Lap Times (and other Info) From Videos

Gang --

Any reservations about taping a flight and timing the video to get lap times? Are the times real on a video?

And how do you use videos? Tripod? Significant other? Follow the plane, like they do golf balls? Zoom in to help solve trim problems? What?

If you know that the video is running at the right speed (and you can check it by starting and stopping a stopwatch on camera), you surely ought to be able to get lap times. Preston Briggs has a program that takes audio recordings and determines speed and in-flight RPM from them.

Would the camera slow down as the batteries run down? Better do the stopwatch calibration at the beginning and end of the flight. Good idea, Howard. I have seen folks video stunt flights, and by following the model ("panning"), I always thought they were losing the perspective, with nothing for reference (airplane/sky doesn't tell you much). But then I wasn't looking through the viewfinder, and I am not a Video Photographer, either.

A related question I have been pondering is how close should the judge stand to the circle? I prefer to watch the pattern from some distance, say 25' from the edge of the circle. Paul seems to be within 10', but I'm not sure why. It would make for a shorter distance if the judge decides to move, but I am not so sure that the judge should make that decision on his own. I tend to think that the contestant should signal where his maneuver will be if there is a wind shift, or he should just fly opposite the judges. Would presenting your maneuver to the judges score higher than doing the maneuver someplace other than straight downwind from the judges, even if you can't do it as well? I would hope so, but maybe I'm wrong. Flame on! Steve

Video will work fine for timing, it is a standard that doesn't vary. Go for it...

Using a stopwatch and video is a good coaching tool, according to Bill Rich.

It is important that the camera be stationed on a tripod and, for best results, a pole with 4-6 feet marked at 180 degrees.

I have watched (and timed) videos of the last several Nats, and believe that the flights are flown at significantly quicker lap times than the flyers report.

See Ya