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The camera pods have full tilt, pan, and rotate facilities, so control is complete and accurate. I viewed
some footage of a unit tracking a car around Swartkops racetrack. It was impressive and accurate.
Available with a variety of on-board cameras, movie film in 16 and 35mm, DVCam and stills, including 5.2
megapixel digital as well as 6x7 film, the helicopter is flown by two people. The one is the actual pilot, and the
other person (it can be the director or the cameraman) controls the camera. All microwave feeds from the helicopter and camera take-offs, are fed via Gigawave Broadcast microwave links. These are picked up either
with a hand-aimed dish, or with the dish mounted on the support vehicle.
Ground pictures from the helicopter are clean, crisp, and immediate, so the director or cameraman is never in
doubt as to the shot. This feed picture is also recorded constantly, so that immediate review is possible while
the helicopter is still in the air.
One interesting fact came to light when I reviewed some sample pictures, and this was the effective 3/4 view from
the helicopter. It can operate in a height zone that is too high for any type of jib, and too low for conventional
aircraft or normal sized choppers. In fact, an ideal height to give depth to the shot, together with an attractive viewing angle. Also interesting, were some of the shots taken on a construction site in Sandton, where the small size and
manoeuverability of this helicopter made shooting in tight confines a breeze.
On a building site in Sandton
Safety has been another important issue on which
they have concentrated. The helicopters have dual
engines, dual fuel supplies, dual servo controls and
seperate battery packs for every function. This means that
cameras, engine, electronics and radio all have their own
power. They have even gone so far as to include a
"glow on" plug unit in the engine management system,
so that the glow plugs are on during the throttling down of the
motors to ensure smooth engine running. I know that they
have more up their sleeve as well, since on my visit I saw
Vincent Cox, who is probably the most knowledgeable person
in this country on film cameras and lenses, giving
valuable assistance and advice with regard to types
and usage of vibration damping lenses.
This is once again a case of showing the world that
South Africans, far from being behind, are actually innovators
and leaders in many forms of technology.
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