I have experience with both GoPro and Contour.
Go with the Contour, for sure! But, if your dealing with airplanes, go with the N Flight Cam:
It is a Contour +2 but includes aviation related goodies. Mainly the filter on the lens to cure the HD prop problem. (Funny looking blades) It slows the refresh rate making a nice prop blur. Also, it includes audio cords to connect your headset and record cockpit audio.
But even the stock Contour has many benefits over the GoPro. Built in GPS so you can play your flight back with their app and show speed/altitude/ground track on google maps, Bluetooth connect to phone for preview real time what the
camera is seeing and remote start/stop, etc.. The real kicker is the lens and how it rotates. You can mount the camera on its side and just spin the lens to point level. That alone is HUGE if you mount the camera in odd places. Helmet, wing, your dog, whatever.
The GoPro lens was really designed to focus 6 ft in front of the camera (like on a surf board) so the edge of the video is distorted, the "fish eye" effect. The Contour does not do this.
Just because Foxconn purchased $200 million of GoPro, and you see them on TV, doesn't make them better..
All of my recent videos (the last year anyway) were filmed with the Contour NFlight Cam:
Tom McNerney
Unleashed Lancair 360