Exit stills.

[AndyMan 7]

These stills were taken from a Minolta D'image 7 mounted to the strut of the Otter. It hat had been wired into the "green light" so that it takes a shot automatically every two seconds when the green light is turned on.

During loads, someone from the DZ swaps out the flash card for a second one, and the DZ sells larger prints of the exit to students.

It's hit and miss because the camera is taking shots automatically, but some of the results have been spectacular.

This weekend was the first run, and the stills were popular. Possible future enhancements will be installing a 802.11 equipped laptop in the otter so that images can be pulled wirelessly inbetween loads.

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/gallery/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Personal_Galleries/AndyMan/On_The_Step&img=

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You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

[pcalandra 0]

Nice! Any chance you could post a pic of the camera mounted to the wing? I'd be interested is seeing how it was done.

Pat

[riggerrob 643]

Great idea.
I have worked with several different set-ups on Cessnas.
The most cumbersome involved an aluminum box containing video and stills that was bolted to the tie-down ring on the end of the strut every morning. The owner made more money selling pictures than he did teaching the first jump course.
The disadvantage was that Transport Canada was always ragging on him about modifying the aerodynamic profile of the airplane without a full-blown Supplementary Type Certificate. A proper STC can cost thousands of dollars.
A better set-up is the internal video cameras we have installed in our Cessnas at Pitt Meadows. A tiny video camera peers through a tiny hole in an access plate. The only thing you can see from outside is the tiny hole. The VCR is bolted to the floor where the co-pilot's rudder pedals used to be.
The pilot switches on the VCR when she opens the door, then gets back to her primary job.
We make a little money selling video to first jump students, but it is more valuable as a training aid. We even use it to debrief PFF students as it captures the first five seconds after exit.