My RX8 is silver.
Great ideas Doug. I don't think I can get this together for Seven
Stock but next year at OSH and SnF and of course Tracy's flyin.
Dave Leonard are you up for it? All we need is a video camera. I
don't think mine is still working. We need you over here as a
director Doug. We can send a copy to Mazda Japan if not Mazda USA. I
think they would get a big kick out of it.
I know.... El Mirage dry lake during the week is almost deserted.
What about it Dave? I'll have to drive out and check it out to see
if it is still as I remembered.
Paul Lamar
Ok Paul
Early November. If Dave doesn't have a camera I can borrow one from
over here. Surely someone must have a camera in this country.
Doug in Japan
Well I am looking into it. I am not sure my new laptop computer can take
video in from our old 8mm camera and burn a DVD. I think it can. The
other possibility is to rent a DVD camera as we rarely shoot video.
Robin and I are thinking of driving out to inspect the surface of El
Mirage's suitability for landing an RV6. If we do Robin's still camera
can shoot short video clips so we can do that and upload that here so
Dave can see the surface in case he needs to land. El Mirage airport
itself has been bought by General Atomics Aviation Division and used for
testing the Predator.
That could also be used as an emergency landing field particularly if I
warn the rotor head Predator project engineer Jeff Spitzer that we will
be
in the area shooting a ground air commercial:)
Paul Lamar
Jeff Spitzer wrote:
Paul,
If you are serious about arranging for Elmo as an emergency field you
should contact Gary Bender the airport manager.
Hope all is well with you and your projects.
Nothing new to report on this end.
Jeff Spitzer
Manager of Mechanical and Powerplant Engineering
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.
Thanks Jeff. We are serious. Just planning contingencies.
Will contact Gary with dates and times when we get set up.
Paul Lamar
Paul - I could loan you a digital video camera (tape not DVD)
if the timing does not conflict with a cruise etc - Vance
Thanks Vance I will take you up on that offer. You want to ride out with
us and help? We could meet.. say in Valencia.
Paul Lamar
Paul I thought of a better visual effect. Same slogan. Since your car is
not black then it would work better. For safety sake the film could be done
at slow speed with several takes and then combined.
I hope we can land at Mirage Lake, it is usually possible I hear if it
hadn't rain recently. I can land the Cessna there first to make sure it is
OK. If not an airport. If neither then we stay with the original plan and
just have a low pass over your car.
But if we can do this on the lake late or early in the day it should look
spectacular. Imagine with the camera angle low and the airplane directly
behind the RX-8, the car will look like it has wings and a tail. This is the
still shot. The edited film image will look like the plane emerges from the
car as it takes off. There are several ways to do this safely. First film
it at a slow taxi speed with the car at least 20 ft in front of the plane.
Second take is the plane only taking off 100 feet in front of the camera
and accelerating into a shallow climbing turn towards the sun. The take off
run is much more than needed and can be can be well down the runway so Dave
has more than enough time to reach rotation speed. We note the takeoff place
and mark it. The third take is Paul's car driven by a gorgeous blon ... Ok
OK ...with Paul driving it and accelerating when reaching Daves' takeoff
location.
The camera never moves and if the auto path and the plane path don't vary a
lot we should be able to get enough footage in several runs to edit them
together. The digital camera will make it easy as we can do it frame by
frame if we need to. I have friends in Japan that can do this on their
Mac. Might find someone in USA that could do it easier though. Two cameras
will make it easier. The second one facing the other direction shooting the
plane turning off into the sun as Paul goes straight. I'll bring a camera as
well but it would be nice to get some film school students to do it as a
class project.
I should be available no later than Monday Nov.7th. Possibly earlier if I
don't hit bad weather.
Doug in Japan
OK Robin and I are planning a trip out there on Friday. We will take some pictures
of the surface condition.
Paul Lamar
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