Cockpit Video Setup
Several people have asked me how I rig the video camera in the cockpit to create my videos. This page explains how I do it.
Cameras
Most flights use one camera: a Sony HDR-SR12. Some flights will include a secondary camera (similar to a Flip camera) for the instrument panel. When searching for a camera, I advise finding one with a microphone input jack. These seem to be getting harder to find these days, but they do exist and they make it much easier to capture the radio and intercom traffic. Also, invest in extended batteries. The default batteries for most video cameras last maybe an hour which is too short for many of the flights I take. Another consideration is a camera with tape (like miniDV) or solid state (memory card) video storage. Hard drive units react poorly to the vibration of the plane (which is nigh impossible to isolate without expensive equipment like gyroscopic mounts).
Mounts
I mount the cameras using suction cup mounts. I use one from StickyPod.com ("Dash-Cam") for the main camera and a smaller one from Panavise (PV-809) for the "inset" camera. It's important to get a mount that will support the weight of the camera during moderate turbulence.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Audio
I capture audio using a specialized cable from Barnstormer Audio that splices the microphone input for the camera directly to the headphone cable. This allows both devices to use the same intercom port without the issues experienced using a simple "Y" adapter. (Bad audio all around from that solution.) I still needed some additional attenuation with this cable, so I went to Radio Shack and picked up a headphone volume control cable. I also add an extension cable to allow more flexibility in camera placement.
A simpler option I used before is an attenuating cable like one found at Radio Shack which can plug directly into the intercom (with an adapter found nearly everywhere that sells headphones) and the camera. This solution worked well for me unless I had a full complement of passengers consuming all the intercom ports. (That's what led me on the search that eventually found the cable from Barnstormer Audio.)
A note on cable management: It may go without saying, but I will anyway. It's important to keep cables away from the plane's controls. It also helps to keep them out of the way of hands and feet so they don't snag and pull your camera out of alignment or even off the mount. My plane has floor mats that allow me to easily tuck the audio cables out of the way.
Technique
I edit the video using Avid Studio. Obviously there is a wide range of video editing options available from free to very expensive. Avid Studio is a better than "middle-of-the-road" product with a price point around the cost of an hour of flight time in a small GA plane.
Synchronizing the inset video with the main video can be a challenge. One way is to look for the activation of the "push to talk" switch and line that up with the appropriate audio from the main track. Another technique is to use something akin to the traditional slate or clapboard used in movies (like snapping fingers in the inset's field of view and in range of the main camera's microphone).
Auto-focus algorithms often tune in the propeller or splatters on the windshield. Set the focus mode to manual and tune to infinity to avoid that problem.
Many GA windshields have a tint to them (often green) that needs to be countered during the editing process. It's not the end of the world if your software doesn't allow color correction, but it does help to have clouds appear a proper shade of white or gray.
The rest is creative and editorial preferences.