A co-pilot is only going to save you about 1/2 a second when it comes to recovery, and maybe not even that. The main point here is that they will never be like giving control over to a person who can save you (instructor) or a real copilot to fly while you take the pics. Do not take your eyes off of the thing, they get crazy in a heartbeat. P.S. I have seen the joker you are talking about and it's a good one so one thing at a time.