Stats & Specs:
Starship - Cessna 182RG
Year of manufacture: 1986.
Four seat single piston engine - retractable undercarriage.
Maximum takeoff weight: 1406 Kg
Average speed: 254 km/h
Previous owner: The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) used this aircraft to patrol its borders against the illegal importation of drugs. Now in her twilight years Valerie flies around Australia capturing extraordinary images of our amazing country.
Flinders Island
Ground covered since July 2016
Trip Stats:
Project commenced: May 2016
Total flight time: 460 hours
Distance traveled: 116,891 km... give or take
Camera Specs:
Phase One XF Camera with IQ4 150MP Digital Back. Mounted in the rear underbelly of the plane. Wireless connection to an iPad with shutter release hard wired to the aircraft control yoke.
Lenses: Schneider Kreuznach 55mm LS-f/2.8
80mm LS f/2.8, 150mm f/4.5
During our Covid lockdowns I developed a strut mounted pod that now houses the stills camera and a video camera. This new setup has given me a live view of what the camera sees. The pod is now clear of the propeller's slipstream and has solved the problem of fowling the lens when departing from a wet runway.