Recording A Flight Using a Camcorder
 

Does anyone know how to record a flight using a camcorder so that the audio (ATC and pax communication) gets picked up as well.

What sort of wiring has to take place so that the audio on the headset goes into the camcorder?? The sound of engine drone is boring!

How do you mount your camcorder so that you can see instruments as well as out the front of the plane? I would imagine that some sort of strong suction cup may be a good portable idea.

Thanks in advance..........

Be very careful about recording a flight, particularly if you have passengers on board. If something goes wrong, erase it. If you don't, it may be used in evidence against you. (Even if he is your best mate!!)

Or play by the rules and have nothing to worry about.

Big Kev,
Check your PMs:ok:

Mate of mine on a training solo nav wedged a tripod with camcorder into the right hand seat of a cherokee and had an attachment for the audio-in and plugged it straight into the RHS jacks, audio of radio sounded great. Just a thought

Hi Drshmoo - check your PM's

BK - :ok:

Or just place an external mic under the ear cup of your headset. I find that a small computer style mic does the trick.

NAP

company in NZ Flightcell produces units that you plug your headset into along with your phone so you can talk whilst aviating (in the cruise, VFR, etc of course ;) . Also has plugs for camcorders/cd/mp3. It's a good unit.

flying ginge

The sound part is dead easy, just nick down to your local electrical goods store (Dick Smiths even!!!:yuk: ) and get a cord which has a 6mm plug on one end and a 2.5mm plug on the other. Make sure they're both mono or you'll get sound out of only 1 speaker in the finished product. Just plug the 6mm bit into the headphones plug on the intercom and whack the 2.5er into the camcorder (yet to come across one that doesn't have an 'audio in' socket). You'll get crystal clear sound on the finished product.
If you want a little engine noise, plug in a headset mic and turn the squelch way down, bit annoying to fly with, but adds a bit to the video.
As to getting the instruments in shot, how 'bout flying from the right hand seat (if you're comfy with that sort of stuff) and mounting the video in the left hand seat. Dunno how the camera would cope with the bright light from outside the cockpit and the dark instrument panel. May struggle a bit.
If you wanna get a bit tricky you can wire up a plug to fit the mic input in the intercom and whack that into a cd player for some tunes on the vid! Or just edit it afterward if you're good with that sort of stuff.
Can you tell i've done this before? :O :O
Remember though, saftey first!!!
Especially when it's on film!!!:8
FSC

To get decent audio you cant just plug the camcorder into the intercom - the audio levels are way wrong, due to a missmatch of impediances. You can either hack up a cable (have a search using google on how to makeone) or buy one. I got one from sporty's in the US quite cheaply (I seem to always burn myself when I pick up a soldering iron).

Bevan..

I did it and it worked fine, just gotta fiddle with the intercom volume a bit. Not rocket science, the vid is sitting on my shelf at home, audio is fine.