Technique

Depending on the weather conditions, a radio controlled aircraft or a kite rig is used as the camera platform.

Aircraft Rig

The aircraft provides a good platform for days with no wind or light to moderate wind. The range is as far as the eye can see, and the aircraft can reach areas that would otherwise be restricted to full-size aircraft or helicopters. The camera can be tilted from 0° (horizontal) to 90° (vertical) to cover any angle necessary for the specific photoshoot.






Apart from the digital camera, an onboard miniature camera provides a live video feed to the ground station. This camera can pan 180° and tilt 90° and is also controlled from the transmitter. When it is necessary to fly high or far, the aircraft can be flown purely from the screen on the ground station, similar to a flight simulator.

Kite Rig

If the wind picks up and conditions are not ideal for the aircraft, the custom-made kite rig provides an excellent platform for the camera.

The camera rig is suspended several meters below the kite on the kiteline. This self-stabilising camera platform can be rotated 360° and tilted 90° via a transmitter on the ground.

Ground Station

A live video feed from the camera provides the means of seeing what the camera sees at any time.  A video signal is sent down from the aircraft or kite rig, which is received by the ground station receiver. The live image is displayed on a 7" screen which is enclosed in a box to reduce the glare of the sun.