Re: [KOML] Aerials

[Jay Maynard <jmaynard@texas.net>]

On Fri, Jan 29, 1999 at 10:53:21PM -0600, Mel Brown wrote:
> Whoa, Jim! If you're flying low enough to have to focus, I hope God is your
> copilot! And don't let that get around; the FAA won't be happy with your
> altitudes.  [;-)

I was wondering about that, myself...

> I'm a pilot, and have done a very limited amount of 35mm aerial shooting
> years ago, from Cessna 152s and 182s, and from sailplanes. It occurs to me
> that, flying solo, the KO should work well because you grip and fire it with
> one hand.

...as long as you're flying an aircraft with a stick. Somehow, the K-O's
left-hand grip would seem to me to be less than desirable with a yoke,
because it would take a while to put the camera someplace and then grab the
yoke if you needed to. The K-O's just too big to drop in your lap. Normally,
this wouldn't be a problem, because (I'd hope) you're flying straight and
level, with the aircraft properly trimmed, so things don't fall apart while
you're shooting...but the one time it might be, due to such things as
collision avoidance, you'd really be in trouble in a hurry.

(For the uninitiated, a yoke is flown with the left hand, with the right
working other controls; a stick is flown with the right hand.)

Personally, I might be inclined to fly a Cub with the door off. The Flying
Milkstool seems to be a good choice, as well, though I'm not as familiar
with it.

...Jay, moderately jealous of people that can afford both to own an airplane
_and_ shoot medium format...