I need to mount a camera underneath a helicopter

QuickHitRecord

QuickHitRecord

Veteran
My client's product lives on the underside of helicopters and I need to capture footage of the product in the air. 4K is preferred and manual exposure adjustment is important, but it doesn't need to be a big sensor or capturing raw. I haven't used any of the latest GoPros (looks like they are on the 8 now). Is the stabilization enough to get rid of the vibrations? Or would a global shutter camera on a 10" suction mount still a safer bet? Or, one of the KenLabs gyros? It seems like there are a lot of ways to approach this in 2019. I'd appreciate your ideas.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
My client's product lives on the underside of helicopters and I need to capture footage of the product in the air. 4K is preferred and manual exposure adjustment is important, but it doesn't need to be a big sensor or capturing raw. I haven't used any of the latest GoPros (looks like they are on the 8 now). Is the stabilization enough to get rid of the vibrations? Or would a global shutter camera on a 10" suction mount still a safer bet? Or, one of the KenLabs gyros? It seems like there are a lot of ways to approach this in 2019. I'd appreciate your ideas.
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There are FAA restrictions / rules on external camera mounts and beyond that you want to make certain you really know what you are doing because a screw up could be catastrophic and result in death. Were it me, I'd locate and hire someone with extensive experience in mounting cameras on aircraft. Or I'd simply tell the client that I don't do this sort of work and hook them up with someone who does. That's what I do when a client wants drone work. Sorry, not my bag, here's someone for you whose bag it is.
 
What you're saying does make a lot of sense. Nothing that I would rig up would be without redundancies and safety cables. But maybe I should take any ideas of a cinema camera off of the menu. A smaller action camera like one of these new GoPros might do the trick, if it doesn't vibrate too much. We would be flying over farmland so it would not densely populated at all.
 
I'd tend to agree that anything beyond a GoPro/action cam and you'd be running into specialized rigging and FAA rules and regulations. The VR on the newest GoPros(7 & 8) is pretty damn good. And I'd still put safety cables on the GoPro's. Falling from altitude, even something as small and lightweight as a GoPro can do serious damage.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
What you're saying does make a lot of sense. Nothing that I would rig up would be without redundancies and safety cables. But maybe I should take any ideas of a cinema camera off of the menu. A smaller action camera like one of these new GoPros might do the trick, if it doesn't vibrate too much. We would be flying over farmland so it would not densely populated at all.
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The danger is less that the camera detaches and strikes someone on the ground and more that the camera detaches and goes into the tail rotor causing the helicopter to crash. Were it me I'd want nothing to do with mounting any cameras, even a GoPro, on the exterior of any aircraft. Especially not without first having watched in person someone experienced do it and seen how they go about it.

I can imagine someone rolling their eyes at this and thinking "it's just a lil' GoPro! No big deal!". But we are potentially talking about peoples lives here.

Just a reminder of how insanely violent helo crashes can be...


 
Well, when you put it like that...

Gave me chills just watching that. Point well taken. I guess I'd better green screen this or something.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Start at 3:00 and you'll see that it can be done, at least for airplanes if you know what you are doing. So don't do it as already advised. Everything you do to an aircraft is an FAA issue. It would be incredibly stupid and irresponsible to do anything on the outside of an aircraft without knowing the rules and getting experts involved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgScbgipLcE
 
JPNola said:
The danger is less that the camera detaches and strikes someone on the ground and more that the camera detaches and goes into the tail rotor causing the helicopter to crash. Were it me I'd want nothing to do with mounting any cameras, even a GoPro, on the exterior of any aircraft. Especially not without first having watched in person someone experienced do it and seen how they go about it.

I can imagine someone rolling their eyes at this and thinking "it's just a lil' GoPro! No big deal!". But we are potentially talking about peoples lives here.

Just a reminder of how insanely violent helo crashes can be...


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Just plain outright f u c k i n g amazing that no one was hurt, maimed or killed at that incredibly close proximity. After the adrenaline wore off and they actually thought about it, everyone of those guys on the ground probably threw-up.
 
I'm not a pilot, but a couple guys I ride bikes with are. And since GoPros are popular on bikes, we've talked about sticking them on planes. But that was a while ago. Back then, my friends both said that GoPros kinda fell between the regulatory cracks. If you mount them without putting a screw or bolt into the plane, then maybe they're OK. But it depends on the local FAA Flight Standards District Office (yes, I had to look up the name). Some were more-or-less OK, some weren't. Things have probably moved on. And yes, many people stick them on planes anyway. But if you're doing it as part of a professional gig, seems like you want to follow the rules.

Maybe you can find some info on the webpage for the Portland FSDO:
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/pdx/

And as J says, the helicopter's mechanic will know how things are hanging locally.

Good luck and let us know what happens!
 
Great resources. Thank you. I may also have access to the product mounted underneath a single-engine turboprop passenger plane. May not be any better though, since the propeller would be even closer to the camera. I'll float the idea and see if the mechanic and pilot have done it before and are comfortable with it. If not, we'll find another approach.

Incidentally, the GoPro 8 might not be up to the challenge after all: https://youtu.be/bJN5_5zbjXc
 
Besides potential for loss of life and or injury, the financial liability if something happened could easily wipe you out.
Hard pass. Get an expert. And normal comp liability policies specifically exclude aircraft. You need a special policy and
I think it jumps from 1 million dollar to 5 million dollar. Aviation is just a whole other game than most of us are in.
 
It reminds me of a guy I met who was a qualified airline mechanic (worked for a major airline). He did a side job. The aircraft owner sued him for $25,000 for some reason after the job was done. He fought the suit. x years later he owes $250,000 losing the suit and paying both his lawyers and the owners lawyers.
 
More to the point - will the pilot and the aircraft operator allow you to do this? Most pilots already have the necessary equipment for aerial images, but will baulk at allowing you to add things they are not 100% comfy with, let alone the regulators. You mention safeties - great, but where will you find these? Will you have the correct fittings? Ask the pilot/operating company in plenty of time. They may well have the best information. One of my friends installs cameras on WW2 aircraft and the rules on what is possible and what is not are quite strict.
 
The FAA (if in the USA) absolutely needs to inspect anything you do. When I was at a local station, we were trying out a helicopter microwave rig. The antenna had to be mounted in a specific way, with a specific panel design, etc., etc. And when everything was done the FAA inspector had to go through everything including the cable routing inside the helicopter to make sure it was OK. We had to power the TX from battery because powering from aircraft was another layer of headache, and TX had to be portable or that was another step. Every change was a major pain and delay.

First step I would do after talking to the aircraft owner is get the FAA inspectors involved and talk about what is and is not possible. Clamping something to the skid might be OK, but it might not.

Military is way different, but then you would probably be recording over a closed off area, not where people could be exposed to the risk of something falling on them.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
Helicopter shot at 00:30 is pretty compelling: https://youtu.be/TOuF7ZbcCUs
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The previous boat shot does a fairly dramatic roll then the helicopter shot matches the roll. Unless it's done digitally at the expense of loads of resolution, it makes me think the helicopter shot used a mounted gimbal they had control over rather than just a hard mount.

I could be wrong, maybe it's a digital roll but it's something to think about if you're using this shot as a reference to check whether you've delivered on a promise.

The helicopter mount can obviously be done but I'd put full responsibility on the client to coordinate this with the helicopter company, insurance included if possible/necessary. Then on the day you're the creative that gets to adjust for framing.
 
A little update for those interested. As others suggested, I engaged the pilot and mechanic and we've found a GoPro mount that they are comfortable with from a safety standpoint as well as FAA regulations. They'll install it, and I have a GoPro Hero 8 Black on the way. It is a relief to hand off this liability to people who know aircraft safety. I'm looking forward to getting some cool shots with it, if it ever stops raining.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
A little update for those interested. As others suggested, I engaged the pilot and mechanic and we've found a GoPro mount that they are comfortable with from a safety standpoint as well as FAA regulations. They'll install it, and I have a GoPro Hero 8 Black on the way. It is a relief to hand off this liability to people who know aircraft safety. I'm looking forward to getting some cool shots with it, if it ever stops raining.
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Good news, but still make sure YOU are covered as far as insurance and comp liability.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
I haven't used any of the latest GoPros (looks like they are on the 8 now). Is the stabilization enough to get rid of the vibrations? Or would a global shutter camera on a 10" suction mount still a safer bet? Or, one of the KenLabs gyros? It seems like there are a lot of ways to approach this in 2019. I'd appreciate your ideas.
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This was shot with a Hero4 Black GoPro stuck onto the underside of the aircraft. No special mount and no stabilization whatsoever.

https://youtu.be/A9JQBrC-1To
 
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