AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2017 - 81

FLYING WITH TINY CAMERAS ATTACHED

to airplanes is so common that videos are
becoming the modern equivalent of pilot
logbooks. They record when and where we
fly, what the weather is like, and who is with
us-and they're a visual and immediate way
to share our aviation experiences.
But pilots who attach cameras to the
outside of their airplanes risk running afoul
of the FAA's "careless or reckless" catchall
if cameras ever fall off. A 2014 FAA memo
said the agency regarded "temporary"
camera attachments as beyond the regulatory purview of FAR Part 43-but "the use
of these type of attachments...are not supported by the FAA, and may (in the case of an
in-flight detachment) lead to 'careless operations.'" The regulatory catchall (FAR 91.13
and 91.15) bars pilots from operating an aircraft "in a careless or reckless manner so as
to endanger the life or property of another"
or allowing "any object" to be dropped that
"creates a hazard to persons or property,"
and a falling camera fits that description.
More recently, the FAA said in a 2016
issue of its Safety Briefing publication that
type-certificated aircraft owners and pilots
need "FAA approval on a case-by-case basis"
to attach external cameras.
"For mounts that strap on or secure with
a common screw, a minor alteration is typically approved," the FAA said, "and an entry
in the aircraft logbook is made by a qualified
maintainer."
NFlight founder Patrick Carter tells customers that an A&P mechanic must make an
entry in the airframe logbook of any typecertificated aircraft and return it to service
after an external camera mount has been

installed. Experimental aircraft get more
leeway when it comes to external camera
mounts than FAA type-certificated ones, but
not a blank check. The builder of a kit airplane, for example, can test a camera mount
on his aircraft, make a logbook entry proclaiming that it causes no adverse flying
characteristics, and use it as he or she sees
fit. If the camera falls off, however, the pilot/
builder is responsible.
Ryan Mohr, an A&P mechanic with
inspection authorization, pilot, and designer
of the FlightFlix line of aerial camera
attachments, has hired an FAA-designated
engineering representative (DER) to examine
the camera mounts his company produces
and supply engineering data that A&Ps and
IAs can use to obtain Part 337 field approvals.
That paperwork sells for $350 and allows the
camera mounts to become approved parts of
the aircraft they're attached to.
FlightFlix mounts are made from aviation-grade materials but aren't FAA/PMA
parts. The company is pursuing a broad supplemental type certificate (STC) that will
allow its camera mounts to be installed in
many kinds of aircraft-but the STC is not
yet complete.
Mohr says pilots should take a commonsense approach to flying with cameras-and
avoid sticky mounts and suction cups. One
thing that the FAA, Carter, and Mohr agree
on: Suction cups and sticky mounts are
unreliable and frequently fail.
"Suction cups and sticky mounts have
a terrible record for falling off in flight," he
said. "They're not up to the job."
AOPA
EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

COMMON-SENSE TIPS FOR ACTION CAMERAS
* Plastic camera housings get brittle, especially in cold temperatures,
and break. Consider using metal camera housings that better tolerate
temperature changes, pressure, and vibration.
* Don't attach cameras to aircraft control surfaces.
* Think about where the camera might go if it departs in flight, and
place it so that it won't jam controls, damage the airframe, or strike a
propeller.
* Choose a route that avoids overflying sensitive areas.
* Cameras can be used inside the cockpit as long as pilots take
precautions to prevent them from blocking views, interfering with the
flight controls, or becoming distractions.
-DMH
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2017
