First time in a light aircraft tomorrow!

<p>I've been invited by my friend to go flying in a Cessna 152 tomorrow. I'm pretty excited! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cessna_152</p>

<p>I'm not too sure what to expect so I'm just going to bring a full lens range from 10-200mm. My question to anyone who's been in a similar type plane is regarding the use of polarizers. I know they don't work shooting through typical passenger jet windows because the windows create some sort of rainbow effect with the polarizer.<br>

I'm not too overly concerned with amazing photos. It'll be a great trip in it's own I'm sure. Just looking for some general tips.</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

<p>Peter - enjoy the ride! Learned to fly in one. Then flew 182's. Never thought much about taking photos while I was flying <grin>. Will be loud and bit cramped though can tell ya'. Wide angles of cockpit inside will be fun. Shots coming in for landing might be interesting with the prop in front of you and all. Will look forward to your uploads! Cheers.</p>

<p>pic's - taken by brother in backseat with my minolta x-700</p><div></div>

<p>My brother used to fly them from the Kansas factory to the point of sale before he started flying commerial aircraft. Took me up once in rather stormy weather later on. We had to forgo completing a landing at one destination airport in view of the weather and return to the initial airport.</p>

<p>That ride was quite bumpy and I didn't take many photos, but I am sure it was not common and you will have better weather than we did. You will get a better feeling of flying than in a 777. A great experience. </p>

<p>Yes the polarizer will reveal rainbow colors in the plex canopy and windows. Just leave it off. Don't let the camera touch the plane while you're shooting, the vibrations will cause blur.<br>

The 152 is pretty small, so you bag will probably have to be under your legs, so keep your kit as small as you can.<br>

Have fun,</p>

<p><Chas></p>

<p>One possible way to avoid the windows is to open them. I'm pretty sure the side windows hinge up and can be opened in flight (I've never flown in a 152, but Cessna 172 and 182s can fly with the windows open). That gives you a lens-width opening looking down. You'll want to aim towards the back a little to avoid the landing gear and strut. Don't get the camera out into the slipstream of the airplane; it's almost impossible to hold the camera steady. You may want to remove any lens hood to make your kit smaller and easier to work with (the 152 is pretty cramped inside!).</p>

<p>If you are going to shoot through the windows, ask the pilot to give it a careful cleaning before takeoff. Cleaning Plexiglas/acrylic is a touchy operation, so let someone who knows the tricks do it. Also, the knurled front of some filters can scratch the windows if you bump up against them. I'd take any filters off before getting into the plane.</p>

<p>I'd stick with medium WA to medium telephoto (I use my 28-135mm IS lots from small planes). As Charles says, use your body to isolate the camera from the airplane to minimize vibrations. For shooting the ground use the highest shutter speed you can. 1/1000 or faster if you can. If you are going to have the prop in the shot, try slower speeds to avoid freezing it. The back of the prop is painted black, so at 1/250 of a second it may actually be invisible in some shots.</p>

<p>Changing lenses in flight may tough/impossible (I've never tried it, so I don't know...).</p>

<p>Have fun!</p>

<p>Cramped eh? oh boy... I'm 6'2". Well, atleast it'll be good weather! Ya I'll take my 10-20 for cockpit shots and the 18-200 sans polarizer. And I'll make sure those windows are nice and clean!</p>

<p>thanks for the encouraging words everyone. I'll post a few photos in this thread tomorrow evening!</p>

The prop will be turning more slowly when you are on final and you will see more of the ground through the windshield at that time also, so you might get a good shot then.

<p>Peter,</p>

 

<p>First, and most important, have fun!</p>

 

<p>I think most pilots have a bit of flight instructor in them. Ask yours for a quick introduction to

aerodynamics, to tell you what he’s looking for in his pre-flight inspection, how to calculate

weight and balance, what to do if he has a heart attack in the air, what the weather report and NOTAMs of the day mean, and even if you can take the

controls for a bit during the flight.</p>

 

<p>If you’re at all susceptible to motion sickness, be sure to take whatever medication your doctor recommends however much before the flight you need to for it to be effective. If you’ve ever been slightly nauseous in the back seat of a car, do so. Not that

it’s likely you’ll get airsick, but it’ll ruin your whole day if you do, and you want

this to be a fun experience (that might even set you on the path to becoming a pilot, yourself).</p>

 

<p>In case you don’t already know, the 152, though a positively delightful little plane, is very

small. It’s a two-seater, with less head- and elbow-room than in a VW bug (the old ones, not

the new modified Golfs). I don’t think you’ll have much luck trying to shoot through an

open window, and you probably won’t be happy shooting through the plexiglass. But,

depending on the comfort level of the pilot, you can probably (don’t gasp, now) open the

door, and hold it open with your foot. The pilot can then either do a turn, or possibly a

“slip,” either of which will point one of the wings to the ground, giving you your desired angle

of view to whatever it is you want to photograph.</p>

 

<p>Of course, make sure you’re securely belted in while you do this, and don’t do it if

you’re afraid of heights. It can be done perfectly safely, but it can also be quite

unnerving. Oh — and it’ll get profoundly windy inside the cabin when you open the door, so make sure you don’t have any papers or anything lightweight (like a lens cap) loose that could get blown around or even out.</p>

 

<p>And, need I mention? Don’t even <em>think</em> of doing it without discussing it with

the pilot before you take off.</p>

 

<p>If you like that kind of photography, the Piper Cub is perfectly suited to the technique, as the

door is hinged at the top. My parents did analytical infrared crop photography that way in the

’80s, with Dad at the controls and Mom hanging out the door with a Pentax ME Super.

Chances are that a pilot who likes to fly a 152 would be thrilled to fly a Cub, though he’d

need a bit of training on how to handle a taildragger.</p>

 

<p>Lastly, with the door and window closed, it’s really no different from a really noisy

subcompact car on a bumpy road with an engine that vibrates enough to make you think

something’s about to go horribly worng. Do anything you would (change lenses or film, eat a

sandwich, <i>etc.</i>) in a car, so long as it doesn’t disturb or distract the pilot.<p>

 

<p>Oh — and, once again, enjoy!</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

<p>If I were you, I'd leave the camera behind and enjoy the ride!</p>

<p>You really don't want to shoot through the plex.</p>

<p>The side windows on a 150 don't open more than a few inches because of a little retaining lever on the side of the window frame. But it's fairly easy to coax the retainer out of its slot, which will allow the window to open fully. It will stay up in the slipstream, so you don't have to worry about it falling closed. (I'm not sure if this is exactly the same on a 152, but I know it is on a 172.)<br>

While a bit windy, this will give you the ideal shooting situation short of removing the door.</p>

<p>I have about 1200 hours of flight time in a Cessna 150, most of it with the door off, shooting pictures while flying with my feet. (All Cessnas that have wing struts are certified for flight with the door off.) This was many years ago. I now use a helicopter and let others do the flying. (Older and wiser!)</p>

<div></div>

<p>I have shot a few rolls from a Cessna 150 and 172. Tell the pilot what you are shooting at o so the plane can be banked that way for the shot. My own few frames were much under-exposed as I recall, been a while. Maybe the UV affects the metering, I think it might. Set your camera to do auto exposure bracket variations with each shot since you won't have much time to evaluate aloft. Don't expect a whole lot on your first flight of course. Aerial photography is a skill. But give it a try,...I would these days prefer to try aerial video I think..... But it is a kick to fly in a small craft foremost and with someone you can enjoy it with. My wife took flying lessons at Aero Club, got her private license. Gave it up as gas prices hiked etc. Takes a commitment(and a strong stomach too on some days.)</p>

<p>keep the Tv under 1/250, above 1/25 or so or you will stop the prop. I use an 18-55, or 28/50 (depending on what system). I never saw a need for a telephoto (unless you were shooting another airplane (which i havent done) and most A/A photogs i i've talked to dont like to use too long of a lens anyway.) My favorite photos are at night, with the panel lit up. I dont think i ever posted it, but one of my favorite photos that i took is one that i took at night with a flash, but with the camera upside down bounced off of my red shirt. There's a lot of motion blur (on purpose) because i shot around 1sec But, there is a double image on instruments that gave off a lot of light, like the digital displays, but a single image for the darker instruments. Because i was wearing a red shirt there is a red glow to everything (for some reason our plane had white panel lights instead of red, sort of uncommon). To me, it captured the ambiance of flying at night as a little kid, one of my earlier memories. Been around light aircraft my whole life. Not licensed (was working on it, but only started about a month before oil spiked... had to scratch it) but can fly competantly, shoot an ILS, etc. Dont ask me about ADF's...</p>

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<p>Maybe the UV affects the metering, I think it might.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>There's no extra UV, unless you're flying above the ozone layer - I think Concorde was the only passenger aircraft where that was an issue.</p>