I get grief for having a camera in my cockpit. Not constantly, but enough. The implication being that any camera mounted in a C172 doing circuits at Elstree is somehow reckless and dangerous. A distraction. An unnecessary risk. We are all going to die. Well I am.
And then this week a story broke that made me feel considerably better about myself.
In December 2021 a South Korean Air Force pilot caused a mid-air collision between two F-15K fighter jets. Not because of a mechanical failure. Not because of bad weather. Because he was taking selfies on his phone. On his final flight before a transfer he told his wingman he wanted some commemorative photos. The wingman offered to help. Our man then pulled an unannounced manoeuvre at 578 km/h in formation to get a better angle.
The two jets collided, but both landed safely. The total repair bill came to around $600,000 - ouch. The South Korean Air Force apologised publicly this week when the story finally came out, three and a half years after it happened.
My GoPros are mounted on engineered mountings. They records automatically. I generally don't touch them in flight. It has never once caused me to pull an unannounced manoeuvre at 578 km/h.
I feel slightly vindicated.
The full story is worth a read if you want the details. CNN covered it well: https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/23/asia/south-korea-fighter-jet-selfies-scli-intl And yes, the cartoon was made specially. by AI. The smug little Cessna in the corner is absolutely intentional.
