panzertank

do you think this plane would work well with a camera on it? where would be the best place to put it? heres the plane http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXEDN7&P=0

wjglynn

The first thing I would consider is the wing loading. This airplane has 540 sq in. of wing. Find or calculate its wing loading and then recalculate loading including the weight of your camera gear. A little research on the wingl loading topic will tell you how much weight you can expect to lift. My Alpha 60 with about 900sq. in. of wing lifted a 6.5oz. camera easily. On a small airplane like the one you are looking at, I would keep the camera very close to C.G. and be aware that your exhaust fumes will contain much unburnt fuel. Camera lenses will not get along well with engine exhaust.

Bill

Grampaw

wjglynn touched on some very good points to look for on a camera plane, but I tend to go along with the advice that has always been given to those wanting to shoot photos from full size aircraft, ie, shoot from a high wing aircraft. On these types the wing is
never in the camera's field of view and wind up showing in the photos especially if you try to shoot from the side and it is a low wing.
That wing is always gonna show up.

I've always used Cessnas for my full size aerials. Their wings are on top, have only one strut, which is slightly forward. By shifting the camera it won't show in the photo. I would suggest choosing a high wing Trainer type model. They are usually very stable and have no struts to begin with. Your camera can be mounted inside, or on the outside just under the wing.

Another perk of a high winger is that the wing acts like a lens shade, often blocking glare from the sun from hitting the lens.
And the wing aids you in aiming the camera at your target photo site. If you are standing close by whatever you are taking pictures of, trigger the shutter when the wing over the camera points at you. If you have Photoshop, you can remove your image before any
any final printing is done. Good luck and have fun!

wjglynn

I love shooting from a Cessna 172. Pull the window keeper pin before takeoff. Then shoot with the plane in a slow wide righthand upward spiral above the target. The vacuum under the wing will suck the window up and keep it out of the way. Medium format film (6x9) at ISO 200. On a sunny clear day the exposure is always 1/500 at f8 with a polarizing filter.

A very significant challenge for RC is the exhaust. Under the wing is great but not when your good camera is getting splattered with unburnt fuel. I mounted my camera on top of my GBS with the G-38 for that reason. Our new E-GBS has the mount under the belly. The spent electrons from the 160 motor does not bother the camera at all!

Bill