28 the aerial eye / winter 1996 the aerial eye sources a quarterly publication of the aerial committee Radio Control Model Yachts of the American Kitefliers Association If you can’t find what you’re looking 675 SW 238th Avenue volume 2 / number 1 / winter 1996 for locally, try these: Hillsboro, OR 97123-7627 Phone (503) 649-7707 (eves) US$4.00 German-made Pe-ka-be miniature Stanton Hobby Shop, Inc. USA & CANADA ball-bearing blocks. Brochure. 4718 N. Milwaukee US$5.50 Chicago, IL 60630 Small Parts Inc. overseas Phone (312) 283-6446 13980 NW 58th Court Fax (312) 283-6842 Miami Lakes, FL 33014-0650 De-thermal timers; R/C equipment. Phone (305) 557-8222 AKA member merchant. Fax (800) 423-9009 Gears, belts, nylon fasteners, and Herbach & Rademan all manner of little stuff. Catalog. PO Box 122 Bristol, PA 19007-0122 Woodworker’s Supply, Inc. Phone (800) 848-8001 5604 Alameda Place NE (215) 788-5583 Albuquerque, NM 87113 Motors, switches, materials; Phone (800) 645-9292 general line of surplus. Catalog. (505) 821-0500 Music box movements. Catalog.

Wrangell Narrows, Alaska, by Brooks Leffler. Nikon One-Touch, FujiColor 400, FlowForm 16.

Ice Sailing Regatta Madison, Wisconsin by Craig Wilson CRADLES II 2 the aerial eye winter 1996 3

keep ’em coming! our feature this issue: the aerial eye camera cradles revisited This newsletter is produced by the With this issue, we have a paid Committee of the readership of 125+ in 16 countries! A by STEVE EISENHAUER American Kitefliers Association. It is half dozen are also first-time contribu- our goal to publish quarterly, in August, tors of pictures, diagrams, and/or arti- Millions of people own , mil- gang, Brooks and Anne), while two November, February, and May. cles. Thanks to them for responding lions own , but few put their members use the pendulum (Craig Single copies and subscriptions to our call! We’re all volunteers, and camera on the kiteline to get aerial and Steve). This split seems to mirror are available to AKA members and the success of the publication de- . The missing link is the worldwide KAP preferences; apparent- non-members alike, under the fol- pends on each of you to participate. camera cradle. ly neither system is best. lowing fee schedule: So keep those letters and pictures Most kites and cameras are mass- Both systems have their strengths single 4 issues coming! We’ll try to publish each con- produced; most cradles are hand-built and weaknesses. The Picavet is light- AKA $3.00 $10.00 tributor. “one-of-a-kind” creations. Each year, er; the pendulum doesn't have strings overseas $4.50 $16.00 that can get tangled. The Picavet Text via Email or on 3.5" (9cm) high- cradle construction evolves. A small Non-AKA $4.00 $15.00 seems to isolate vibration better; the density disk (Mac or IBM in ASCII text group of individual cradle builders test overseas $5.50 $21.00 new versions: new construction mate- pendulum is easier to attach to a format) is preferred, but typed text or rials, suspension systems, stabilizing line. But even these differences are ar- Domestic subscriptions will be handwritten letters are welcome too. mailed by first class mail; overseas devices and radio control equipment. guable; the final determiner is person- Likewise, diagrams in Macintosh PICT, subscriptions (i.e., outside North Although there is no formal commu- al preference. America) will be mailed by air. TIFF, or EPS formats are best, but pen drawings, preferably on white paper, nication system among builders, the Some KAPers occasionally use mi- Advertising is available in modules of or just quick sketches on the back of aerial eye tries to keep you up to date cro-video cameras on their cradles 2.25 inches wide by 1.25 inches high, at on cradle advances. This that transmit a image to $20.00 per module, payable in advance. the proverbial napkin will work too. issue, the first of our sec- a ground-based monitor. Advertising in which aggressively Photos may be sent as negatives, [left] But this added con- competitive pricing is featured will not ond year of publication, prints or slides. We can also read focuses on these advanc- venience and complica- be accepted; call if you have questions Kodak PhotoCD, or Macintosh disks in or need more info. Camera-ready copy es. tion does not seem to be is not necessary, but is acceptable if it almost any Mac graphic format. We'll a trend. Craig Wilson and keep the prints unless you direct oth- The current controver- meets the above criteria. Copy deadline sy among cradle builders Wolfgang Bieck only oc- erwise, but return all negatives, disks, is one month before the first of the is which suspension sys- casionally use their mi- month of publication. Contact Brooks CDs, and slides—eventually. cro-video systems; Randy Leffler. tem is best: the “Picavet” string-and-pulley sytem* Bollinger has sold his. Ma- american kitefliers association aerial photography committee or the pendulum. With sami Nakajima reports that some JKPA members Steve Eisenhauer, Chair Brooks Leffler, Editor the recent addition of Wolfgang Bieck to our have this system but that 229 Lake Ave, Pitman, NJ 08071 PO Box 34, Pacific Grove, CA 93950 they rarely use it. (609) 589-2049 Fax (609) 589-6709 (408) 647-8363 Fax (408) 647-8483 KAP Committee, the bal- [email protected] [email protected] ance has tipped in favor Using a micro-video of the Picavet: three camera appears similar Wolfgang Bieck Anne Rock Craig Wilson members use it (Wolf- Am Britzenberg 23 2420 Ninth Street 7210 Harvest Hill Road • continued on next page 29549 Bad Bevensen Berkeley, CA 94710 Madison, WI 53717 * see “Picavet — past & Randy Bollinger’s rig with Germany (510) 848-7335 (608) 831-6770 present,” in the last issue micro-video aiming, no (+49) 5821 24 43 [email protected] of the aerial eye. longer in use. See page 12. 4 the aerial eye winter 1996 5 cradles revisited • continued from page 3 murooka’s “camera stations” to using an electronic fish-finder for by KATSUTAKA MUROOKA, 2-42-7 Shirasagi, Nakano, Tokyo, JAPAN trout flyfishing. Electronic fish-finders work well for commercial fishermen, In Japan, both single- A built-in delay timer but are inappropriate for a catching a single rainbow trout. lens reflex and com- A) Radio-Controlled permits the motor to pact cameras start two minutes lat- My own cradle has changed in a Camera with Electromagnetic are used with Release Terminal. er than the switched year. I no longer use a double drogue 35mm film. is turned on. Konica FT-1 and Canon EOS Kiss mounted above the pivot point; that Most cameras idea was only marginally successful. [Rebel in USA] can be used for this We have also used a system have auto- Nor do I use a 3 channel R/C system, system. The Canon, currently one of powered by solar battery winders. Ex- with pan, , and shutter servos. My the easiest-to-use cameras, may [left]. This system also en- posure and fo- system now has only pan and shutter be most suitable. It is the lightest ables panoramic pho- cusing func- servos; tilt is adjusted before each among single-lens reflex cameras, tography. We call it tions tend to be automatic, although flight. and has various types of lens avail- “handmade satellite.” auto-focusing is rarely required for able (I usually use 24mm and 21mm). My 2-channel R/C unit is cheaper, KAP. Many cameras automatically C) Suspension Rod with Upside- has replaceable batteries (so I can car- expose with aper- One simple system [top left] em- Down Camera (with interval timer) ry spares), and is simpler to use. I ture-priority, while ploys aluminum rod, suspension line, [below left] don't often miss the tilt servo; nearly those with shutter- and camera with radio-control termi- This is the easiest way, but you all my photos include a pre-set sliver speed priority are nals (Konica FT-1, etc.) The shutter need the camera equipped with inter- of the horizon. However, I plan to fab- few. can be released from 200m away. val timer. The vertical angle is fixed. ricate a connection to enable the shut- The angle is fixed. ter servo to make one tilt adjustment If we use For this system I use several came- A more complex system [not per flight; by pushing the shutter lever - ras: shown] uses servomo- in the opposite direction a clip releas- priority auto Ricoh XRX tors for horizontal and es a spring that pulls the camera to a , we Ricoh FF9D vertical rotation. The second tilt adjustment. usually use ISO Canon AutoBoy 200-400 films shutter button is pressed The ultimate cradle is lightweight, to prevent with the help of a radio con- D) Wind-Powered keeps the camera horizon-level in all blur. Howev- trol device. The system is rel- System [right] wind conditions, allows adjustments in er there is atively heavy, but usable for The camera rotates all directions including from horizontal a video camera. to vertical formats, is simple to use, much 360 degrees at 1 rota- never gets tangled with the kiteline, room for B) System with Slow motor tion per minute with can be aimed by radio control by using improveme (Release at Regular Intervals) the help of wind nt; we are studying a desirable force. This is an ener- the kiteline direction as a reference, is This is called LarkEye™, the length of suspension rods and possi- gy-saving system with inexpensive and can be quickly con- system developed in Japan bility to use automatic gyro. no need for battery. nected and disconnected. In my opin- [far left]. The slow motor ro- You need the camera ion, a cradle that does all these things On these pages are illustrated tates the camera to that has electromagnetic does not now exist. But if you have some camera stations we have used provide a panoramic shutter release terminal. one of these creations, just tell me in Japan: sequence of photos. how much it'll cost me. • æ • æ

6 the aerial eye winter 1996 7

the wind itself on the secondary string Methods A and B can use this worm- one week in the evolution of KAP pulls the spacer out of the gap, firing drive. Considerable speed-reduction is text and diagrams by LARRY COTTON, 3513 Canterbury Road, New Bern, NC 28562 the shutter. gained, while reducing the torque nec- Somebody suggests putting a piece essary to advance the film. [See fig. 1.] Valerie Govig of KiteLines Magazine shutter (somehow), bring in kite. of ice in the hair trigger and let the My brother heads a team laboring handed me a much-longer version of 2. Launch kite, advance film and fire sun do its thing. But how fast would on concept A—an elaborate motor- this article last month, hoping we shutter repeatedly (somehow), bring the ice melt? What will water do to driven contraption powered by parts could use it. Though none of the in kite. the camera? We try it any- cannibalized from a $4.00 toy way, and garner a few car. players in the story had tried KAP, A major breakthrough comes when cut out to they came up with many innovative exposures. expose threads one of our gear-head cousins discovers 1. shutter Meanwhile, my button ideas and a minimum of reinvention. that by holding the shutter-release We decide to save team is fabricating a shutter We thought you would enjoy their button down while advancing the film, all exposed film until hold-down prototype based on week of discovery. Thanks, Val! –bgl the shutter itself would fire repeated- the project is concept B, which drill & join When my family planned a week- ly. Just to be safe, however, I take it complete, then will use anemome- long reunion at the beach this past upon myself to stick with Philosophy rush it to a one- ter vanes made shaft to motor or summer, my brother Phil and I pan- 1: to try to grab one good aerial shot. hour lab. anemometer from four small screw icked. The thought of sitting around, WEDNESDAY plastic fitting, paper cups. TUESDAY mounted at angle chatting with relatives ran counter to My son seizes on While part of the team tries to fig- The advance-the-film- back of camera our decidedly type-A personalities. So variant C, using a ure out how to advance the film aloft, while-the-kite’s-aloft-no- we concocted a project to occupy our pendulum which another splinter group helps me work matter-how-complex-or-heavy-it- minds and hands for a few days: aerial would swing randomly on the one-shot philosophy. We devise gets team considers many options. 1. photography from a kite! as the kite dances in the skies. a hair-trigger spring-loaded lever, We deem three to have the best The pendulum, made of brass welding SUNDAY much like a mouse trap's, which can chance of success: holding the shutter rod, pivots on the front side of the We arrive at the cottage. Phil has be tripped by removing a spacer be- button down while turning the film- camera. At the bottom he attaches a brought his home-built delta-Conyne. It tween the lever and the shutter- advance wheel by (A) a small DC mo- small weight; at the top is a springy sports a five-foot wingspan and a nice, release button. By attaching a long tor; (B) anemometer vanes; or (C) a pawl to engage the ratchet-like teeth solid 3/8" dowel right up front for secondary string to the spacer, we clock-like escapement. on the film-advance wheel. [See fig. 2, mounting the camera. He's also plan to give a little tug from the We discover that a two-inch #10 next page.] brought an assortment of miscellane- ground. self-tapping screw's threads mesh well THURSDAY ous materials. We fashion a 3"-square camera enough with the film-advance wheel When we make our grocery run, we mounting platform from a piece of to form a crude worm-drive. The screw The anemometer-vane model is pick up the first of many Kodak Fun- plastic laminate, and hot-glue it to the turns smoothly in a molded plastic “T”, ready. We launch. The vanes rotate. Saver 35 cameras. kite’s keel. We mount the camera to normally used to connect flexible tub- We leave it up about a half-hour, not ing. With a small grinder we remove knowing exactly how fast the shutter MONDAY the platform, using lots of electrical tape. the perpendicular leg of the T and is tripping. The project has attracted a contin- open a gap on the side to expose We're ready for our first test flight! After reeling it in, our most anxious gent of would-be aerial photographers enough screw threads. This assembly We launch the kite and carefully play moment is just before eyeballing the who are eager to begin work. Two is then hot-glued to the camera body out the hair-trigger string. But when “PICTURES REMAINING” window on the main competing philosophies emerge: at a slight angle to provide a good the kite reaches an altitude far below camera. When it says “0” you know mesh with the film-advance wheel. what you'd call “aerial,” the force of 1. Advance film, launch kite, fire • continued on page 8

8 the aerial eye winter 1996 9 you've succeeded. It does! lessly as the camera fires hang time My son soon finishes the back of camera off, in relatively rap- id succession, all pendulum model. We film-advance by CRAIG WILSON launch it and allow the wheel 27 pictures of us springy kite to fly for about an pawl staring up at the In 1989 I purchased a Ricoh Shotmas- I built a rig around that general prin- hour. On recovery, kite in consterna- ter camera. This is the camera that ciple, using the timer pretty much in- the “PICTURES RE- tion. was setting the kite aerial photo world tact as the motor to rotate the rig. The MAINING” counter We rush our film on fire in the late 1980's because it camera would take one photo every hasn't moved! The shutter was a lightweight point-and-shoot 60 seconds as the timer and rig would hold-down to the processor, ratchet pawl had and a short time camera with a of 1/400 slowly pirouette, powered by the tim- flipped up and was later, with trem- and a clever interval timer that would er. I would start the camera, wind up just swinging in pivot trip the shutter every 60 seconds until the rig, pay out , and end up brackets shutter bling hands, we shuf- mid-air. button fle through the you shut the camera off or it ran out of with a six-shot panorama covering 360 After a quick re-design, camera aim pictures. Amid film. degrees. we try again. This time the 2. lots of fuzzy It was a big improvement for me to After six minutes of hanging around mechanism works perfectly: test shots of noses, navels, sand, have a camera that would push its the timer would “ding” and if I was pay- the counter happily flora and fauna, we're thrilled to own shutter and advance to the next ing attention and the rig wasn't up be- reads zero. pendulum glean several respectable shots. frame, saving me the effort of bringing yond a couple hundred feet I could ac- FRIDAY The teams agree that the pendu- the camera back down after each ex- tually hear it and know that it was posure. time to pull down the camera. By mid- lum-controlled ratchet is the most reli- afternoon my brother able (albeit random) of all the tech- I was using the camera connected to This may sound like a “half-baked” is satisfied with his model. Luckily, the niques we tried. It's easy to fabricate, an aiming bracket which was attached idea but it works rather well, is light wind has picked up enough to lift the cheap, and allows the kite to attain to the kite line. I would preset the aim- weight, cost me about $4, and the pic- burden of kite, motor, gear train, and 2 considerable altitude while firing off ing on the ground by adjusting the ture quality jumped so astoundingly AA-size batteries. the shutter. We are so thrilled with the wing nuts on the bracket assembly. I compared to what I had been doing results that we immediately begin lay- would lift the rig and walk the kite that I knew in 1989 that I was on the Phil's design features two springy ing plans for the next generation—a ra- around, shooting up the film, monitor- right track. • æ brass contacts which, when allowed to dio control version. • æ ing my wrist watch to get an approxi- touch each other, start mate idea of when the shutter was be- the motor. We place a ing tripped on the camera. sliver of ice between To improve this I thought that a rig the contacts and launch that would slowly rotate as the camera the kite. Before it gets took pictures would be the hot ticket. out of earshot, we hear the motor kick in. I designed and built a rig using an Whoa, that ice sure old 6-minute timer that I melts fast out here in found in a really cool used camera this 90-degree heat! store. The timer, like a kitchen timer used for baking, simply needed to be Compounding our wound up and then it would make one problems, the wind complete 360-degree rotation in six won't lift the kite very minutes. high. So we watch help- 10 the aerial eye winter 1996 11

small. In sandy locations it is necessary Dethermalizing timers may be used and he shall have music… to be careful not to let sand get into in conjunction with the musical move- by HENRY JEBE, Post Office Box 240221, Douglas, AK 99824-0221 the gears; it would stop them from ments depending on how much time functioning until cleaned. Electrical you need to get your rig airborne. The Last spring I was in Seattle for about I sat awhile back in my room aboard cleaner and/or an artist’s brush Japanese movements are less than two months during the overhaul of ship and thought about what to do worked well for this. one third the cost of a dethermalizing the ship I work on. I was in a wood- with it. The simplest way to try it out SMOOTHER MOVER timer, though they are somewhat heavier. workers’ store running up my Master was to install it on an extra bracket on I believe I have found a better move- Charge bill and spotted some Swiss- an existing cradle. I drilled a small hole ment, though, in a Japanese unit made PREFORMED CRADLE PARTS made music box movements — the into one side of the winder key to ac- by Sankyo. They are better for several I should also mention my switching mechanics that make a box musical. cept a piece of wire, then ran the wire reasons. They are much cheaper at to plastic fishing-tackle boxes as a I got to thinking, “I wonder if these to a lever which tripped the shutter re- $6.95 each, even less when bought in source of material for fabrication of would have enough power (while un- lease four times per winding. It quantity. They also come screwed into my cradles. Cut into sections, this plas- winding) to push a camera's shutter worked like a charm! [below] their own little plastic box with a cover tic makes quite a light and strong cra- release?” If so, I reasoned that it would The musical movement takes about snapped on. There is a hole for the dle and is preshaped to a good fit for a probably be possible to use one to 45 seconds for each revolution of the winding stem into which I installed a camera. You have only to locate one take more than one photo on each winding stem when running and runs grommet thus making it difficult for close to the dimensions of your came- lofting and still keep my rig reasonably for about 41/2 revolutions. For disposa- sand to get in. I suspect the plastic box ra. Tackle boxes are a bit sturdier than light, uncomplicated and cheap. ble cameras or any camera that re- is intended to be used only for protec- Tupperware®, but are still very light. I went ahead and bought one (the quires manual winding of the film for tion while shipping, but for our purpos- [see Sources, p. 28, to find many of tune: “It's a Small World”), which cost each exposure you could probably use es, you can leave the movement in the items discussed in this article.] me about $15.00. the winding stem as a winch to pull a the box as it keeps out contaminants. • æ lever down onto the shutter release. The musical ability is disabled easily [For other ideas, see p. 5] This would by removing a part; all you really need shutter lever tilt mechanism provide plenty of time to get every- is the basic spring-wound motor as- thing into the air for the shot. sembly if music is not your forte. The There is enough power in the mech- movement may run just a bit longer anisms to do a bit of extra work. I too without the resistance of the made a rig that tilts up and down and reeds on the cylinder. shoots four photos as it completes this I believe that the musical move- cycle [opposite page]. I made a rota- ments may be a good way for new- tional rig using plastic gears from comers to KAP to try their wings with- Small Parts Inc. to which I have at- out too much financial outlay. For tached my video camera. I can also more experienced KAPers it could en- use my Ricoh Shotmaster and a micro- courage you to take more risky pho- switch to trip the shutter as the came- tos, if you don't have to worry so ra rotates, taking 8 shots per winding. much about losing your entire rig. I did find a drawback in the Swiss Musical movements can probably be movements, in that the gears are very bought in most good woodworking or clockmaking stores, or by mail. music box winder Musical rig #1, with waterproof camera 12 the aerial eye winter 1996 13 rigs from ’round the globe

MISSOURI, USA 800 mAh batteries control lever to the left will turn the Randy Bollinger’s Esprit Rig: gone full Past Options: Micro-video; Laser camera 135 degrees to the left, and like- circle and back to basics. [below] pointer; both sold. 4th servo for wise to the right. With a field of view of AB the Tamron 28mm lens of 75 degrees, Camera: Canon Esprit/Prima Mini format; removed to reduce weight for 800 mAh batteries. therefore, the camera can see a total of Frame: 3/4” x 1/8” soft alumi-

345 degrees and Wolfgang Bieckphotos num & .072 aircraft alu- you’ll have the guar- minum GERMANY antee to get aerial Servos: Airtronics: standard ser- Otto Böhnke’s RC-RC Rig (reported by photos without a vos for pan & tilt, micro Wolfgang Bieck) disturbing kite-line! servo for shutter RC-RC means Radio-Controlled Reflex- Batteries: Sanyo rechargeable 800 Camera rig. It was built for a Canon T-70 • æ mAh; 110 mAh optional with 28mm Tamron lens, and uses a Gears: Teflon & cast, 4:1.5 ratio. 200mm Picavet suspension. Total weight is 1690g. Suspension:: Picavet/pendulum com- bo, the best of both. Otto decided to reduce the func- Compression lock tions to a horizontal rotation of 270 mounted to 1/8" steel degrees with a constant down- pin. angle, usually 15 degrees. This an- Masami Nakajima photos Weight: 2 lb 1.5 oz ready-to go, gle may be changed manually prior to flight. JAPAN with camera, film, and All sensitive electronic compo- Masami Nakajima reports that he nents are protected against water primarily uses two interval-timer cra- by a U-channel aluminum plate, for dle systems, both with pendulum sus- example the electronic shutter- pensions. One has a Minolta SLR cam- relay, the on/off switch, or the shut- era [photo A, above] and one a Nikon ter connector. Mini camera [photo B]. He uses the The real interesting invention of SLR system about 95 percent of the Otto Böhnke is a model-servo trans- time. He also occasionally uses a ra- formation from the standard 90 de- dio-controlled system that rotates 90 grees to 270 degrees for horizontal degrees vertically and 360 degrees rotation, using an external potentio- horizontally (not shown), and a Lark- meter. This transformation makes control of the camera’s view-

Eye™ system that rotates 360 de- Randy Bollinger grees per minute while taking 16 pho- direction very easy. tographs per rotation, similar to the The neutral position of the trans- one shown in Murooka’s article on mitter’s control lever is equivalent page 4. to the wind direction. Turning the 14 the aerial eye winter 1996 15 aerial gallery

Far L: First Flight/Park, Lake Worth, Florida, by Dennis & Ruthie Lazar Canon Infinity Jr, Sutton FlowForm 16 L: Pillar Point Beach, Half Moon Bay, California, by Roy Latham Yashica T-4, Sutton FlowForm 16

Above: Halawa Valley, Hawaii by Carl Hanson Olympus Infinity Jr, 11' delta-Conyne Center L: Quadrangle, Pacific School of Religion Berkeley, California by Cris Benton Yashica T-4, Delta-Conyne L: Cafeteria Roof, Air & Space Museum Washington, DC by Craig Wilson Ricoh KR10-M, 18' delta R: Remains of Treadwell Mine Juneau, Alaska by Henry Jebe Ricoh AF-5, 14' delta-Conyne 16 the aerial eye winter 1996 17

To protect all against ground-shocks, make it easier to service or repair the wolfgang’s HOVER-rig I prepared three little aluminum hold- model-servos, I inserted white connec- by WOLFGANG BIECK ers for glass-fibre legs. tor plugs on the servos themselves or The well-balanced HOVER-Rig allows on the frame. The antenna was rolled HOVER means “horizontal” and “verti- carries also the R/C receiver, an elec- me to use my self-developed minia- into one of the glass-fibre legs. Short cal” in a double sense. My “HOVER-Rig” tronic relay in a plastic box, the battery ture Picavet suspension, with an alu- pieces of line attach the camera's fix- allows me to tilt the camera from hori- case (4 cells of 1100 mAh each) and a minum cross of 100mm x 100mm, cut ing-screw and the lens-cap to the zontal to vertical optical axis, and also strong model-servo fitted with a from 2.5mm stock with a fretwork frame. to rotate it from upright [portrait] to ob- matching plastic gear to rotate the saw. Four tiny model sailboat blocks, Whenever possible I used counter- long [landscape] format. camera from horizontal to vertical for- ball-bearing-equipped and with a maxi- sunk screws and screw taps. All alumi- This basic requirement of photogra- mat. mum permissible load of more than num pieces and the glass-fibre legs phy rules earth-grounded photography The electronic relay triggers the 60 kg each [see Sources, p. 28], were were grounded and coloured red. just as it does KAP. If there exists a phi- shutter of the camera. connected to the Picavet cross with The finished HOVER-Rig weighs 760g small eye-bolts. I used Dyneema [Spec- losophy for me to take photos it may To turn the inside-frame with came- without camera [1970g or 4.3 lbs ready tra] line of 60 kg breaking strength for be the following: “The motive [subject] ra together, it's very important to find to go]. To build it took 4 or 5 weeks. I the Picavet suspension. dictates the altitude of the camera and the axis-points, where the whole sys- hope to use it for 5 or 10 years. the film-format.” tem is very well-balanced! If this is All electric wires were attached to So I built the HOVER-Rig. guaranteed, there is no problem to tilt the frames with rapid adhesive. To • æ In a metal-scrap yard I found all the the heavy inside-frame with another aluminum I needed and paid 70 cents model-servo, mounted on an “outside- ball-bearing block per kilo. I selected a window channel frame”. of square profile to get a strong 90- The nearly last step was to find the degree camera holder. This camera- balance-point of the whole system on holder was attached by a 6mm steel the outside-frame. Here I mounted the axle to a 30mm plastic gear. I installed third model servo, modified for end- pan servo the axle with two 6 mm ball bearings, less horizontal rotation. camera outline fixed in a special aluminum block, which is mounted battery pack receiver on a U-channel alu- minum frame. This “inside- frame”, in addition to a Minolta X-300 + external winder + f1.8/35mm lens (to- tal weight 1210g), antenna lead shutter re- HOVER-rig in rotation axle to format ser- from upright to oblong tilt servo format 18 the aerial eye winter 1996 19

You can also use the trim control to They don't

steve’s camcorder rig set an automatic rotation speed. I put spin slowly 1. by STEVE EISENHAUER paint marks on the trim control to let while look- me know the auto-rotation settings, ing. My camcorder is an S-VHS-C model the method described in the KAPWA and to facilitate the return to neutral Occasion- equipped with a digital stabilizer. The News a few years ago by Pat Coombs. (locked) position. There is probably a ally, slowly way to adjust the neutral position of cradle weighs 16.7 oz (478 g) and the First remove the four screws that rotating the camcorder 36.7 oz (1042 g). A Futaba other transmitters, but you’ll have to camera can hold the servo together, remove the look into that yourself. r/c system has been altered to allow top of the housing, and cut out (or produce an pan rotation speeds from one revolu- grind off) the two internal stops inside One problem with this system is interesting tion per minute to a variety of faster the top [see Fig 1, opposite]. Do the that you must watch the camera to video im- speeds. The system also allows revers- same with the matching stop on the aim it. I prefer a system that allows age. But if ing the pan direction and stopping the gear that drives the output shaft. The using the kiteline direction as a refer- the camera servo stops rotation at any point in the 360-degree servo thus becomes a variable-speed ence; by adjusting the r/c controls I is rotated circle. Tilt orientation is manually ad- reversible motor. know which direction the camera is for more justed before each flight. pointing (pre-set aiming). With the than a min- Its power is increased and the speed stops removed from the pan servo, ute or so the result can be disconcert- Since the camcorder is heavier than reduced by installing a small gear (13 my 35mm camera and requires more you have no reference point to begin ing, and may even make you dizzy. tooth) on the output shaft and a large or end . Binoculars become power to smoothly rotate 360 degrees, gear (52 tooth) on the cradle's vertical • æ the pan servo was altered similar to necessary for high altitude aim- shaft [Fig. 2]. The servo's increased ing, and this can be cumber- power allows a tighter adjustment of some. 2. the pivot nut on the bolt connected to the pendulum arm or the Picavet Another potential problem is cross, and this provides a more stable the increased potential for the connection. rotating cradle to spin off a shaft locknut, if you use one, if Use of the correct model of Futaba it is rotated consistently coun- r/c transmitter is important. I use a Fu- ter-clockwise. Make sure your taba Attack 2-channel unit, designed locknut is in good condition, for land use but equipped with air fre- put locking fluid on the quencies. This gives me a throttle con- threads, or use a second lock- trol neutral switch [Fig. 3], which off- nut for safety under the primary nut. neutral offset sets the neutral position towards the bottom of the stroke. If I flick this off- This cradle system can be used for set switch down, I can stop rotation by both still and video cameras, although adjusting the trim control, and still it seems better suited for video came- have enough main lever control to ro- ras. The system allows you to dupli- tate in either direction. Then I can ro- cate the way people look at a land- tate the camera to any position in the scape: people fix their gaze for a while trim control 360-degree arc, and it locks in position then look in another direction that when I release the lever. catches their attention, then they may turn around and look behind them. 3. 20 the aerial eye winter 1996 21

extending battery life by RANDY BOLLINGER, 249 Gladys Avenue, Ferguson, MO 63135

The radio controls we use were not STEP 1 designed for AP use, but here’s a way a. Turn power switch off and re- to make them work better for us. move rear cover of control unit. Inside each radio control transmitter b. Remove batteries. unit, there are two gimbal controls c. Using a small pick or screwdriver, that are capable of moving in all direc- carefully remove the cam arm re- 1. tions. As they are moved, two poten- taining spring. (Fig. 1) tiometers per gimbal are turned, send- ing voltage to the transmitter. The STEP 2 signal is picked up by the receiver. The a. Lift cam arm up to hinge pin side. receiver transfers the same voltage to b. Using small needlenose pliers, the servos, and they move in unison grasp cam pins 1 (Fig. 2). Rotate pin with the gimbaled control arm. first to break free from press fit. While Each gimbal has two cam arms rest- rotating pin pull outward and remove. ing on two cam pins each, under Repeat with pin 2. spring tension. The problem is that STEP 3 each time the control arm is moved a. Cut a length of vinyl tubing large and then released, it returns to center. enough to cover the potentiometer This is fine for model airplanes to shaft (Fig. 3) and slit one side. 2. maintain a straight flight after a roll. But with a camera cradle, the load on b. Slide tubing in place. the servos is greater, and moving STEP 4 twice with each shot is not necessary. a. Flip the cam arm back over so it You’re only working your rig at half its rests on the tubing and reattach cam full potential. spring. The tubing will create a friction So what is needed is a gimbal con- between the shaft and the cam arm, 3. trol that will stay where we move it keeping the gimbal arm tight in its for panning and tilting. This will pro- movement. vide longer battery life and more pho- b. The amount of tension to the con- tos per charge. trol arm can be adjusted by the cam The following instructions are for an spring adjustment screw. Airtronics control unit, and are meant STEP 5 as a basic guide only, in that all radio a. Repeat steps 1 - 4 for second cam, controls are not the same. If you are same gimbal. not certain about your make of radio for converting to a non-return gimbal, b. Reinstall batteries and rear cover. consult with your hobby dealer. • æ 22 the aerial eye winter 1996 23

strikes one of the plastic pieces. In se- arthur’s australian autorotator ries with this switch is another micro- by ARTHUR COOMBS, 4 Mortimer Street, Heidelberg 2084, Victoria, AUSTRALIA switch MS2, again normally open. The shutter control servo motor I have recently carried out a modifi- arm is placed between MS2 and my cation to my camera rig which enables existing microswitch MS3, also nor- a set of photographs to be taken at 60- mally open, which is used for single- degree intervals as well as single pho- shot photographs. (See diagram 2.) tographs in any chosen direction. MODES OF OPERATION 2. Control is by a 2-channel radio- A. Single Shot. control unit. One channel operates a The position of the lever arm on the microswitch to activate the shutter of This opens MS2 and consequently no servo motor controlling the shutter is the FF9 Shotmaster Ricoh; the other more photographs ar taken even if ro- horizontal when the r/c trim is pushed channel is used to rotate the rig tation continues. completely down. Moving the r/c verti- through 360 degrees+, using a modi- cal control downward closes MS3 and The rate of rotation depends on how fied servo motor and a gear ratio of a is taken. far the horizontal trim is moved from 13:60. Diagram 1 shows general ar- 1. neutral. rangement. The rotational position is controlled by the horizontal r/c control with the Recently I exposed my first film us- The angle at which the camera is vals. The 38mm lens of the Shotmaster horizontal trim in a neutral position. ing this “automatic rotation” method. tilted is set by hand prior to launching. covers an angle of 62 degrees along This single shot mode has been used It was a sunny day with a rather the horizontal format of the 35mm The modification consisted of add- for a number of years. gusty wind and consequently the kite ing an index plate made of printed cir- . B. “Automatic” operation: the modifi- and camera moved around rather dra- cuit board material on which 6 plastic As the rig rotates beneath this sta- cation. matically. Hence the photos do not pieces are mounted along the circum- tionary plate a normally-open micro- join. The slow rotation speed resulted ference of a circle at 60-degree inter- switch MS1 is closed each time it The r/c vertical trim is pushed com- in sharper photographs [example be- pletely upwards. This closes the micro- low]. I look forward to a steady wind switch MS2 which is in series with situation. for better rig pix on the horizon MS1. (MS3 stays open.) • æ Photos of camera cradles are hard Two upcoming events are expected The r/c horizontal trim for us to reproduce well, because (a) to give special emphasis to KAP: is moved from the neu- cameras are essentially black on black, 10émes Rencontres des Cerfs- tral position causing the and (b) rigs are visually busy subjects, Volants rig to rotate. As each often shot against a busy background. March 30 - April 8,1996 plastic piece contacts When you photograph your rig, em- Berck-sur-Mer, France the microswitch MS1, ulate the techniques used by Masami info: Gérard Clément, Paris the camera will take a Nakajima (p. 12) and Wolfgang Bieck (+33) 1 44 68 01 86 photograph. (pp. 13, 16, & 17). Place your rig at least fax (+33) 1 44 68 03 86 After the required three feet from a plain, smooth, non- USAF Museum Kite Festival glossy, mid-toned background, and use number of photographs August 31 - September 1, 1996 have been taken, the r/c a light source which is not mounted on Dayton, Ohio the camera. vertical trim is pushed info: Steve Webber completely downwards. 24 the aerial eye winter 1996 25

aerialetters in the spring issue: KAP TARGETS OMNIRIG visual references have been marked What subjects are your favorites for aerial photography? Please find picture [below] which on the transmitter. What do you try to achieve? shows my latest rig featuring pan, tilt, The third function of the rig allows Why do you shoot what you shoot? landscape, portrait, shutter release removal of the camera’s carrying plat- What light & weather conditions and CCD camera on/off switch. form for quickly attaching to an alu- do you seek? Suspension of rig is by Picavet con- minium platform fixed to two carbon For what purposes are your structed of angle aluminium drilled for tube cross members of a double- images used? lightness, folding at centre section for Conyne kite, transmitting live TV pic- easy transport. Pulleys are taken from tures to a 12v 10" TV at ground base.… COPY DEADLINE curtain track cording set and seem to Thanks for a unique magazine. Hap- FEBRUARY 1, 1996 be very successful. py Shooting. RODNEY’S WOODEN WONDER II The CCD camera is fixed and aligned Rob Green There’s another “Wooden Wonder” directly beneath and centred with the Newbury, Berks., England in the skies over Northern California. My Rollei Prego has finally been cra- compact which rests WANTED above. I have experimented extensive- • æ dled, bailed, Picavet’d and hung from ly with the CCD the line with Leffler hangups™. The KAP of NATURAL TEXTURES transmitter aer- whole unit weighs just under 11 oz. We will pay $5 per usable original negative for vertical (i.e., straight ial and found a It’s a great little camera but I agree down) images of natural textures such as simple alumin- with Anne Rock, you sure miss the • grasslands, crops, soil types, various ium wire loop lack of effective control—you can use ground covers, riverbeds, marshes, to be the best. up a lot of film with very marginal re- and the like. A video sender sults. We are seeking a great variety of deals with the For the suspension pulleys on this material worldwide, including all climate signal transmis- rig, I turned a vee in 3/8” aluminum zones. We do need specific information sion built inte- and bent the strap from 1/4”-wide on the location, subject matter, and grally within brass. The axle is brass with the ends scale of each image. Contact us for further information, or the CCD came- peened over. They roll very freely, but see our Web page. ra body. I don’t notice a great deal of differ- The rig has a ence than with plain old screw eyes. CGSD CORPORATION multiple func- Rodney Thomsen 2483 Old Middlefield Way #140 tion in that by Eureka, California Mountain View, CA 94043-2330 shifting the C.G. with a balsa v: (415) 903-4920 fax: (415) wood block the 967-5252 system can be KAP ON THE WEB! email: [email protected] used without http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/~cris/kap/ web: http://www.cgsd.com the CCD, and 26 the aerial eye winter 1996 27 smithsonian magic the first-ever all-picavet KAP meeting by STEVE EISENHAUER by RALF BEUTNAGEL, Artussstrasse 9, 38112 Braunschweig, Germany

Picture this: You’re a Washington, Craig’s kite, that it is unnecessary. On the 23rd and 24th of September, or ball bearings, each cradle moved DC, tourist standing at a crosswalk be- With light winds I simply need more Ralf Beutnagel and Harald Prinzler had differently. Some fixed the line at “A”, tween the Smithsonian Air and Space tail: a drogue, longer and more numer- invited the German KAPers for a meet- some at “B”, and others did it in both Museum and the Capital. Next to you ous streamers, or a long tube. ing in Paderborn. From the 40 persons places. But a real discussion about the is a man with a spool of thick fishing Each participant of the Smithsoni- they know and have invited nearly 1/3 “right” way to do it there was not. line, with the line pointing into the air. an’s first Kite Aerial Photography arrived and had a lot of fun. Each said that his cradle worked very You look up and a huge kite with a Workshop probably came away with On the first day we visited the local well, better than the pendulum if used long tail appears about 500 feet up. different favorite memories. For some kite festival at the Ahornberg orga- before. You ask the man what he is doing. it was Craig’s slide show, for some it nized by the Paderborner Kitefliers On Sunday we had some wind but He says he is taking aerial photo- was Brooks’ workshop that produced Club. Because of the low wind speed of course no sun. We looked at photos graphs, then hurries off as the cross- a working camera rig, and for others it at 0.5 Beaufort we couldn’t get up our in the morning; then the kites were walk light turns green. was their first KAP flight and the resul- cradles on the kite lines. But we fixed launched and some cradles were put Brooks Leffler and Craig Wilson gave tant photographs. a line between two tent-poles and on the lines. Multi-Flare, Sanjo Rokka- a kite aerial photography workshop at For me, it was a fantastic kite drift- hung the rigs on it. ku, Sutton FlowForm, Parasled and Do- the Smithsonian Museum on October ing in the light wind, and a kiteflier None of us has seen more cradles pero were the kites used for lifting. 23. The morning slide show of Craig’s maneuvering skilfully around the ur- side-by-side before: 12 cradles on a Ralf Beutnagel used his aerial rope rail- photographs and the discussion period ban streets of Washington, DC; and the 10m line and some others in the back way system to get up his rig. were both fascinating and informative. realization that this kiteflier really was of the cars. In the late afternoon we finished the And in the afternoon workshop each taking aerial photographs from per- The most important thing is: there meeting and said goodbye until next participant produced a Picavet- spectives probably never seen before. was not one pendulum at the meet- year. • æ suspended cradle with a disposable • æ ing, but all camera ready for flight. But it was Craig Wilson kinds of Pi- Craig’s afternoon demonstration, and at the National Air & Space Museum cavet-style the success of the participants’ first cradles! Sor- flights, that impressed me the most. ry, but the I’ve met Craig once before , but I had better is the never seen the flight of his 18-foot del- enemy of ta kite with 100-foot tube tail. This the good. handbuilt lifting machine has made The Pica- me rethink my own style. Not only is vet-style cra- it a beautiful sight in the sky, but the dles them- long tail and the kite’s construction PHIL SALISBURYPHOTO selves were produce a predictable flight perfect for as different kite aerial photography. as could be. I occasionally have problems with Fitted with overflight of my delta-Conyne kites in hooks, eye- light winds. I now realize, after seeing lets, rollers,