As a way to say even more Thank You to the Internet crowd who's supported us for the past year, we're also hosting a Grand Canyon Tour from either our Cessna or Pilatus free to anyone who wants to come along for the ride. If you've never seen the Grand Canyon from the air, its an unbelievable sight and one you shouldn't miss. I'll be flying the hour-long tours along with a co-pilot and long time friend Geoff Dille who's a professional pilot for an Architectural firm located in Las Vegas and he's agreed to make his time available. With about 13,000 and 22,000 hours each respectively logged in the air, you're probably pretty safe with us. We figure to start about 0900 hrs (9:00am) and run throough 1700 hrs (5:00 pm) that Sunday giving us 5 trips seating about 30 people total. So if you're interested in adding something special to the NAB experience, please let me know so we can book you in. It's first come-first served so let me know as soon as you can of you'd like to join us. Not that you'd think I'm joshing you all or anything but our air credentials are available for inspection and certification at www.faa.gov. Yes, you can be a lunatic filmmaker and a good pilot as well. Also, someone put up some great info on the Grand Canyon and flying it at http://www.swaviator.com/html/issueJJ99/canyon.html. You might want to check that site out as well.

Count me in!
Piloting runs in the family!

I am 100% interested in this little trip. I'd be up for an early
flight as I'll be at the Apple even 9-11am and then I have a video
event to do that night. What time would the second and third
flights be, are they about 2 hours each?

Also, and feel free to say no of course, but could I bring my
husband and niece (8yrs old) ? They would really get a kick out of
the trip too.

Do you think I'd be able to get any footage from the windows?

Thanks for the invite but since were driving up from phoenix I might stop at the new skywalk overlooking the canyon and shoot some video.
Thou I feel safer in a plane than walkng over glass with 4000 feet below me.

No problem. It'll just be good to see you.
J

Jonathan,

I salute you. You truly go above and beyond in your love for the art and in developing a community of film makers. The world needs all people to give of themselves like you do. More valuable than the considerable monetary resources that you devote to this effort is the unmeasurable amount of time you put in to making it grow like it has.

Bravo

Thanks Chris but I have to admit it really is a selfish pursuit and use of money, though. I think everyone is in this business for a selfish reason. I mean what feeling can compare to the "click" you feel in your gut when you just know you got the perfect shot; perfect pulled focus, track, lighting, DOF... no one trips over the furniture, the actors know their lines and nail them, the cameraperson anticipates the movement and moves in unison with the talent, the audio's spot-on and the craft-service worker's cell phone doesn't go off until after you hear "cut"...when all that comes together at just the right moment in time and you know its on tape or disk but you don't even need to see it on replay, you just know you nailed the shot, well, that's a feeling that's totally in the moment selfish and something I just live for. For me, the only thing that compares is the ability to pass the education along to others giving them the opportunity to get that same feeling. Paolo, Scott, John, me and everyone's who's come through 2nd Unit... we're the luckiest team on the planet. We get to do what we love best; produce and educate. So again thanks. It's short notes like yours that make our day.

I could not agree more with what Jonathan has said. These last 12 months since meeting Jonathan at the 2006 N.A.B. have just flown by! It feels a lot longer though and I mean that in the very best way I can. The fact is that I and everyone else that has been there since the beginning of 2nd-Unit.TV have learned so much in such a short time, thanks to all the hands-on training with the very expensive tools we get to work with on a daily basis. I humbly have to say, this experience has made me a completely different (for the better) filmmaker than I was a year ago. I say that having already won some awards in the past. So I have to say thanks to Jonathan and all the sponsors at www.2nd-unit.tv
I can't wait to meet some of you guys and gals at N.A.B.
Scott C. Chambers

Thank you for all the e-mails. We have 23 people signed for the air tour and 7 remain available. PLease let me know via e-mail at jlames@bluelinecinema.tv if you'll be joining us.

Sounds like a nice event, Jonathan, wish we could break away from our NAB training sessions to fly with you.
Didn't know you had a heli. Next time we fly the Grand Canyon (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VfaxUY9jZo), we'll have to give you a call. The last pilot we had wasn't too video-savvy.

Why don't you pick a few times when you've got a space and we'll see if we can match our free times up. We're there from Saturday afternoon through to Thursday splitting time between Fujinon, Sony, Tiffen and Adobe. I can always make time for an extra flight with a filmmaker.

Just saw the footage. Now were you TRYING for that big hole in the ground? I mean we always do but we've got an instant ride back to the rim! Oh, I saw you did too. Great footage!

Why don't you pick a few times when you've got a space and we'll see if we can match our free times up. We're there from Saturday afternoon through to Thursday splitting time between Fujinon, Sony, Tiffen and Adobe. I can always make time for an extra flight with a filmmaker.

I'd love to make the time, and will have my rig with me....but given that we teach nearly 100 classes at the Post Production World Conference with myself teaching 21 classes, and taking an XDCAM HD class from Greg Boston amongst a few others I'd like to sit in on...time just ain't there. We start NAB on Wednesday, and finish next Saturday.

But you're invited to the Sony party on Monday night should you want to attend. JC Colclasure, world's fastest cameraman will be there. I sorta doubt anyone else out there has taken an XDCAM faster than 150 MPH without some sort of motor/engine. He has.

Yeah, I'll be at the party and I'm glad to hear you'll be there too. It'll be late because I have the 2nd Unit party from 6 pm on which of course you're invited to at the motor coach in the Circus Circus motor coach park. Let's see if we can find a few minutes to sit and say hello either place. I wanted to get with you on the DirecTV deal and don't know why I didn't think of NAB. Age, probably. I just turned 50 on April 4th and I completely forgot about it until that morning. Thank heaven for wives!

Hey Jonathan, we had planned to go to the sony event after visiting you so if you need a ride you'll welcome.

We'll take you up on that. The Sony parties are afterwards at Ballys so if you'd like to join us there, we'd love to have you.

We'll take you up on that. The Sony parties are afterwards at Ballys so if you'd like to join us there, we'd love to have you.

one of several Sony parties are at Bally's; *The* Sony party is at the LVCC. :-)

I hate to be a bother, but do you know what time will be taking off for the trip? I'm just wondering if I should cancel my reservation for the Apple conference on Sunday morning @ 11am.

Douglas Spotted Eagle, when is "the" Sony Party?