Advanced Helicam Aerial Cinematography

Most Helicam aerial imaging is performed within a framework known as "line of sight" or LOS. There are several reasons for this. The most obvious being that if the pilot has a clear, continuous visual link to the aircraft being flown, it can be controlled at all times. The up side of this arrangement lies in its simplicity. Aside from flying behind an obstacle, having sudden vision problems or flying so far away as to lose orientation, there is very little that can go wrong, (aside from aircraft mechanical/electronic control problems anyway). The down side of this arrangement is that it limits the range of use to an area extending about 1200 feet horizontally and 400 feet vertically from the pilots fixed position. For the majority of shots required, this is a non-issue.

The radio control systems used today are capable of transmitting a clear signal several times further than the LOS distance. The position of the pilot is also critical for optimum LOS shooting. In some cases it is most effective to place the pilot on top of a building, mobile manlift or other fixed structure to improve visual range over any obstacles. This is particularly useful for flying just above tree-top level - skimming over a dense forest where trees would obstruct the pilots view if shot from ground level.

Helicams can also be piloted directly from the cameras transmitted video signal in what is called "first person view" or FPV. While this can improve close maneuvering around obstacles and extend operational range, loss of video feed remains a significant additional risk factor however. While this may be an acceptable risk for low end equipment, with the equipment currently available, it is not recommeded to fly a $50K to $100K camera kit using this method.

Recent advances in GPS based autopilots show great promise for extending the range of use well beyond the visual LOS range noted. These devices can be programmed in a manner that allows the aircraft to fly a series of "waypoints" and then return to its home position with just the flip of a switch. While this type of technology will assuredly advance the capabilities of Helicam systems for engineering and aerial mapping, for the moment there are several major technological hurdles that must be overcome first. Most notably among such obstacles includes the requirement of the system to sense and avoid both full sized aircraft and ground based obstacles. Another limiting factor is a pilot is capable of executing extremely complex, continuously variable commands that, at present, are well beyond the current capabilities of programmed systems.

As mentioned previously, Helicams are very well suited for operation from many types of moving platforms and vehicles in order to extend range. When land based vehicles are used for this purpose on public roads, local authorities should always be retained to temporarily shut down traffic and provide an escort if required in order to safely acquire the shot. Due to privacy concerns, state and local governments are also passing laws limiting or outright banning use of remotely piloted aircraft. Make sure to check local ordinances when scouting out aerial filming locations.

Another viable technique lies in the use of two or more pilots wherein one pilot hands off control to another in what is known as "relay mode". This effectively doubles the range of operation compared to single pilot operation and can be performed in a very seamless manner through radio communication.

At present, line of sight operation remains the predominant mode of operations for close range aerial imaging due to its inherent simplicity, flexibility and reliability. This will most certainly be augmented in the future in ways that are hard to imagine now.

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