What's new?

So what's new?

The new channel is up - and we've already achieved 55 subscribtons! Thank You!

Currently, I'm very busy - sitting in ATPL(CPL) class all day and learning in the nights. Also my Flight Instructor Training is soon to be completed, so there isn't much free time left.

There are two video projects I'm currently working on.
One is the mentioned formation shoot with the "Guepard" (CE.43), the other is a new movie about nightflying!

Since I started flying at night, I was always fascinated with that kind of flying. Long before I learned to value the long hours after sunset and what a beauty it is, to fly up there in the sky and see the whole world lit beneath you!
If you've ever sat in a plane at night and maybe also read "Nightflight" by Saint-Exupéry, you will understand what I'm talking about. The night is a magic time - and flying through the darkness is something special. Everything is shrouded in darkness, what was clearly visible at daylight just vanishes into darkness, consumed by the night. Yet there is so much to discover - just watching the star filled sky from above all the haze is amazing. You feel strangely comfortable behind the steering wheel, behind the dim lit insturments and sorrounded by the humming of the engine.

I could go on and on and write about night flying, but there's a video in developement, just trying to express this feeling to you. I won't give any release dates, but stay tuned. First I think, will be the Guepard-Video though. This is now in production for a month, and there might be a Trailer soon!

Today I enjoyed some fun time in the air, with a few fellow pilots! Practicing an ILS Approach into Dortmund, we took alot of Photos and Videos. Some which I might publish on my "Off-Topic" Channel (blub77) or use otherwise. Below just three photos from today!

The PA28 "Dakota" sitting on the tarmac after the flight - the spring sun iluminating the fuselage

Tim, behind the camera, filming the ILS Approach RWY24 into Dortmund (EDLW), while the GoPro HD Hero 2 above is constantly recording everything on the aircraft. Tim is responsible for a lot of shots in my films.

Snapshot from the GoPro Movie - preparing for the ILS Approach. Charts are already laid out on my kneeboard, while I'm (left) just adjusting the mixture of the engine

Hunting the Guepard

As promised, here's a first peak on my upcoming film.

A friend owning a very rare plane, asked me if I could do a film about it and I agreed. He inharited the aircraft from his father and it's really rare - only 43 were built.
Originially it was designed as an IFR-Trainer for the french air force and later came to see civil use.

The Cerva/Wasmer CE.43 Guépard! If you want to read more about it, check Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerva_CE.43_Gu%C3%A9pard

The photoshooting itself was really fun. After we agreed upon a date, we had to see if the weather would hold up. Weather for an air to air shooting is difficult to get. You want it to be sunny, but not too cloudy, but the the air also has to be smooth. That's something rare! But we were lucky. The sun was already lower on the horizon and a few clouds were moving it, yet visibility was clear and the air relatively smooth.

We arrived at the airport with all our cameras + some that we borrowed from a friend. In total we were equipped with three GoPro's, two DSLRs and one Camcorder. Not really professionell equipment, but it's not only the equipment that counts!

While I was checking for good angles and small details, Tim was cleaning the airplanes spinner, to make it really shiny!

Tim is cleaning the spinner for perfect reflection

Scouting for small details, here's a view of the retractable landing gear, viewed over the horizontal stabilizer

While Tim was doing some additional filming and some basic ground shots, I discussed with the Pilot the upcoming formation flight. Flying in close formation isn't really easy and requires alot of concentration as well as coordination. You have to clearly define rules, what to do if... Also you are in permanent contact over the radio. 

After we agreed upon a routing and basic manouvers, we set up our cameras. One GoPro was attacthed to the bottom fuselage of the Guepard, giving a view of the the landing gear! This prooved to be an extremly awesome perspective!

Fixing the GoPro under the fuselage - duct-tape and zip-ties come in very handy!

After all ground preperations had been done, it was time to start up for the flight. While Tim took some camera angles of the Guepard taxiing, I prepared our Cessna C172 for the flight. Started up the engine and warmed up the motor. I would pick up Tim on a taxiway - after all he was my camera-man and reserve pilot on this flight...

To be continued...

Launch of "Johann Aviation Media"

Today is the day! My new channel "Johann Aviation Media" is up!

Formerly I was known on YouTube as "blub77" (www.youtube.com/user/blub77) and this channel will be kept online. But from now on it will be used not for Aviation Videos but for more general videos, videos regarding flight simming and behind the scenes videos!

About this blog? Well this will be also a "Behind the Scenes" Blog, which will give you some more background Information on how some videos come to be!

For example, I'm currently working on a video covering an air to air shooting with the rare CE.43 Guepard. But more on this soon!

For all my german viewers, I will also post some german posts - so you will read some german from time to time!