.

1) I'm looking at using the Nflightcam ball mount. I can't find the bolt dimensions used around the plane in the AMM, but somebody mentioned an M8. Is that what is used for most of the panels? Just take one out and buy a little longer version for the mount?

2) Ease of use would suggest leaving the the little Surface Spud for the ball mount permanently mounted. Anyone see a problem with that?

3) Someone raised the issue of interfering with control surface air flow, weight, etc. A GoPro Hero7 is about 6oz (170g) with the battery. It seems like several people have used GoPro's with no problems, but it's worth asking. Potential locations are some or all of:

- tip of underside of horizontal stabilizer
- wing tip, just forward of the winglet
- belly
- tail

Anybody had any control issues when a camera is mounted in any of those locations?

4) WiFi connection for control?

The battery life is limited and my wife is as interested in stills as much as videos so remote control snapping of pix is a requirement. Obviously resetting the GoPro is not an option in flight. How reliable has the connection been for people? Do most of you control while in flight, or just start the camera before takeoff and then shut it down after landing?

5) Nflightcam sells a "propeller" filter which looks to be nothing more than a neutral density filter. Their description of how it works is poor, but the way I read it they are forcing a slower shutter speed with the ND filter. It looks like the ProTune software in the GoPro app allows shutter speed control and would accomplish the same thing. But what's not clear to me is exactly what problem is being solved and why a slow shutter speed is the solution.

Thanks for sharing your GoPro wisdom!
User avatar
Steve
5 Diamonds Member
5 Diamonds Member
Posts: 1953
Joined: Thu Aug 12, 2010 1:23 am
First Name: Steve
Aircraft Type: DA40
Aircraft Registration: N432SC
Airports: 1T7
Has thanked: 81 times
Been thanked: 493 times

Re: GoPro Mountings and Settings

Post by Steve »

Russ:

I use the Nflight:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5429&p=74739&hilit=Steve#p74739

The photos in the thread show the 2 locations I routinely use, and I do leave the mounting bungs in place when the camera isn't mounted (I have one GoPro Hero7 for external use, and a Hero2 for inside the cockpit). I don't use any filters. The Hero7 takes great video (and photos). The image stabilization is amazing.

The wingtip and stabilizer tip screws are M5 x 16, you will need an M5 x 30 replacement to have enough extra length for the bung.

I always use the WiFi connection, and it has proved very reliable in the two mounting locations I use. Plus, you can see a monitor view of what the camera is seeing.

Steve
Post Reply