FYI Creating videos in aviation

[Neal]

It has been a steep learning curve but I've really enjoyed learning how to create videos of my flying adventures as a new aircraft owner. I'm amazed at the talent of content creators out there that can put out amazing content such as Trent Palmer and others that inspired me to get back into aviation post military.

The big three video editing tools that most use are: Final Cut Pro (mac only), Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. Initially I did some online training to learn Adobe Premiere Pro which helped break the ice but for some reason I learned of DaVinci Resolve and absolutely loved the editor. Very different in some ways from Premiere Pro but it's been a lot of fun to learn and many creators are now moving from Premiere Pro to DaVinci Resolve for various reasons (stability, price, development pace, etc.). YouTube is a great way to learn any of these with tons of free content to help get you started.

The next thing is cameras. I recommend anyone getting into this such as buying GoPro's start out at least in joining their subscription so you'll get discounts on cameras and accessories. It will pay for itself in the first year alone. Once my gear stabilized I did not renew for the second year. I have three GoPro's: 2 x Hero 9's and 1 x Hero 10. I also explore with the Insta360 ONE X2 which has been interesting but I don't think the quality really compares.

Once you have cameras you then need a way to mount them and also a way to get audio into the camera from the panel comms and headset. NFlightCam has a great setup and also FlightFlix.net is another provider of mounting solutions. Explore both as desired.

As for sounds which I don't use much of I have subscriptions to both Epidemic sound (just subscribed this week) and I've been using Artlist.io.

Aviation videography is a great way to capture the experiences and share with the non aviators such as on your social media, family, etc. It is a very interesting topic to learn and get half decent with but it is fun for me and adds to my experience.

More later but this is just a start of what I've been learning. Others that are into this feel free to share your creations and also tips for others to learn from.

 

[Neal]

The topic came up about battery power and GoPro's such as how long can you record? The sad fact is GoPro batteries don't last that long, maybe an hour and it's better if you can supply with external power. My plane being relatively new has USB ports wired in both under the panel, right side and in the upper left wing root for powering Garmin inReach devices, cameras, etc. I have TA-202's in my plane but also had a 5A breaker in the right wing root installed at build which runs wires out to an inspection panel where I have a stratus USB attached to the inspection plate where I can run USB cables to a camera on the strut and power them infinitely.

The downside as some of us have experienced is while connected to aircraft power on a GoPro device that allows you to bring in headset audio you can get a buzz or humm in the audio. NFlightCam says this is caused by an insufficient ground so disconnecting the USB line when you want to record audio will give you clearer audio. The option some have chosen to mitigate this is using a USB battery pack to provide a larger capacity battery to the GoPro.

NFlightCam Aviation Audio + Power Cable for GoPro Hero5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 Black - Nflightcam.com

Your GoPro is great in the cockpit, but to capture the entire story, you need the audio from your headset, intercom, and radio. This cable makes that possible while also providing you the option to power your GoPro indefinitely but connecting to a USB battery pack. Use this cable to connect your...

www.nflightcam.com