A Guide to Go Pro Cockpit Accessories: 3 Essential Accessories For Improving User Experience

Cameras have become ubiquitous all around us. Whether they’re phone cameras, digital cameras, security cameras or dash cameras, their use can vary based on application – from capturing good moments and fun times to security monitoring. For pilots, though, it’s a bit of both. Having a video or capturing breathtaking landscapes or clouds can make for memorable photos, or background pictures. No matter whether it’s your first time in the sky alone, or you’re landing in your favourite spot with your spouse, there are many reasons why you should bring a camera on your flight.

The easiest and most affordable method is using the video camera of your phone. While that’s a convenient option for recording short videos of unique cloud formation, it’s not very practical for use in cockpits for a number of reasons:

• Requires extra attention, causing distractions to hold, frame the shop, and start and stop the video.
• Video files on your phone take a lot of storage space, which can be a premium for many mobile users.
• Stabilisation and quality on phones are inferior compared to that of action cameras.

And this is where Go Pro comes in. While there are other options such as DJI, Garmin and Sony, Go Pro has been at the forefront of action cameras since 2002. As a result, you can get countless Go Pro accessories that make the use of their action cameras even more convenient in the cockpit. The first few Go Pro models became widely accepted by adrenaline junkies and sport enthusiasts alike, as they were easy to use, making recording easy even in the most extreme situations.

The latest Go Pro cameras, such as the HERO 10 and 11 come with all the latest video recording technology, including 5.3K60 + 4K120 Resolution Video, 5.3K60 + 4K120 Resolution Video, Cold-Weather Enduro Battery, Waterproof (33 ft), 8×7 image sensors and Automatic Highlight Videos. Of course, Go Pro cameras and Go Pro accessories come at a higher price when compared to DJI, Garmin and Sony, but that’s to be expected. If you already have a Go Pro, though, and are just looking at cockpit accessories, here are some of the key products to consider.

Another Battery

Go Pro cameras come with a battery right out of the box. It takes about two hours to change them up, whereas you can get up to 1:30 hours of recording time from it. For most, this is more than enough, but for others, it’s far from enough. If you fall in the latter group, consider getting another battery. This way, while one battery charges, you can use the other and get continuous recordings of your flights. Alternatively, you can plug the camera into a port in the plane’s panel, just make sure your cable is long enough to reach where your camera is mounted. Or, you can bring along a USB battery pack.

MicroSD

The Go Pro 11 doesn’t come with a MicroSD card, but the accessories bundle you can get with it features a 32GB SD. Like all memory and storage, the price of Go Pro MicroSD cards is quite affordable, so this isn’t a considerable expense. You can either use a MicroSD, MicroSDHCTM or MicroSDXTCM, with a Class 10 or higher UHS-I Rating. While the 32GB SD card with the accessories bundle is great, you should consider a MicroSD card with at least 128GB, so you can have at least 4 hours of recording at 4k resolution.

Mounts

The ideal camera mount will be one that fits your specific needs. Ask yourself – what do you want to capture? Most beginners want to get footage of the view before them, out the side window or behind them. Luckily, all three angles can be captured with a function cup mount. While Go Pro has its own suction cup mounts, there are models that offer more flexibility and security. There are also RAM mounts, which incorporate dual ball joints, allowing you to rotate the camera and aim it in any direction you want.

If your plane has exposed support structures, you can use a clamp-style mount. Clamp-mounts are also useful in larger planes that have storm glare shields. As you become more experienced in using the camera inside the cockpit, you can also get external mounts to get dynamic shots of the exterior of the plane. There are countless variables available, such as external mounts with ball joints, strut mounts, tie-down mounts and adhesive mounts.

Conclusion

All of the aforementioned accessories come with the Go Pro accessories kit that’s available when purchasing a Go Pro camera. However, for cockpit use, those accessories might not be the best-suited ones, and you may want to look for Go Pro accessories that are specifically designed for aviation use. They won’t break your bank, yet they’ll significantly improve your experience using the action camera.