Air Tahiti Nui video

[electrotor]

The video was created by Matthieu Courtois, a 32-year-old technical engineer from Tahiti who has been working for the airline since 2007, with the help of pilot Ludovic Allain. Using a Go-Pro, Courtois spent a month filming and editing the video, which follows the airline's A340 planes as they fly from Auckland to Paris via Papeete (French Polynesia) and Los Angeles.
Very unusual shots through and inside an engine during start-up and a superb closing sequence with wingtip vortices.
Enjoy, whilst sitting out our current lovely weather.
:santa:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7EP9Ko6IsY#t=228

[Coyote]

That was great, some really cool shots, yes the last shot is really good :)

[chris-s]

Cracking!

[iwan_canobi]

Thats great! Really well put together.

I wonder how many hoops he had to jump through to be allowed to film in some of those locations though, or whether he just did it without asking!

[mark1975]

this was like porn to me this thanks for sharing

[electrotor]

I wonder how many hoops he had to jump through to be allowed to film in some of those locations though, or whether he just did it without asking!

You most certainly CANNOT do it without asking.
To elaborate - the filming was done on commercial transport flights carrying passengers which means that anything you install to do the filming is classed as a modification or change to the aircraft. This modification must be assessed and the relevant regulations applied. As filming was in the Pacific and North America these would have been FAA regulations, the particular one being FAR 25. The different sub-paragraphs of this deal with a multitude of things from security of attachment, to emergency landing conditions, to obscuring pilot view to electromagnetic interference, etc. Once all these have been satisfactorily addressed approval would be given. This can all take months. The reason I know is because I have done it for Search And Rescue for RTE in Ireland
After all that he filming is easy.

[iwan_canobi]

So lots of hoops then! :P

It's obvious why though I suppose, but glad he went to the effort to jump through them as the end result is amazing!

One particular bit that always gets me when you see in-cockpit videos is flying in cloud. It must be a really unnerving experience knowing you are hurtling forward at 500mph and you can't actually see anything at all out of the windows! I know it doesn't matter as much now as everything is computer controlled anyway, but flying IFR must take a while to get used to!

[electrotor]

The pilot has to put a lot of trust in ATC to give him the correct clear routing. However they also have TCAS - Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems onboard the aircraft. The business of flying in or above cloud with models is a bit scary though because the model pilot has no way of knowing what else is up there and a model is a pretty small thing for a full size aircraft pilot to spot at high closing speeds.
What must be even more unnerving than IFR for pilots though is autoland in fog. At least in cloud the aircraft is well above the ground, but landing in fog means pointing at the ground which you cannot see. They must have well developed anal muscles.  :o