High Definition Soaring

[Kemp[_2_]]

As an experiment in using high definition video and images for soaring
education, I've put together a site:

hdsoaring.blogspot.com

with a few installments for your viewing . The intent is to use the
fine detail available with high definition video (both live and with
graphic overlays on still images) to review one or more aspects of
cross country soaring. If you have a video iPod/iPhone you can copy
the "small" movies to your device. The medium size movies are for
viewing on a computer, while the one LARGE movie is a full 1920x1080
movie, just make sure you have a fast connection as this might take
several hours to download.

I'll be adding more installments on a once a month basis or more if I
can.

Please leave comments on the site or here. Let's see more people
posting high def stuff!

Kemp

[JS]

An excellent and concise lesson. Very clear with HD.
Watched "looking further out", and relate to the label "anxious pilot"
in the mirror! We've all seen this scenario before.
Jim

[[email protected]]

Kemp,

I watched the Crater Lake medium video. Very nice! I would have made
the same mistake you did (and pointed out), going for the better
looking clouds that were more on the lee side. Live and learn, or
here, listen and learn. Thanks.

Keep it up! (the movies and the glider)

Marty

[Markus Gayda]

I only watched the "looking out" clip in HD: nicely done.
(Download time: 14 minutes to Germany :-)
First time i saw that area from a gliders cockpit.

THX and CU
Markus

[[email protected]]

> As an experiment in using high definition video and images for soaring
> education

I have thought of this idea and wondered why nothing is available on
the www that I am aware of, that addresses cross country training. A
wanna-be cross country pilot like myself would LOVE to see more of
this. Kemp, great job..... Beautiful video and very nice graphic
overlays and commentary. Can't wait for your next one.
Craig

[Michael Ash]

Kemp > wrote:
> As an experiment in using high definition video and images for soaring
> education, I've put together a site:
>
> hdsoaring.blogspot.com
>
> with a few installments for your viewing . The intent is to use the
> fine detail available with high definition video (both live and with
> graphic overlays on still images) to review one or more aspects of
> cross country soaring. If you have a video iPod/iPhone you can copy
> the "small" movies to your device. The medium size movies are for
> viewing on a computer, while the one LARGE movie is a full 1920x1080
> movie, just make sure you have a fast connection as this might take
> several hours to download.
>
> I'll be adding more installments on a once a month basis or more if I
> can.
>
> Please leave comments on the site or here. Let's see more people
> posting high def stuff!

Great stuff, and please keep it up. I grabbed the large copy of Looking
Further Out and, aside from taking an inconveniently long time to download
(around 20 minutes, I think), it worked wonderfully. For future
installments I'll probably stick to the medium size just because I prefer
instant gratification to ultra-high resolution, but the 1080p stuff really
is gorgeous. The quality of it is astounding, not only the high resolution
but the clarity and lack of graniness in the picture. What kind of
equipment did you use?

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

[Tom Gardner]

I really like this from a couple of viewpoints.

The lessons will help any early solo pilot (e.g me :). I
particularly liked your "annotations" and the general pace
of teaching. I would have liked a *little* more commentary
along the lines of "I went <over here> because I felt
<these things> made it preferable", but please *do* continue
the "but I should have gone <there> because <that> was
better in the event".

When trying to give people a feeling of *why* we want to fly,
currently the best available is a large number of scratchy
videos not much better than youtube quality. While much better
than nothing, they leave too much to the imagination.

Thanks, and I hope you can stand the cost of the download
bandwidth!

[Kemp[_2_]]

Thank you all for the feedback so far. Some comments:
- The HD video sequences were filmed with a Canon HV20 on a Manfrotto
mount. The mount is too heavy and I've bought a lighter Giotto mount
since. The HV20 is tape based. Disk based recording has a 10,000 ft.
altitude limit so those are out; the chip recording systems are almost
there, but don't quite have the visual quality (but probably will in
another year or so). There are also issues of mixed editing of chip
based video and tape, not an issue for most people.
- The movie editing for "Looking Further Out" was done using iMovie on
a mac. It is greatly preferred to edit HD on a mac as it is
problematic on a PC. The Crater Lake movie was done on Keynote, a
presentation program on the mac with voice overlay, then output as a
movie.
- The ratio of work time into each piece vs. output is currently
around 80:1. I look to reduce this to 40:1 as I find the format that
works for me. The point is that it's a fair amount of work, and
although I had some great technical support, to be realistic, you need
to practice and plan what it is you're trying to do. But it is well
worth it.

Kemp

[Michael Ash]

Kemp > wrote:
> - The ratio of work time into each piece vs. output is currently
> around 80:1. I look to reduce this to 40:1 as I find the format that
> works for me. The point is that it's a fair amount of work, and
> although I had some great technical support, to be realistic, you need
> to practice and plan what it is you're trying to do. But it is well
> worth it.

For what it's worth, when I do my little amateur videos that aren't nearly
as nice as yours, I generally take around one hour per minute of finished
product. Given the much higher quality of your output, 80:1 seems entirely
reasonable. I'm sure that you'll get faster with practice as well. I look
forward to seeing more from you.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

[Sergio]

On Mar 1, 6:59*pm, Kemp > wrote:
> As an experiment in using high definition video and images for soaring
> education, I've put together a site:
>
> hdsoaring.blogspot.com
>
> with a few installments for your viewing . *The intent is to use the
> fine detail available with high definition video (both live and with
> graphic overlays on still images) to review one or more aspects of
> cross country soaring. *If you have a video iPod/iPhone you can copy
> the "small" movies to your device. *The medium size movies are for
> viewing on a computer, while the one LARGE movie is a full 1920x1080
> movie, just make sure you have a fast connection as this might take
> several hours to download.
>
> I'll be adding more installments on a once a month basis or more if I
> can.
>
> Please leave comments on the site or here. *Let's see more people
> posting high def stuff!
>
> Kemp

Very nice.
I've tried to download the big one, but maybe the connection betwen
US and Brazil is a little bit clogged and had to settle for the small
one. I have a channel at Youtube, with several cross country flights,
the longest one 400 km one-way, if you want to check go to Youtube and
search for "PUOFT ". But it is in portuguese language...

Sergio

[Bill Daniels]

"Kemp" > wrote in message
...
> Thank you all for the feedback so far. Some comments:
> - The HD video sequences were filmed with a Canon HV20 on a Manfrotto
> mount. The mount is too heavy and I've bought a lighter Giotto mount
> since. The HV20 is tape based. Disk based recording has a 10,000 ft.
> altitude limit so those are out; the chip recording systems are almost
> there, but don't quite have the visual quality (but probably will in
> another year or so). There are also issues of mixed editing of chip
> based video and tape, not an issue for most people.
> - The movie editing for "Looking Further Out" was done using iMovie on
> a mac. It is greatly preferred to edit HD on a mac as it is
> problematic on a PC. The Crater Lake movie was done on Keynote, a
> presentation program on the mac with voice overlay, then output as a
> movie.
> - The ratio of work time into each piece vs. output is currently
> around 80:1. I look to reduce this to 40:1 as I find the format that
> works for me. The point is that it's a fair amount of work, and
> although I had some great technical support, to be realistic, you need
> to practice and plan what it is you're trying to do. But it is well
> worth it.
>
> Kemp
>
Kemp, thank you so much for these videos. With a low-ball cable modem
service, I was able to download the largest file in about 12 minutes. My
two year old Dell/XP machine runs them fine. My only regret is that they
weren't longer, but at 80:1 effort to screen time ratio, I can certainly see
why. That effort just increases my appreciation.

The videos pull the viewer into the cockpit and involves them in the
decision making just as you intended. I can only hope others join you in
this work by publising their XC videos.

I can only offer one small suggestion. On the "You are here" maps, it would
be nice to see a glide footprint or "amoeba" such as is displayed on the NK
device. That would provide a nice aid to understanding the situation.

Bill Daniels

[IdoMillet]

Excellent material. Thanks!

Just wondering: how do you explain the better looking clouds on the
wrong (East) path on the way to Crater Lake?

- Ido

[fbrahic]

These are really great! Thanks for putting the effort into making
these - I've appreciated your great write-ups in the past, and this is
even more valuable! As a cross-country novice, it's really great being
able to get a better sense of what the real thing is like.

On Mar 1, 1:59 pm, Kemp > wrote:
> As an experiment in using high definition video and images for soaring
> education, I've put together a site:
>
> hdsoaring.blogspot.com
>
> with a few installments for your viewing . The intent is to use the
> fine detail available with high definition video (both live and with
> graphic overlays on still images) to review one or more aspects of
> cross country soaring. If you have a video iPod/iPhone you can copy
> the "small" movies to your device. The medium size movies are for
> viewing on a computer, while the one LARGE movie is a full 1920x1080
> movie, just make sure you have a fast connection as this might take
> several hours to download.
>
> I'll be adding more installments on a once a month basis or more if I
> can.
>
> Please leave comments on the site or here. Let's see more people
> posting high def stuff!
>
> Kemp

[Kloudy via AviationKB.com]

IdoMillet wrote:
>Excellent material. Thanks!
>
>Just wondering: how do you explain the better looking clouds on the
>wrong (East) path on the way to Crater Lake?
>
>- Ido

I believe it was cooler air falling off the back of the cascades.

--
Message posted via AviationKB.com
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums.aspx/soaring/200803/1

[Kemp[_2_]]

On Mar 3, 11:46 am, IdoMillet > wrote:
> Excellent material. Thanks!
>
> Just wondering: how do you explain the better looking clouds on the
> wrong (East) path on the way to Crater Lake?
>
> - Ido

The better looking clouds were just that, they were better clouds but
leading to the lee (sink) side area. So the clouds weren't an issue,
just the direction that they were leading to. This only reinforces
the general strategic approach of staying on the sun side and windward
side of a hill, range or mountain.

Kemp

[noel.wade]

On Mar 5, 9:26*pm, Kemp > wrote:
> The better looking clouds were just that, they were better clouds but
> leading to the lee (sink) side area. *So the clouds weren't an issue,
> just the direction that they were leading to. *This only reinforces
> the general strategic approach of staying on the sun side and windward
> side of a hill, range or mountain.
>
> Kemp

I'm a novice sailplane pilot (had my license for all of a year, and
only got my PPL a year before that); but one thing I would point out
is that clouds do NOT equal lift in all cases. Remember that clouds
can be generated by updrafts / thermals; but they can persist long
after the lift dies out. Meanwhile, the cloud happily drifts downwind
(possibly to the lee side of a hill). The air underneath the cloud no
longer has any relation to the cloud itself, in terms of lift or
buoyancy.

I fly the Condor Soaring simulator; and I've been suckered by these
types of clouds more often than I like to admit! :-P They look so
good; but by the time I get to them there's only a little bit of lift
left right at cloudbase, and the sink on the lee side of the hill
pulls me far below that small area of buoyant air immediately below
the cloud.

Take care,

--Noel

[noel.wade]

P.S. LOVE the HD Soaring videos! Much appreciated, and I hope to see
more of this from others in the future (including myself when I get
good at XC flying). There are so many experience XC pilots out there
with great knowledge - but its so hard to pass that information along
because its all situation-dependent. Being able to see what the pilot
saw and understand the visual cues and reasons for making decisions is
key. Thanks for your efforts!

[alex8735]

Very nice. HD gives a chance of seeing those little details which make
the big difference in xc soaring. This definatly has a high potential
for educational xc material. Looking forward to more.

The download took about 20min.