Open cockpit - air to air

Planning a flying experience for my son, ..and me! We'll each be flying in an

open-cockpit Tiger Moth. I want to get a couple of air to air shots of him. I

will be emailing the flying club to find out how close they can, or will be

prepared to fly.

 

I have the pistol grip for 500C, and for one lens was thinking of the 100mm

Planar with metal hood. For viewfinder, maybe the frame finder that clips onto

the lens shade (although it has frames for 150/250). maybe I should buy a

Sports Finder for the accessory rail. However, I'd rather not be stuffing

around with changes of lens and/or magazine. The other lenses I have avialable

at present are the 50mm, 120mm and 250mm, the latter are not T*, and from

experience, require the pro-shade for the best results, which would of course

be ripped off in the wind.

 

Will probably use B/W (with a yellow filter) so we can process the film and

print together. The event is a couple of months away, so there's time to get an

alternative accessory or two.

 

Needles to say, I certainly won't be resting the camera on any part of the

aircraft, but any other tips would be welcome.

 

Thanks, Kevin.

One of the problems you may have is strong tubulence leading to the film moving in the back.

You may prevent this to a large extent by taping the filmback to the camera body.

Using a 6X4.5 back will help also to prevent this happening.

G'day Kevin,

 

It depends on a few things how close you will get. What country are you in? For instance in Australia your pilots require a formation endorsement if they wish to fly closer than 500 feet from the other aircraft. That's a longish distance and a 100mm on the 'Blad won't be long enough.

 

If the pilots are formation endorsed then they can fly closer and now your 100mm will be getting closer to the mark. How close they choose to fly will depend on their comfort with each other, their skill level and the presence or not of turbulence. If it's a bumpy day then trying to focus and point your camera will be tough anyway.

 

The airstream on a Tiger Moth will be going past at 80-100 knots (150 - 180 km/hr) so anything that gets stuck out into it will be buffeted and knocked around. I also expect that you will be wearing goggles so that makes it harder again.

 

Go out there ahead of time and ask the pilot some questions, tell him/her what you are planning and ask their help. You can also think about these shots on the ground. Get some guidance about distance apart and then set yourself up, that distance from one of these aircraft, on the ground. That will give you the framing for the shots.

 

Use fast film and don't lean on the aircraft as you shoot. You will get substantial airframe vibration - engine, propeller, air flow etc.

 

Beware also of exposure issues. It's easy to get a perfect sky and an underexposed a/c or vice versa.

 

Regards

 

Mike

The first airplane model I ever built was a Gypsy Moth. Where can you get Moth rides?

Sometimes it's just better to bite the bullet and accept that maybe a different format suits the situation better.

Life would be 1000 times easier with a good 35mm camera (or DSLR) - a long zoom, auto focus and

preferably some form of "Image Stabilization" or "Vibration Reduction".

 

The ability to spot meter, auto focus and shoot 36 frames (or essentially unlimited if using a DSLR) without

reloading in a cramped, windy cockpit cannot be over stated. Plus the gear is lighter and you can frame and

follow much more precisely - using the Hasselblad at those distances you will probably be enlarging from a

piece of film around 24x36mm anyway. I used to shoot my aerials (172, R22,, R44 and Eurocpters) with an RZ,

once I switched to a 16MP DSLR not only did life become infinitely easier, the quality, volume and keeper

percentage of my shots increased dramatically too.

 

Just my 2c worth, but the right tool for the job isn't always the one you would prefer to reach for first.

Interesting comments. Thank you.

 

G'day Mike; I'm in Norway at the moment, but the flying will be over in England. (No one is allowed to even point a camera out of an aircraft in Norway without a special permit, and non-nationals need not apply.)

 

No doubt the Formation Endorsement will exist in England too, as Australia and the UK have many of the same regulations, a legacy of both the inherited legal system and the cloning of Military establishments. Good point. I will certainly check with the pilots first.

 

My first 'High speed' experience in an 'open cock-pit' was at 100+mph in an Austin-Healey through Blackburn (Maroondah Hwy) Melbourne in the 60's, which was on the ground, more-or-less, and yes, the air speed made hand-signals uncomfortable, so I'll be keeping body, limbs and kit snuggly within the lines of the airframe.

 

There's not a lot of elbow room in a Moth, but I've tried to see how tight a space I can turn in with the Hasselblad. The pistol grip actually helps for a sturdy grip. I'm considering getting a 90 degree prism anyway, but as you suggest, it may be a bit hard with goggles. Although photographs I've seen of WW2 photographers in action, are working with goggles off, and open frame-finders of one sort or another are seen in most images. Getting a tad heavy, but I do also have an ELM and matching pistol grip, which would free the right hand to stay with a firm hold on the lens. The A16 mag, taped on for the flight sounds like a good one.

 

John, the only alternative for me is a Leica M3 with faster F2 lenses (Summicron 50 and 90mm), which would be a plus. If I were to buy the sort of gear you are suggesting, there'd be no money for the flights, nor getting to England. But what you say makes sense for sure. My outfit may need to resemble the first Hasselblads, ie the Ross Military Cameras. Even if I manage to get one or two memorable frames out of 16, we'll be happy. I'll choose a film to permit the max 1/500 shutter speed.

 

There will also be a few tripod mounted 6x6 frames (Pan F) on the ground, so the Hasselblad is coming with us anyway.

 

Charles, just do a Google Images search on Tiger Moth Flying. You'll see heaps.

 

Thanks for the input.

 

Kevin.

Good luck Kevin - I have a strong suspicion you are going to pull this off, and when you do

it'll be a lot more rewarding to have taken the shot with the 'blad than if you'd had a state of

the art DSLR with a long IS zoom lens.

 

Have fun, be safe and make us proud!

I'd pack along that M3 and 90mm as a backup, this is something you don't want to miss and can't have enough photos of. Or give it to your son so he has some shots of you. I'd rather load the Hasselblad mid-flight than the Leica, though ;)

 

In helicopters I learned to take a bit of foam and rest that between my lens hand and the lens - it seemed to absorb some of the vibration. Thick gloves had the same affect.

 

Don't miss the trip because you're paying too much attention to the photography (as I often do).

 

Clear skies to you and your son :)

I'm very grateful for all the encouragement, and will keep you posted.

 

One decision made this evening was that the open frame finder is for someone with better eyesight than mine. I don't want to be fiddling around with reading glasses up there, and without them, the frame lines are a blur. So, it will be a prism finder.

 

There'll be a preloaded film mag to change if needed ... but hey, there's no way I won't be doing some flying as well.

 

Cheers, Kevin.<div></div>

I have done a fair bit of air-to-air over the years, including open cockpit and in aircraft minus a door. The combo that works for me most often is a body with a 45-deg prism finder, 150mm lens and a 220 back. Don't even think about changing film in flight, take loaded spare backs. I won't change lenses, either; if this might be an issue take another camera with the lens you think you might need. If a lens is going to fall to the floor or jam, it's bound to happen on an air-to-air job! As someone else noted, be careful with exposure; it's easy to have the reading influenced too much by the sky. If it's a sunny day, I use the f16 rule and don't meter at all. I have shot from Stearman, Pitts and Waco UPF aircraft, similar in seating configuration to the Tiger Moth, and had no particular problem keeping the camera out of the slipstream.

Thank you Phil. I'd been wondering about a 90 versus 45 degree prism. If you're back here, could you please clarify "f16 rule"? ... not metering at all?

 

With your experience, what film speed would you first reach for.

Sunny day f16 rule = front sun-lit subject, no clouds, set shutter speed to 1/film speed and

aperture to f16. As there probably won't be an exact match between film speed and shutter

speed options, adjust to taste depending on whether you're shooting negative or

transparency film (or digital).

 

Interesting comment about taking pictures out of airplanes in Norway. Do the flight crews

confiscate the cameras of tourists doing the same on commercial flights?

Thanks again Bill re f16 rule. I went and did some homework on it today. Something I'd forgotten 35+ years ago when I bought my first light meter. (ugh.. )

 

Re: "Do the flight crews confiscate the cameras of tourists doing the same on commercial flights?" Well no, because the images taken under those circumstances are of no commercial value. But under the pretence of "security issues" (which is utter nonsense) the restrictions on photography from lighter aircraft is just another area of protectionism. Norway is a tiny country, which industrially, is a conglomerate of monopolies with extortionist import taxes on everything except books. (Don't get me started ...) (I'm only spending time here because of a family commitment.)<div></div>