Ask any recreational, or GA-sector pilot who’s ever flown over Sydney Harbour or the Bungle Bungle range, and they’ll tell you that a picture is worth much more than a thousand words. These are just two of the indescribably amazing aerial views that Australia has to offer.
And, they’re also why pilots trust GoPro action cameras more than any other brand of audio and video capture devices when they want to record their most memorable aerial moments. From high-flying sports like parachuting and snowboarding, to extreme surfing and diving at Shippies, GoPros are praised for their crystal clarity, rock-like stability, and ability to withstand a proper pummeling under pressure.
When it comes to an activity that’s as safety conscious as aviation though, it takes the right combination of mounting accessories and hardware to be able to safely get the most from these hugely capable devices.
GoPro Mounting Hardware that Gets Any Job Done
Let’s be honest: if you’re a pilot, you already know how valuable recording approaches to new destinations, or stunning aerial views can be. You have to be able to do it safely though, and that’s where high-quality GoPro accessories and mounting hardware really prove their worth.
As a pilot, your focus needs to be on flying – not on holding your camera steady – and fortunately, there’s a full range of mounting hardware and accessories available to let you capture all the GoPro action that’s worth sharing, without taking your attention off the controls.
What’s nice to remember too is that GoPros, along with GoPro aviation bundle hardware and accessories aren’t just for recreational aviation. There’s a wide array of fixed- and rotary-wing, as well as lighter-than-air for-hire services that depend on aerial recording, but for whom paying thousands of dollars for an industrial-grade aerial camera isn’t practical. However, with the proper complement of accessories, GoPro cameras are perfect for:
- Instructor pilots recording the progress and performance of their students;
- Low altitude ag pilots recording the locations of low-level obstacles like structures, poles, and irrigation systems; and,
- Aerial survey pilots whose job is capturing precise images, or recording aerial survey data.
Regardless of the type of flying you do, premium GoPro aircraft accessory and hardware suppliers like Nflightcam, MyGoFlight, and Pilot Communications offer complete lines of the kinds of specialised cockpit kits, cables, and accessories you need to handle all of your video and audio capture activities.
And not only do they have the specialised GoPro accessories Australia trusts for impeccable aerial imagery, but also accessories that they know are compliant with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR) framework for mounting GoPro-style cameras.
Premium Ball Head Mounts Let You Use Your GoPro on the Exterior
There’s very little ambiguity in CASR guidance on the installation of GoPro-style cameras both on the external surfaces of aircraft, as well as in cockpits where, if dislodged, could pose a major risk to safe cockpit management. With premium GoPro mounting accessories, however, you’re able to safely mount your camera externally using a GoPro ball head mount, or to the windscreen or any flat interior surface where it won’t restrict safe flying practices, but is still able to capture video like a pro.
Nowhere are the superior qualities of GoPro aviation mount kits more apparent than with the exterior ball head mounts manufactured by Nflightcam. With a CASR 21.M compliant installation, these mounting accessories for GoPro cameras are regarded as the best on the market, and are recognised for an impressive array of specifications that include:
- 18-8 stainless steel and 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminium construction;
- 159mm x 61mm body, weighing only 370 grams; and,
- Speed rated to a maximum demonstrated speed of 350 mph/304 knots.
With their 5cm – 13cm threaded attachment point spacing, these Nflightcam GoPro accessories are designed to be fixed to any corresponding exterior inspection panel or multi-bolt point. Nflightcam also makes lightweight spanner plates that can be used with standalone GoPro ball head spuds. They’re designed to evenly spread the aerodynamic, and structural loads that an external mount can place on a moving aircraft, making them one of the safest external GoPro aircraft mount attachments you can buy.
Cockpit Kits Let You Use Your GoPro Safely From the Flight Deck
To the GoPro’s benefit, GoPro cockpit mount hardware aligns seamlessly with the camera’s inherent advantages; and Nflightcam, along with MyGoFlight and Pilot Communications have each developed an array of interior solutions that let you tap into the absolute best that the GoPro Hero has to offer. Each of these mounts boasts a secure but compact suction cup with easy finger pump action that pressurises quickly and conveniently.
That means even if a mount begins to lose suction, you can instantly re-pressurise it without diverting your attention away from the controls. In spite of their differences, each of these GoPro mounting kits is designed to relieve you of the difficulties of having to manipulate a camera while flying. And with the inclusion of their own compatible audio and power cables, each of these kits is built around a core of basic qualities that include:
- Maximum Safety. The heavyweight suction cups and fully articulating heads on each of these premium quality GoPro aviation mounts allows your camera to stay safely attached through turbulence and G-forces without the risk of it becoming a loose projectile.
- Rock steady reliability. GoPro cameras are unaffected by cockpit vibration and noisy resonance; and high quality GoPro aviation accessories and cables are engineered to help them deliver the smoothest video and cleanest audio even under the roughest flying conditions.
- Go anywhere convenience. The sturdy, compact hardware used with each GoPro cockpit kit is a perfect complement for the GoPro’s light weight, small footprint, and incredible portability.
And not only are GoPro cockpit kits the most reliable, they’re also among the most economical. Whether it’s on the flight deck or at the checkout line, no other group of camera kits gives you more value.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, there’s no question about it: when it comes to aerial imaging, GoPro cameras are capable of producing better quality video and audio captures, and more economically, than any other action camera on the market.
You have to be able to use them safely, though; that means your mounting kit and hardware not only has to do the job, but do it in accordance with CASR standards. High-quality accessories and mounting hardware for GoPro cameras have everything you need to record every flight safely and conveniently. They’re essential flight gear that you can’t afford to fly without.