Aerial Photography

There has often been a strong desire for me to take photos from the air.  From tall buildings, towers, mountains, model airplanes, kites, or anythinig offering a unique perspective. Model rockets have been used to do this for years, and recently I finally had the means to try this for myself.

I found a mini HD video camera and recorder about the size of a lighter, weighing only 47 grams (less than 2 ounces).  I quickly selected a rocket to use as a booster and built a special payload section to carry one.

Let me introduce the Bandit HD.  I built this rocket back in 1976 or '77, and more recently upgraded the motor mount to carry it much further up or to lift heavier payloads. It was the perfect choice, since it was originally designed to carry a payload.

Where almost every photo taken from a rocket looks down or back at the ground while the rocket is going up, I wanted to see the horizon.  You may notice the silver band at the top of the rocket with a small square dark window. This is the window where the camera looks out, not down at the ground but out at the horizon where the sky and ground meet.  The window was made from the glass of a good pair of sunglasses, it is mirrored and protects the camera from the UV light of the sun.

Here is a closer view of the payload section. This section is from the checkers to the line above the '3'.
Inside this tube slightly larger than 1 inch, sits the video camera and an altimeter with a accelerometer. This records the peak altitude of the flight (apogee), as well as the speed and acceleration of the rocket.  The altitude is sensed by measuring the air pressure from the four tiny little vent holes just below the red labels surrounding the tube.

Here you see the altimeter on the left and the camera on the right. The lens is the hole on the lower part of the camera.  I built a lightweight cardboard and plastic foam structure to hold the two devices in place inside the tube and to help protect them from the violent (but controlled)  forces of the flight.

Here the camera and the altimeter are loaded into the frame. Behind that is the unpainted body tube.  Although the camera is only about 2 ounces, on liftoff the acceleration of the rocket peaks at 12 to 14 Gs, or about 12 to 14 times the normal force of gravity.  This makes the camera appear to weigh about 1-1/2 pounds on the cardboard structure.  So although it appears rather flimsy, it was specially shaped and reinforced with CA glue to hold the camera weighing that much. If it were to colapse on liftoff, instead of looking through the window it would be looking at a dark cardboard tube - not what I had in mind!
The structure was created with a cut for a matching "key" strip of balsa glued to the inside of the payload tube. This prevents the whole assembly from spinning or twisting around inside the tube and keeps the camera lens pointed out the window. The structure also had vents for the altimeter so that the outside air pressure would reach the sensor.


I made several modifications to the recovery system to accommodate this payload.  The most important change was to ensure the safe return of the rather expensive payload.  I used three small 9-inch parachutes instead of one larger 18-to21-inch parachute, so if one or even two failed to open, the hope is that the third will bring it back safely and within sight.

Another change I made to the recovery system is to equip the booster part of the rocket with its own separate parachute.  Normally a rocket only uses one parachute, and the nosecone and/or payload is attached to the rest of the rocket with a cord.  This "shock cord" is usually made of rubber or elastic to absorb the energy of the rapid pyrotechnic ejection of the parachute.  Unfortunately it often leads to the rocket parts snapping back into each other and generally causes cosmetic damage.  I didn't want that to happen to this delicate payload so I did not use a shock cord and when the two parts separate at apogee they separate for good.  A positive of this method is that I can then hope to capture a photograph of the booster recovering on its parachute from the perspective of the camera high above the ground.  The cons of the idea is the added weight of multiple parachutes, the risk of the chutes tangling together, and the need to now track two separate objects falling from the skies, likely landing at different times and places.

While I indeed did capture the picture I hoped for of a rocket in the air, I also had many problems with this recovery method.  On the first flight, a design oversight lead to the destruction of the booster rocket, and on the third and fourth flight I had entangled parachutes and had three parachutes stuck in the booster and therefore did not open.  The designed-in redundancy and sheer luck saved my butt several times.

As seen from the ground, in this particular flight the three payload parachutes and the larger booster parachute tangled when they were released, causing both the booster and payload to return as a single unit. The important thing is that it did return!



On my first test flight, I logically packed the booster parachute and then the three payload parachutes on top. When they ejected, the booster chute pushed out the three payload chutes and the camera returned safely to the ground. The booster parachute never left the body tube though, having nothing to help pull it out of the tube.  Normally the single parachute is attached to the payload or nosecone, so its momentum pulls the chute out with it.  In my flight, the booster rapidly pointed towards the ground and came down like a lawn-dart, damaging the top inch or two of the booster rocket.

After that I learned to pack the payload parachutes in first, so when they are pulled out they also pull out the booster parachute which was packed above them.  Worked great for the second flight!  On the third flight, as seen above, the two parachute systems twisted and tangled together, causing the camera to descend with much more turbulence, which therefore caused many blurred pictures from the shaking.

On the fourth flight, the payload parachutes got stuck in the tube, but fortunately they stuck high enough to push the large booster parachute into the air to unfurl. By a chance of luck, the cord from the payload to the three parachutes stuck in the body tube kept the two halfs attached.  The 18-inch booster parachute opened well, so both sections came down safely with just the one parachute.  For my next design, I think I will pack the booster parachute in a sleeve attached to the payload with a very long cord. As the payload is ejected the sleeve will pull the booster parachute from the tube when the camera and its 'chutes are well beyond the reach of the payload parachute.

A design oversight: The booster parachute never left the body tube, resulting in the damage to the tube when it impacted the ground at high speed.

Above, the Bandit HD at liftoff on its third test flight. Right about now with the motor producing about 7 or 8 pounds of thrust, it is experiencing the highest G forces of the flight at 12 Gs.  For aerodynamic reasons it needs to be going 20 to 30 mph within the first three feet or it may not travel straight up at all. Worst case it will drive itself into the ground if liftoff is too slow.

Above, the Bandit HD is seen on its first ever video flight.  With the camera taking 30 pictures each second, it is accelerating to well over 100 mph within the first two seconds.

OK, enough teasing. It's time to show you some of my aerial photographs. But first let me state that I haven't been able to launch on a clear day yet, so the skies are somewhat hazy. I also need to work out a way to reduce camera shake some more for less blur, and I need use a clearer lens window on my new rocket being built now.

Halifax, PA

Taken a fraction of a second after liftoff, we are looking down at the guy who pressed the launch button. We'll call him Larry.

This picture shows the booster nearby, 700 feet above the Sesquahanna River, with its parachute beginning to unfurl.

Moments later, the parachute is fully deployed, and the booster is returning safely to earth at about 10 mph.

We are looking at the skies and the mountians of central Pennsylvania to the west of Halifax, PA.

This view shows the Sesquahanna River upstream, looking north. There are many islands in the river in this area.

A look back at the "flight line". This is the row of cars belonging to spectators and club members launching rockets today.  The little green thing is a port-a-potty, a critical item to any launch facility.

Another view of the sky from 700 feet. Looking south-east over central PA.

A nicer view of the Sesquahanna River flowing through the mountians of central PA. The lower right corner of the picture is the edge of the flying field.  If my rocket lands anywhere beyond the field, it will be caught 50 - 100 feet up in the trees with no means of recovery, essentially a total loss.  In this way rocketry is much like gambling.  There is an art to flying and getting rockets to return safely.

Now down to about 150 - 200 feet, a view of the river just visible above the tree line. Looks like we are going to land safely in the field today!

Looking south and downstream of the Sesquahanna River. The town of Halifax is on the left.  Beyond the hills and lost in the haze in the distance is the state capitol of Harrisburg, PA.  Much like the politicians who frequent there.

Another view looking south to the western half of the town of Halifax and the Sesquahanna River downstream.

Looking south to Halifax, PA.  This view shows the more eastern part of town.

A view to the north and the rural landscape of central PA.

Fort Indiantown Gap, PA

Looking north from Fort Indiantown Gap, PA.  This - I believe - is the gap in the mountains that gave the town its name.  Beyond the hills is the US Army artillery range and beyond that are PA state game lands.  I have spent many winters snowmobiling around these hills.

Looking down at State Memorial Lake.  The boat launch aera where my family and I went sailboating as a kid is at the top center. The dam is to the right, just beyond the frame.

Another view looking east at State Memorial Lake. In the distance is the US Army Training Base.  If you look carefully, you may see the runway at the Muir AAF airport.  The damn lake -er- the lake's dam is on the right.

One of the first photographs taken at apogee just after release of the camera payload on its parachutes.  This object in the sky is clearly nearby, but it does not at all look like the Bandit HD booster rocket (see earlier pictures for comparison).  I can not identify it, yet it was in the same airspace flying there at 800 feet above ground. Conclusion: It must be a UFO.  I think aliens were checking out what I was up to this day.  Creepy.

Looking east from about 800 feet above.  Part of interstate 81 can be seen in this picture where it intersects route 934.

After descending to about 200-300 feet, this is the view looking south-east above Harrison School Rd.  The town of Annville is far off in the distance, lost in the haze.

A view looking south. Bummer the weather was so hazy today. There is some purdy rural countryside we can't see here.  Interstate 81 is in the foreground, almost hidden behind the row of trees.

Here we look to the southwest from the launch site at training aera A1 at Fort Indiantown Gap. The interstate can be seen crossing about mid-picture.  Far in the distance, the next town is about 9 miles away: Hershey PA.  Almost directly beyond that at about 20 miles distant is the town of Middletown and the infamous Three-Mile Island Nuclear Reactor.  Both should be easy to spot on a crystal-clear day.

Handling a camera all day, it is inevidable that it will turn on me and take a picture of myself. As I retrieved the rocket and before I could shut off the camera, it happened. Here you can see the business end of the Bandit HD reflected in my sunglasses.  If I would have known I would be on the world-wide interwebs, I would have fixed my hair and shaved this morning!

...thus ends the Bandit II era.

Prepare yourself now for the C-Thru era...

A year later, my new camera carrier rocket is ready.  I present to you the C-Thru from New Way Rocketry.

This payload section is made of clear plastic, but for the camera lens to look through I cut that out and used a piece of optical-quality glass, in hopes that it will give sharper pictures.

This closer view of the payload section shows the altimeter below,
and the camera above, facing the other way.

The picture above shows the C-Thru accelerating away on its first camera flight using the D12-3 motor.  Yes, it is flying into some pretty ugly weather for photography, but any pictures are better than no pictures.



And here are some photographs from this first flight.

At the very instant of ignition, the rocket started moving up.

Here is a view of some of the spectators and the launch officer pushing the button (in red).

A fraction of a second and a dozen feet or so after liftoff, the rocket turns toward the left.

I am standing there in front of the silver truck, taking photographs of the flight.

(Go back two photos to see this moment.)

Now a few hundred feet up and at about the time of motor burnout,

it doesn't look so bad up here. We still have a long way up to go - we are moving at 101 mph!

Also about the time of motor burnout at a few hundred feet up,

the view of Memorial Lake is easy to see, although the distant horizon is lost in the haze.

Two seconds later and about 150 feet higher, the view of Memorial Lake is not quite as clear.

We are through with coasting, and are about to experience a major jolt as the parachute ejects.

Just after ejection, we can look down and see the cloud of wadding debris and

dog barf still hanging in the air.  For you environmentally concious folk,

the wadding and dog barf is made from wood pulp and is entirely bio-degradeable.

It won't even last through the next rainstorm (which occurred later that day).

Sorry this is a bit blurry,

but this was taken before the rocket settled down from the ejection.

It shows the view looking straight down.

The faint diamond/square area in the upper right of the picture are

the flags surrounding the launch pad area where this flight originated from.

Just a bit further in the corner you can see some of the leftover

cloud of smoke from the rocket exhaust.

Next to that the square blue tent of launch control can be seen.

My SUV is the third one from the bottom.

Stay tuned for more, I hope to get some clearer photos, as soon as I can get flying on a nice, sunny and clear day...

Finally a clear day! Sure it was windy but I'll take it! The wind sent the C-Thru on a curve and it didn't reach very high altitudes, but I have a few very clear horizon pictures at least. Here she is rocketing towards the sky over FIG.

Let's take a look at Fort Indiantown Gap again in clearer weather.

That's me standing by the stone path shooting the C-Thru with my Camrifle as she shoots back at me just after liftoff. Far behind me you can see my Launch Area Technical Support Truck and Rocket Rack.

The "emergency" landing field is in the foreground, State Memorial Lake in the center right, and the army air base further behind. You can even see the mountain ridge in the far distance!

Looking down to the Southeast at the generous landing field where the rockets, and in fact this rocket landed just a short time earlier.

 Still looking Southeast, a little further towards the horizon. Pennsylvania's rolling hills and farmlands as far as the eye can see.  This is Lebanon county, beyond that is Lancaster county, and beyond that - represented by a single pixel - is Chester county - where I live.  A bit of interstate 81 can be seen in the far left horizon.

 Looking Northwest along route 443. Not much going on there.

Heading back down again. The launch tent and equipment trailer is seen top center.  To the far right by the stone path, there I am still photographing the rocket's flight. From this normal to slightly wide image, you can get some idea of the distance between the C-Thru and I.  You have to have some serious telephoto lens to get closeup images from this distance, and it makes it extremely difficult to track the small rocket moving 100 to maybe 150 or even 200 mph!