Aspen Aerials
 

From the helicam.
Windows 1280x720 5,000kbps HDV.
www.fritzrips.com/Aerials/AspenHDV.wmv

That is some impressive flying skills you have there! Some of those shots are simply outstanding, especially those that take the camera from grass level up, and the move round the house at the midway point is excellent as well.

Outstanding! Do you have any more?

Very nice video Derek. Gorgeous subject matter, you captured it well. I loved the shots from way, way up.

Just wanted to point out that at 3:01 something seemed to happen with the video. If you watch the right edge of the video, it briefly pulls in then goes back out.

I like the slow, low-altitude passes, that give you as clear a view of each location, as if you were shooting from the ground. Instead of the fast-moving blur that most such videos show, this let you look at the details. How much total flying time did it take to produce what we see on this video? I expect you'll have many more of these excellent pieces in the future.

Wow, great video! I couldn't sworn a couple of those shots were from a handheld stabilzer while you were walking... I mean, you were clipping the top of the grass, and then you'd go right over the water and then go vertical... amazing perspectives!

Wow!
 

Are you going to give away any secrets of R/C helicopter, gyro, and pan/tilt gear?

Really nice footage. I'd love to know how you got everything so smooth. Great work. What was the music?

The helicopter is a 6ft long electric heli.

This was shot over 3 days with good weather and light winds.

It was shot on a little Sony HC5.

There is no gyro on the camera. But I recently built a 3 axis gyro stabilized gimbal that I will be using this week. I'll post some of that footage when it's done.

Derek. Nice job. What a beautiful location. Even though I live on the shores of Lake Michigan in northern Michigan, I envy your location; especially that "cabin" tucked away in the trees by the little creek and ponds. Again, very nice job.

Mike

Wooooh! That's great stuff.. Being a 24/7 business type, my mind saw a Long and Foster Real Estate listing in the credits... Good for you.

Jim

Very cool. I love that you can do this kind of stuff. Its similar to Planet Earth shots from the ballon they'd put up.

I failed to recognize that the ability you have to smoothly move from 1-2 feet from the ground to hundreds of feet in the air....that is truly exciting.

While Planet Earth has some cool shots, they're limited in a sense in terms of their ability to change altitude and perspective that quickly. (but some of their shots are hard to beat in terms of smoothness and quality...nothing like having money to spend on toys...)

Using a large crane can do this, but there is always that limit and sometimes the addition of zooming to enhance the sense of scope or "epic-ness."

Your technique is the real deal. You are flying.

Did you use any image stabilization stuff in post on this?

Derek nice footage. Wish I could get that low when I shoot out of a full size machine. What brand of 6' electric machine are you flying? We use Aerial Exposure with Kenyon gyros in the full size machine and I know Kenyon has supplied to remote machines. Would love to set up a similar product in Rhode Island.

I use a custom built 700mm blade, electric heli.

If it's something you want to persue, you really need to devote full time efforts for atleast two years before you get to a point where you're proficient. The learning curve is quite laborious and slow.

Thanks Derek I will presue a few options (www.airfoilhelicams.com an www.helivision.eu) we have been working for a while. Thought you might have some new information for us on machines. But I understand if you want to keep your equipment secret. Keep up the great work really enjoy your footage.

Paul,

It's not really a secret, it's a matter of what kind of camera you intend to carry, it's weight, flight times you require, and your budget.

For 95% of the crowd, an electric heli is the way to go for their overall simplicity. If you need to haul a 35mm or 16mm camera, then a turbine swinging atleast 800mm blades is the best option for it's ability to haul large payloads. Turbines require another level of caution because of their power, weight, and fuel.

I'd stay away from two-stroke powered helis because they are far more difficult to tune for smooth, vibration free video.

Thanks Derek,

Our payloads are Sony SR12 - Sony XDCAM EX1 with Kenyon gyro. So it sounds like we do not need the Turbine and can go electric. Now to find the best machine. Thanks for the tip on two strokes makes perfect sense dealing with two stroke and four stroke outboards all my life.

I fly the EX1 with a very light front mount (2.5 pounds) on a 12s system with 700mm blades. But the ideal heli would be the Maxi Joker or Bergen Observer Electric swinging 800mm blades.

Both look like great machines. The distributor for the Maxi is just up the road I will contact them tomorrow.

We had a meeting today and our R44 pilot has some time with RC's. Next step is for two of us to get up to speed flying so we have options. We have been flying the Reflex Sim and now are ready to buy a trainer so next spring we can move into the larger machine. Any recommendations on a trainer? Raptor 30 has been recommended but there are just so many options.

This is still the early stages for us and we are enjoying the process. Will be a nice addition to our growing company.

Thank you for your help. If you ever need advice on shooting from a full size machine we have years of experience. Also anything involved in shooting the marine industry since that is our specialty.

Buy a Trex 600. That way a bunch of the equipment will cross over. For example, chargers, batteries, familiarity with electrics in general.

I looked up the T-Rex 600 wow a nice machine and a lot of options. My thought would be to go with a fiberglass version knowing composites it would be tougher then the carbon. Much bigger trainer then I was thinking of but makes sense to have a cross over with gear.

I will search for a RTF unit.

Well found a local shop that sells the TRex 600 Welcome to RCHover - Home . I will visit this week to look at my options.

What delightful toys. Er, tools. :-)