Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 Oscar inspired me to try this. Here's my first test flight today. 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oscar Avalle Posted March 5, 2016 Report Share Posted March 5, 2016 Joe, Nice... congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsxrpilot Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Wow, that is a clean belly! Did you use one of the sticky mounts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Before trying this I talked to a couple other Acclaim drivers who lost their cameras with sticky mounts. So I found this instead. It's a cammed mount that grabs your tie-down point very tightly. I used the tail tie-down point because I wanted to see how the gear operated. For today's test I did a max performance takeoff and climb. I have the 310hp STC. I was trying to shake the camera loose, but it held. I climbed out at 1,800 fpm and flew full throttle during the entire flight, until I entered the pattern to land. My maximum GS was 210kts; my maximum TAS was 205kts down low. I never climbed above 1,600'agl. Thankfully we had relatively smooth air in Denver today. You would never normally operate an Acclaim this way. The belly is clean because I just had the plane washed and waxed for an upcoming air-to-air shoot. Flying Mooneys is fun. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aviatoreb Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 50 minutes ago, Joe Zuffoletto said: Before trying this I talked to a couple other Acclaim drivers who lost their cameras with sticky mounts. So I found this instead. It's a cammed mount that grabs your tie-down point very tightly. I used the tail tie-down point because I wanted to see how the gear operated. For today's test I did a max performance takeoff and climb. I have the 310hp STC. I was trying to shake the camera loose, but it held. I climbed out at 1,800 fpm and flew full throttle during the entire flight, until I entered the pattern to land. My maximum GS was 210kts; my maximum TAS was 205kts down low. I never climbed above 1,600'agl. Thankfully we had relatively smooth air in Denver today. You would never normally operate an Acclaim this way. The belly is clean because I just had the plane washed and waxed for an upcoming air-to-air shoot. Flying Mooneys is fun. Wow - you flew at full 100% take off power the whole time? Then again 205TAS at (6000ft?) is impressive. CLEAN belly! You got a link tot that mount? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 The focus on every detail is very impressive. The sounds from the tail aren't usually something we are familiar hearing, especially bumping over pavement cracks. Joe, were you able to see the video while it was being captured? Best regards, -a- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 46 minutes ago, aviatoreb said: Wow - you flew at full 100% take off power the whole time? Then again 205TAS at (6000ft?) is impressive. CLEAN belly! You got a link tot that mount? Erik: Yes, I did, because I wanted to see if the camera would fall off. It didn't. And I would never fly my plane like that again. It was fun, but also a bit hairy. The Acclaim is wicked fast and a handful down low. I was burning 28gph. Obscene. Here's a link to the mount: http://www.mypilotpro.com/ 50 minutes ago, carusoam said: The focus on every detail is very impressive. The sounds from the tail aren't usually something we are familiar hearing, especially bumping over pavement cracks. Joe, were you able to see the video while it was being captured? Best regards, -a- Anthony, I was surprised at how much gravel was getting kicked into the camera during taxi to takeoff. You can hear it. I never would have thought the ramp at KAPA was so dirty. My iPhone was connected to the camera via WiFi during runup and takeoff and was able to see the camera's video until I leveled off, and then I lost it. The GoPro app said that it lost touch with the camera. I spent the rest of the flight thinking I lost the camera. But all was sound when I landed. I was able to turn the camera off at shutdown, but I couldn't see anything on my iPhone. I wasn't able to confirm that the camera was still there until I stepped out of the airplane and saw it with my own two eyes. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpaul Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 9 hours ago, Joe Zuffoletto said: Here's a link to the mount: http://www.mypilotpro.com/ Joe, Thanks for the link, that looks like the best product I have seen yet for mounting cameras. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob - S50 Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Cool! I saw something in the video that surprised me though. At about 2:22 in, just before takeoff it looked like there were a couple moments when the main gear were airborne and the nose gear was still firmly planted on the ground. Never would have expected that. Enjoy the new toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDPetersen Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Yikes. Can you flare to land? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 43 minutes ago, Bob - S50 said: Cool! I saw something in the video that surprised me though. At about 2:22 in, just before takeoff it looked like there were a couple moments when the main gear were airborne and the nose gear was still firmly planted on the ground. Never would have expected that. Might have been because of the winds. There was about a 30-degree crosswind from the right. Winds were reported 11kts gusting to 21kts. I definitely felt a couple gusts during my takeoff roll. 39 minutes ago, BDPetersen said: Yikes. Can you flare to land? Ever flown a long body? Not much, unless you're into tail strikes. Plus I had a GoPro hanging about 4" below to boot. My tail clearance was less than a foot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godfather Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 I enjoyed the video and thanks for the mount links! Recently purchased my first GoPro and have started looking for different mount options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 Joe, this looks like an amazingly steady mount. Bet it would attach to the wing tie downs, unless they're in a baggie on your hat rack. Should still give a good view there, miss anything kicked up by the prop on the ground, and not cause any ground clearance issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 18 minutes ago, Hank said: Joe, this looks like an amazingly steady mount. Bet it would attach to the wing tie downs, unless they're in a baggie on your hat rack. Should still give a good view there, miss anything kicked up by the prop on the ground, and not cause any ground clearance issues. Yes, the mount is designed to attach to any tie-down point. It's definitely sturdy and strong; very well made. I was hoping I could attach it to the VOR antenna atop the tail, but the way it's designed that won't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 51 minutes ago, Joe Zuffoletto said: Yes, the mount is designed to attach to any tie-down point. It's definitely sturdy and strong; very well made. I was hoping I could attach it to the VOR antenna atop the tail, but the way it's designed that won't work. Hmmm, interesting thought. Wonder how that big towel bar thing would work? Mine has a post coming out the leading edge of the vertical stab to the loop, which circles both directions before going back into the sides if the stab. I bet something could be done there. Hmmm. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 3 hours ago, Hank said: Hmmm, interesting thought. Wonder how that big towel bar thing would work? Mine has a post coming out the leading edge of the vertical stab to the loop, which circles both directions before going back into the sides if the stab. I bet something could be done there. Hmmm. . . . It will probably attach to your towel bar. My VOR antennas are flat pieces of plastic that extend horizontally from each side of the vertical stab. I tried to attach to those, but it didn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M20F Posted March 9, 2016 Report Share Posted March 9, 2016 Nice video, you should really consider stepping down to an Executive so that step retracts. I bet that Acclaim doesn't even have a cigar lighter in it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbuck Posted March 10, 2016 Report Share Posted March 10, 2016 That's beautiful! Made me homesick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff_S Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Cuppla' questions. First, why did you fly at that extreme power profile? I mean, was there a specific reason, or just because you wanted to try it out? Were you testing for an upcoming Sport Air Race or something? Second, my immediate reaction to seeing your mount was to wonder how much ground clearance you had. Most Rs and TNs sit at a pronounced angle on the ground...mine is 5 degrees nose up. And my rear tie-down is pretty darn close to the ground as it is. Now, I have the A/C unit in my plane so I think that contributes to the tail-low attitude, but I'm curious how much clearance you had with the camera installed. I did notice a three-point landing...my stomach started churning a little bit, waiting for that nose wheel to hit first. You must have your landing attitude nailed in your sight picture to come that close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted March 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Jeff: I was testing the strength of the mount, plus having a little fun. As I previously mentioned, I never fly like that normally. Ground clearance with the camera is 10". Not much. Hence the 3-point landing. Normally I land on the mains first, just like everyone else, but I was afraid I'd clobber the camera so I held it off in a level attitude until she settled to the runway, kind of like a wheel landing in a taildragger. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted March 16, 2016 Report Share Posted March 16, 2016 On 3/5/2016 at 10:07 AM, Joe Zuffoletto said: Ever flown a long body? Not much, unless you're into tail strikes. Plus I had a GoPro hanging about 4" below to boot. My tail clearance was less than a foot. I didn't think about that! I'd probably bring you back a gopro ground down to a nub. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LANCECASPER Posted January 22, 2017 Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 On 3/5/2016 at 10:26 PM, Joe Zuffoletto said: Here's a link to the mount: http://www.mypilotpro.com/ Wow - you are on their website! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbarry Posted January 22, 2017 Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 Great video and awesome Mooney! I fly an Eagle 2 (basically the same airframe as the Ovation, Acclaim...with the same lack of tail clearance). As others have mentioned, the only thing I would be concerned in the landing flare (and possibly the takeoff rotation) is having to constantly compensate for the camera's proximity to the ground and risk striking the nose wheel before the mains. I wonder if there's a way you could mount the camera to the step and still get a decent view? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsxrpilot Posted January 22, 2017 Report Share Posted January 22, 2017 There's no need to have the camera and mount in a vertical orientation, hanging straight down from the tail skid. Just rotate the mount so it's pointing forward. Basically the camera would be lens up against the belly. But then rotate the camera down so the lens is again pointing forward. You will have moved the camera forward about 1.5 inches (up-hill on landing) and also reduced the hang to only about two inches. In that position the camera is actually only about an inch below the tail skid. It's doubtful you'll get that close. Also, remember the camera costs $400 and Amazon can deliver another one by tomorrow. Your prop and engine, they're a different story. So when landing, forget the camera is even attached. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Zuffoletto Posted January 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2017 Thanks, Paul. That's a good point, but I've since decided to shoot from inside the plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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