Camera mount bracket for Piper Cherokee tie-down ring

thingiverse

Piper Cherokee aircraft have a circular tie-down ring on the underside of both wings for anchoring the plane when parked. I designed this mounting plate to be used in pairs and sandwich around the tie-down hook so that an action camera mount (like a GoPro, Virb, Contour, Drift, etc) can be attached onto it. This is designed to fit a Piper tie-down ring that has the following dimensions: outer diameter is 2 inches across, inner diameter hole is 1 inch across, and thickness of ¼ inch. This bracket was loosely inspired by the following design, from which the accessory block and RAM mount can be utilized with this design, if desired: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:609142 Here's a video of the camera mount in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyRXeVGwSYY Print Settings Rafts: No Supports: No Instructions You will need to print two copies of the mount, preferably using ABS filament although PLA should work also. You will also need two ¼"-20-1" screws, with matching washers and nuts. The photos depict using wing-screws and wing-nuts, which allows for tool-free installation/removal. Use of lock washers (star washers) or lock nuts might be desirable for added safety. The ¼"-20 size screw is used so as to be compatible with the common camera tripod mount. You will probably need to use a round file to clean out printed holes so that your screws can be inserted and removed easily through the printed parts. You will probably need to improvise a way to attach your camera-specific mount onto one of the ¼ inch bolts. My photos for this project show a ball head camera mount, which will allow you to adjust the camera angle arbitrarily. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C3DY73S Cameras that have a tripod-compatible screw hole might also be attached directly to one of the two screws through the mounting plant. The accessory or RAM mount blocks from this other project might also be used: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:609142 You may want to apply a thin layer of rubber (or RTV silicone, or Sugru, Plastidip) on the inside of the printed pieces to reduce slipping movement against the tie-down ring. Allow any such coatings to dry/cure fully before mounting.