SANTA MONICA AIRPORT

GoPro cameras have made a huge impact on aviation by making the capturing of photos and video while flying so easy. Both the technological advancement of the camera and the development of various types of mounts have ushered in a new era. And general aviation pilots aren't the only ones that are employing GoPros in their flights as their commercial and military counterparts are also using them regularly to capture their flights. The small form factor and ruggedness of the cameras have allowed them to be placed externally on the aircraft and/or in new places to capture unique perspectives.

GOPRO FUSION | CESSNA 172

One of my new favorite ways to capture photos while flying is with the use of a 360 degree camera. I use the older GoPro Fusion attached to the wing strut and trigger it remotely using the GoPro application on my phone. I will then post the photo which allows people to scroll around the frame, looking in any direction. The same can be done with video but due to the performance of my computer, the rendering makes it difficult to work with. I will post a video of that down below. One of the new favorite things to do is to create the small world with the 360 camera which you can also see samples of down below. These are from our recent flight to San Diego for Phil's BBQ. By varying the FOV (Field of View) in post, you can vary the amount of curvature. It can look like you are flying high enough to see the curvature of the earth, all the way to looking like you are a giant airplane flying over a tiny world.

I just got the GoPro Fusion and wanted to try it out on the wing mount of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk. This is a short video of departing from Santa Ynez on the ...

Take a flight on the Grumman OV-1 Mohawk at Sun 'n Fun 2017 in Lakeland, FL. Watch in 360 degrees from inside the cockpit and on the tail of this Vietnam-er...

LOS ANGELES FLYING

I still often take a regular stills camera while flying to capture aerial photos, whether that be with my DSLR or simply my iPhone. You can see some examples of photos taken with my iPhone below from that same flight to San Diego. However, there is something to be said for capturing unique perspectives, otherwise not feasible without a GoPro. The use of various GoPros inside and outside the cockpit can also be combined to create flight videos that give non-pilots the idea of what it is like to fly form the comfort of their home. I have included some examples of those that I have created over the years. Ok, time to go fly and see what else I can create - hope you enjoy.

This is a video of our flight from Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) to Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) on Friday, May 1, 2020. We took advantage of the...

This is a video of our flight from Los Angeles International Airport (KLAX) to Santa Monica Airport (KSMO) on Friday, May 1, 2020. We took advantage of the...

On Tuesday, December 12, 2017, the Santa Monica airport closed to shorten its runway from 4,973 feet to 3,500 feet despite the efforts of many, including the...

This is the full video of a flight out to Catalina Airport (Airport in the Sky) from Santa Monica Airport. I uploaded it so that you can see what it is like...

This is the full video of a flight back from Catalina Airport (Airport in the Sky) to the Santa Monica Airport. I uploaded it so that you can see what it is...

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Fourth of July in Avalon Catalina