Aerial Photography

The following pictures were taken with the Super Sportster 20 in November of 2000. Not optimal, but a proof of concept. I made provisions for the installation of the DC20 digital camera in the plane after repair. Basically, the canopy is easily removable and the turtledeck has a hole in it for the trigger cable. Velcro secures the camera within the confines of the canopy. If I need more than velcro to hold the camera in place, I have other problems.

With the camera pointed straight up, you get a good view of the sky. So, this requires coordination of two things: a tight turn placing the plane on edge, and finding the little switch on the transmitter which triggers the camera.

This is Wisconsin, it's cold, and those switches are tiny. I'm not about to look at my transmitter while banking that hard, so I go by feel. Instead of actuating my "AUX 2" channel, I resolutely pull the "Snap Roll" switch. It's not labeled "Snap Roll" just to sound cool. I wasn't expecting that. The switch has since been programmed to be OFF.

When the camera is properly banked, you can get reasonable pictures. Just don't let the subject be the Sun. Astronomers have taken much better pictures of the Sun than the DC20 ever will.

I'll try again when it's warm enough to feel one's fingers while flying.

Last modified: Wed Nov 22 01:48:21 CST 2000 by timc!