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GoPro in cowl ?

bret

bret

Well Known Member
Anyone do this, looking for a live wireless video feed of the rear of the engine, (where a fire might start) during first flights to monitor via I pad Wi-Fi live feed. might give a min or two warning just incase an oil or fuel leak during those first few flights? I have seen where folks will put a heat sensor in the engine area for the same reason. Engine quits, no problem, glider practice, but a fire? Yikes!
 
My guess is the difference in time between seeing a fire on camera versus noticing smoke coming out of the cowl will not make a bit of difference in the outcome if you do have something catch fire.

I also doubt that the GoPro would be able to withstand the amount of heat in there...

My $0.02, your mileage may vary
 
Go Pro

Bret,

Go Pro video quality is outstanding and I have been using them for a while. There are two major drawbacks to using the WIFI which I will highlight below. I have tried on multiple ocassions with different cameras in different locations with the same results.

- If I use WIFI to control the camera it starts off great but somewhere along the way my Go Pros always freeze up. I'm not sure what causes it but I suspect it has something to do with radio calls (in or out), the transponder, engine ignition or some other electronic interference. I'm also using Bluetooth between the GDL-39 3D and the Garmin Aera 660 GPS (which works great by the way). I've tried using an Iphone and an IPAD Mini to control the WIFI with the same results. What does work is NOT using WIFI and just hit the record button manually and then strap in and go. This has always worked fine.

- I have the extended battery pack on the back of the camera and if using the WIFI (when it works right) it will eat battery power and typically will not last more than about 30-45 mins.

- If I do not use WIFI and record manually by hitting the record button it will last for the whole flight. I have the audio from the intercom and it does record excellent video and audio when everything is working. In the -4 I have to start the recording then strap in and fly but I just edit the video in Go Pro Studio and it comes out pretty well.

Anyone having similar results?
 
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As already mentioned, I have found the GoPro cameras to be unstable and unreliable using the Wifi control/video monitoring, and limited battery life.
 
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I would think you would need some light in there as well. Starts to get complicated, and I think you will have plenty of other things to do on your first few flights without needing to look at a video feed. A few ground runs should have you fairly confident that you are leak free. Now, figure out a way to mount a forward-facing camera, flush with the cowl, and that would be cool!

Chris
 
If it were mounted just aft of the spinner looking aft at the top of the engine, it would show whether the baffle strips were sealing.

Dave
 
I installed a temperature probe from GRT to sense cowl outlet air temp. This was connected to a spare temp port on the EIS and set the alarm to the max available value (not sure maybe 500 degrees). The air temp never gets above 180 or so. If it hits 500, it will alarm and I will assume I have an engine fire and take appropriate action.

Bevan
 
Monitoring the rear of the engine for a fire seems like it would be a distraction from all the other things that need to be monitored during a first flight and would provide little, if any, advance warning.

Consider that transport category aircraft do not use video monitoring for fire events but rather sensors that detect a fire and alert the pilot in such a case. To that end, perhaps a thermocouple or other sensor wired into the EMS/EICAS would be a simpler, less distracting, and less intrusive system - plus one that could be left installed for the duration of phase I/II.
 
Incidentally, simplest fire sensor is two insulated wires wrapped together. Fire burns insulation, wires touch, closes circuit, trips buzzer and light.
 
Make sure that particular insulation does melt or something though. If all it does is char and remain physically intact, this probably won't work.

Dave
 
Mono

Not sure if it would work. But at a previous factory we used mono fishing line as a fire detector. It was connected to a spring loaded switch. The line normally was under tension and kept the switch open. When there was fire the mono melted releasing the switch.
 
Temp probe

I'd definitely be leaning toward the use of temperature probes rather than a camera. If you have a probe with an alarm limit through an EFIS or similar, then you can get a notification that something is wrong. Guaranteed you'll be looking at something rather than the camera vision at the time it all goes balls up. The only time I would use a camera for monitoring component temperature/fire would be a IR type camera with integrated alarm software to provide hot spot notification. The GoPro is far better spent as a taxi camera or some other application. My 2c.
Tom.
 
So here's what you do. You build a little cage inside the cowling and wire it with a microphone that feeds into your intercom. Place a canary in the cage and, voila! When the canary stops singing...

Some threads just have no ending. :eek:
 
ronschreck said:
So here's what you do. You build a little cage inside the cowling and wire it with a microphone that feeds into your intercom. Place a canary in the cage and, voila! When the canary stops singing...

Some threads just have no ending. :eek:
Click to expand...

That funny, this early in the morning.
 
Actually thought about that, I jumped out of the boat going approach speed.......once. jettison the canopy and skip in.:D
 
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