Hello!

does anyone have firsthand experience recording off of the intercom on a private airplane?

there is a microphone jack and a headphone jack.

the headphone jack is amplified (i.e. there is always a volume control on the intercom system that controls the volume level)

i do a good amount of shooting in private airplanes and it would be really nice to capture the audio, otherwise all you get is a loud rumbling from the engines.

matthew

The headphone jack is a standard 1/4" 2-conductor jack. Line level out, like it would be for a standard headphone.

You can use a y-connector to split off a feed from the aircraft radio's headphone out to your headset and the camera. Just have to make certain that your camera can take a line-level signal, or you'll need to cut it down to mic level.

When I used to fly I'd hook up a portable vox-operated intercom. It had a 1/8" jack for audio out so you could record the conversation. It also had a 1/8" jack for audio in so you could play tapes. The music would automatically be cut off whenever there was a radio transmission.

Was a great little system especially on longer flights.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

ok, so if i use something like a beach tek box with the 1/8th inch input where you can select mic or line, that should work?

The beachtek should work. Just need to adapt from the 1/4" headphone jack.

Be aware, also, that the headphone output is variable. If the pilot turns up the monitor volume on the aircraft radio then the output at the headphone jack also goes up.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

ok. in most cases the volume is separate for each outlet so that shouldn't be a problem.

i think i'll finally order a beach tek, i'm dying to shoot some in-flight video with radio chatter.

people who don't fly seem to get a kick out of it.

thanks

matthew