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Evolution of HeliCam Solutions
My story is not much different from the stories posted on the R/C heli forums. In March of 2002, I was filming a golf tournament on a beautiful spring day and I thought how great it would be to film from a
helicopter. I quickly dismissed the idea when I researched the associated costs of renting a full scale helicopter, but then I ran across a web site for remote control helicopters. A possibility was perceived, so I started
researching R/C helicopters and found it was possible to take a camcorder up and get my film. My plan was simple: buy a R/C helicopter cameraship, learn how to fly it, and start filming! That is where my adventure
begins…
First, I could not find an affordable cameraship on the market and, secondly, I bought a computer simulator and discovered just how difficult it is to fly one of these contraptions. I did the smart thing. I
went to the local flying field and asked for the best R/C heli pilot. I found him and hired him to be my pilot for the project. I then bought an ERGO Z230 and began designing a dedicated cameraship. How hard could it be, right?
After driving my pilot crazy for six months with design changes, we actually were in business filming golf courses! In October of 2002, I produced for a local golf course a marketing CD-ROM that included aerial flyovers of all
eighteen holes and aerial shots of the facility. All the film is included in their website as streaming media and it is a great success.
Since that first aerial videography project, I have learned many things. One thing
about doing videography for golf courses: during the winter months when the grass is brown, there is not much work to be had; however, the down time allows me the opportunity to improve on the design of the camera platform and
build models that are best suited for particular shots. I have found the underneath mount to be best when filming at a hover. The front end mount of the heli is best for fast forward shots like filming a golf hole from the tee
box to the green.
It’s two years later and I still don’t know how to fly, but I can hover, so I can at least test a new design without bugging my pilot. I use my pilot on projects because his flying skills
are tremendous and it takes two to film a project. I fly the camera and act as producer, director, safety officer and maintenance.
The idea for starting a cameraship company came to me while reading a post on my favorite
heli forum, RunRyder.com. In the Remote Video and Photography section, a question was asked about how to go about getting video from an R/C heli for a project on a limited budget. The author described how he got his idea and
all the research he had done but he could not find an affordable solution. Knowing how steep his learning curve is going to be if he continues to pursue his idea, I wondered if I should write a book or, at the least, produce a
video on what not to do. Then I thought about the seven heli’s in my workshop that I can only hover and the different styles of mounts that I have designed for specific purposes. One week later, another author ask
“Who is making an affordable camera mount?” Brainstorm: I make affordable camera mounts! Perhaps I should open a business and offer affordable camera mounts for sport and commercial work!
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