Questions About Starting a Flying Vlog

[Beej336]

Hello everyone, new member to the site, but I visit from time to time.

Sorry if this is in the wrong section, but it seemed to be the most fitting one.

Lately, I have been thinking about starting a flying video blog. This would be similar to many other "moto-vlogs" on YouTube, only this would be in a plane as opposed to a motorcycle or car. I figure I can talk about maneuvers, ATC calls, how to go about starting flight training, my own flight training, and the like. Granted, I am just a beginner pilot myself, just now starting my instrument rating. I've got a microphone that rests in my headphone ear-cup, so that would be how I'd record my voice. I will be flying mostly in a Cessna at a towered airport.

But my question is, do you guys think this might be a bad idea as far as a legal standpoint? I know that if someone got hurt doing a maneuver or something and blamed it on me, it would be a big issue. But what about myself doing something dumb on the air, not noticing, and it gets on YouTube? Would covering the N# placard and censoring the N# being said over the radio be enough to not cause an issue?

I know people record themselves flying all the time, but I have a feeling something like this is a whole different story.

Thanks in advance.

[Whopity]

This would be similar to many other "moto-vlogs" on YouTubeThen surely that's the place to go as people who like that type of thing will probably find it more easily.

[The500man]

If you make a v-blog about flying I would suggest you stick to talking about your own flights and experiences rather than trying to make how-to guides for other people. I'm not sure it would be particularly useful to talk about maneouvres because flying isn't something you can learn just from watching videos. I also have a feeling it would be considered irresponsible to try and make instructional videos on flying.

You don't need to worry about doing things wrong. You weren't given a license by accident, so you should be generally competent. If you make mistakes (like everyone does) then that can just be another thing to talk about (or you can edit out the bad bits if you just want to look like a sky-god! :)).

For recording have a look at the NFlightcam+. It has a pass through adaptor to plug into the headset jacks for audio and it has a built in GPS. It's not cheap though.

[pulse1]

AdamFrisch posts on here and makes enjoyable films of his trips in an old Aerocommander. He is a professional camera man so they are worth looking at:

LA to New Orleans cross country, day 1. - YouTube

Well, I enjoy them.

[pudoc]

I think it's a good idea if you have the time.

What I would do initially is just use cheap equipment until you start to get more YouTube viewers, plus you might not even like doing it.

I have a £50 camera, a £20 voice recorder which I attach a £2 microphone to which rests in my ear cup, and a £20 camera mount which sticks onto the rear window of my Cessna.

Better than paying hundreds and hundreds for real flight cameras. Upgrade as you progress.

I would rather watch videos of you flying from A-B than telling us how to be a pilot. No offence, but not everyone will take a 19 year old giving career advice seriously.

Some flights, manoeuvres, ATC chatter and some videos of you explaining the flight and maybe a video of a pre-flight would be really good. Certainly do some training videos if you wish.

I agree with the poster above me, that guy does some awesome videos.

[piperarcher]

Personally I think I'd enjoy watching your clips if they were personal, and about your experiences. I like Peters blogs because he doesn't attempt to teach you something, but you inherently find you are learning something (writing as a GA pilot). I would avoid teaching people manoeuvres, and leave that to instructors and flight schools. Plus speaking to a qualified law practitioner would be a better place to get info on the legalities of it all. I'd also avoid telling people how to get into training as there's lots of variables, and people have various sources (including on here). Looking forward to seeing your first production :)

[Beej336]

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

I do already have a camera (GoPro Hero2) and plenty of mounts for it, so I think I can work with that to suit my needs.

Also, I think what I would do as far as talking about maneuvers and ATC and stuff would be just mentioning them. I don't think I have the competency to teach it. Since I'm in my instrument training, I think I'd just talk about SID's and STAR's, explaining why I'm doing what I'm doing. Still, this is all in the works and may or may not happen. I'll have to try it out and see.

Recording flights A to B is definitely something I'll want to do.

[TisnTat]

Not being a flyer, only an enthusiast to aviation i tried to answer some of your questions! :p

But there seems to be a time limit to answer here and all i wrote was lost. I´m a former camera guy and would like to help you. Please PM me your specific questions and i will answer. I´m not shy to explain the stuff in here, but for today i had enough, haha.

Have fun, Rainer :ok: