Accurate capture of heli modified for arieal photography

[gandalf1]

Hello all,

I have Reflex XTR on the way along with a Comet 500 (TREX clone). I'm interested in attaching a small digital still camera that I have for arial photography work.

I would like to know if Reflex will faithfully reproduce the altered dynamics of the heli with the camera attached. In particular will the additional work required to lift and manipulate the heli as well as the altered dynamics (due to the mass and inertia of the added camera) be represented? An additional skill to be learned (ideally in the sim) is to maintain stability for picture taking, something not normally a major concern with recreational flying only.


I have the camera's dimensions, weight, moment of inertia and center of mass and plan to modify the model to locate the mass appropriately (although I haven't received the software yet, so I don't know the specifics).

Any thoughts are welcome, as it woudl be great to have even an approximate sense of how the heli will fly with the camera attached (hate to learn the hard way...). I know there is a nice thread here on Arial Photography (which actually started the idea in the first place), but in reading I haven't come across any discussion of flying the modified birds (with camera) in a sim.


Thanks in advance,

Toolnote

[JASO']

hi Gandalf,
If you cant find a way of simulating the cam before the real flight, I would make up a block of timber or something similar that is the same weight and size of the camera and give it a trial run until you can fly it comfortably. That way if you do happen to put the heli into the ground you only risk damaging the heli not the cam while learning.