During takeoff and landing, you should occupy a designated passenger seat. Once airborne and before you approach an open door, you must have a properly adjusted, securely anchored crew member’s safety harness around your waist. The crew member’s safety harness should be adjusted BEFORE TAKEOFF. Attach the snap hook of the harness to a tie-down ring on the deck of the aircraft. The tie-down ring should be about 3 to 4 feet from the open door. Never attach the snap hook to pipes, tubes, cables, or similar items. Place the harness around your waist and fasten the latch and link assembly. Pull the adjustment straps of the waist portion of the harness, so it fits snugly around your waist. Now adjust the length of the safety strap, so you can sit in the open doorway and still lean forward about 1 foot. PREFLIGHT AND POSTFLIGHT INSPECTIONS As an aerial photographer shooting hand-held images,  your  preflight  inspection  is  concentrated primarily  on  your  photographic  equipment  and  your personal protective equipment. You know what camera and equipment checks to make  before  every  photo  assignment.  These  equipment checks are particularly important in aerial work. In aerial work, more people are directly involved with the mission. As a minimum, there is the pilot, copilot, plane captain, and yourself. With the great expense and time involved  in  flying  Navy  aircraft,  IT  IS  ESSENTIAL  that you  have  your  equipment  functioning  correctly. Equipment breakdowns may occur during a flight; however, it is your responsibility to be sure that the necessary equipment and materials for the mission are present and working properly. Your  personal  protective  equipment  must  be checked before each flight—your life may depend on it. Because of the many types and applications of personal flight safety gear available, you must get a professional check on the use of your equipment and an inspection as to size and fit of your equipment from a knowledgeable Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR). The   aircraft   preflight   inspection   is   the responsibility of the pilot. This is not to say, however, that you should not check those areas of the aircraft in which you will be directly involved during the flight. For example, does the door, window, or hatch open and close easily? Is the intercom system working? What about the tie-down ring to which you will hook your safety harness? Is it safe? Has the ejection seat safety pin been removed? Is the canopy clean? Is the oxygen system working? Your postflight duties after a hand-held aerial mission include removing all your equipment from the plane and “housekeeping,” such as straightening up seat belts  and  securing  the  intercom  and  oxygen  systems. You and the pilot should also discuss the mission—how did it go? What went right? What went wrong? What could be done better next time to make the flight go better? COMMUNICATIONS The pilot must know your intentions. This means you must communicate with him before and during the flight. Remember, the pilot is not looking through the camera viewfinder. The pilot’s view of the target, providing he can see it, is different from yours. You must direct the pilot into positioning the aircraft for the photography. The noise level during the flight is high and voice communications  are  difficult  at  best,  particularly  in helicopters. Establishing a few hand signals with the pilot  beforehand  may  prove  very  helpful  during  the mission-hand signals that indicate "there is the target," "move right," "left," "up," "down," "turn right," "left," and "steady, I am shooting" (fig. 4-23). In the air, a pilot has   a   better   understanding   of   your   needs   with prearranged signals as compared to makeshift signals which may fail to be communicated correctly. Communications  between  you  and  the  pilot  are essential. During the photo part of the flight, you should be in constant communication with the pilot. To get the best photographs, you must communicate to the pilot about positioning of the aircraft. Tell the pilot when the aircraft is too close or too far from the target and when the altitude of the aircraft is correct or not correct. If camera  problems  develop,  let  the  pilot  know.  Long periods of silence cause the pilot to wonder what is happening  in  the  photography  area  and  whether  the mission is going as planned. This is no time to be bashful or intimidated. Do not be concerned about talking  too  much. COMPOSITION Since  hand-held  verticals  are  made  with  the  camera pointed straight down at the ground, photographic composition   for   vertical   photography   is straightforward. The person requesting the work tells you what to show in the picture. Then it is primarily a 4-27