What’s New
Here’s the latest news from Airborne Images. Check back often to learn about the latest projects we’re working on and what we’ve been shooting.
Power line project
The power line construction project is up to full speed now. We are working with six helicopters on our segment of the project in Bouquet Canyon, North of Los Angeles. In this picture, Aaron is landing N888SD, an MD500E owned and operated by Summit Helicopter, on the touchdown pad at tower site 65 on April 1st. Bouquet Canyon reservoir is visible in the background, and thankfully, the weather is perfect after many weeks of challenging and cold weather. This pad is situated at around 2,800msl and has no real obstructions around it, making it perfect for photo opportunities. Aaron is flying in support one of the subcontractors on the project. Photo by Mike Mitchell
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 04/03 at 08:55 AM
2009 NBA All-Star game
Spike and Aaron doing some lens maintenance on the Sequoia camera rig at the NBA All-Star game in Phoenix. This is the newest Sequoia HD gimbal deployed on the Cablecam system. This was the third year we shot the NBA All-Star week for TNT. Blake Chapman of Cablecam took this photo on February 14th, just prior to the Skills Challenge and Slam Dunk competition.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 02/15 at 01:32 PM
Alaska Week Aerials
This is ‘Dirty Jobs’ Director of Photography, Doug Glover with the camera ship in Alaska on February 10th. Doug, pilot Dave King and Aerial DP Carston Bell were shooting some spectacular aerial footage for the show and for Discovery’s Alaska Week. Airborne Images is proud to have provided aerial assets and coordination for several shows in Alaska this season with over 40 shooting days in a wide variety of conditions. This picture was taken by Carston and shows Doug and Dave (at the controls of his helicopter) overlooking the Knik Glacier near Palmer, Alaska.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 02/14 at 01:26 PM
Airborne Images and Dirty Jobs in Alaska
Carston brings some sunshine to the Cineflex near Big Lake, Alaska on February 9th. Dirty Jobs was doing two stories in the Palmer area for Discovery’s upcoming Alaska week so Carston was busy for several days shooting aerials with pilot Dave King from Last Frontier Air Ventures. The temperature was around 10 degrees on all three shoot days. Carston actually enjoys the cold weather, but the Cineflex doesn’t, so he is applying a little gentle heat to expedite the boot up. This photo was taken by Dirty Jobs Producer/Director David Barsky.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 02/14 at 10:44 AM
Carston in Northern Alberta
Carston Bell, intrepid Aerial DP, pictured during a fuel stop on his latest Airborne Images project. This photo was taken at a fuel cache near Peace River, Alberta. Carston was shooting Aerial footage for the latest installment of Discovery’s popular show, Extreme Loggers. This episode featured the Ice Loggers of Northern Alberta and Carston was enjoying some cold but very sunny weather during the shoot. The helicopter, an AS350B2, from Highland Helicopters was flown by pilot Darry Markle and was equipped with an Angel City Air Cineflex V14. Photo by Brian Kuennen
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 01/30 at 07:43 PM
Power line project, Los Angeles County
Aaron in a MD520N on December 8. We are flying in support of a major power line construction project north of Los Angeles. The MD520N is a fun little helicopter and good fit for the type of flying that this job requires. This helicopter, N451WT, is being operated by Summit Helicopter in Pacoima, CA for the duration of the project. Dave Martin and Aaron Fitzgerald are the primary pilots for this contract and it should keep everyone busy for the forseeable future. This photo was taken by Mike McCoy Sr. at the Pumpkin Patch landing zone.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 12/09 at 08:12 PM
2008 Grey Cup, Montreal
Airborne Images provides camera operators for a variety of live broadcast events such as the Grey Cup. The Grey Cup is the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and this year, the 96th game, was held at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec on Sunday the 23rd. The game was broadcast for the first time on TSN this year after many years on CBC. This picture was taken shortly after the game, and shows a very happy Calgary Stampeder, Mike Labinjo, with me, celebrating his 22-14 victory over the Montreal Alouettes. (The Cablecam is above and behind us.) Mike is a star defensive end for the Stampeders and had several tackles, a sack, and a few batted passes in the victory. This was my third Grey Cup and I hope to shoot many more. Photo by Josh Helling.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 11/25 at 10:15 PM
Red Bull Air Force jump into Formula Drift Championships in Long Beach, CA
This is Luke Aikins from the Red Bull Air Force stepping off the skid of my helicopter on Sunday November 16th. He and Clint Clawson jumped into the Formula Drift competition in Long Beach harbor. The harbor is visible behind Luke, as is the smoke in the air from the latest round of Southern California brush fires. We were at 5000 feet AGL for this jump and, as always, Othar Lawrence was in charge of this demonstration. Alex Keller, another helicopter pilot, was in the rear seat and took this photo.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 11/20 at 09:15 AM
Mirror image taken by Luke
This is the photo from Luke’s helmet camera taken at the exact moment as the one Alex took. The helicopter is 1012K, a new AS350B2 owned and operated by HeliFilms. That is Alex Keller in the back seat taking the picture, and me in the pilot seat, pretending to be serious. Photo by Luke Aikins.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 11/19 at 09:56 AM
Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA
Watching the sunset over the marine layer at the end of the day in Monterey. I was flying the microwave relay helicopter over Laguna Seca Raceway for the season finale race of the American Le Mans Series on October 18th. This was most likely the last race that this function will be performed by a helicopter, as it is being replaced by a ground-based fiber optic system. I had fun doing this job for a number of races over the years and the Broadcast Sports guys are always a pleasure to work with. I was flying the venerable Jetranger N25AJ, operated by Orbic Air in Los Angeles.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 10/19 at 10:36 PM
Talkeetna, Alaska
Aerial DP Rich Prickett on location in Alaska, North of Talkeetna. Rich is working on the latest Airborne Images project, “Out of the Wild, Surviving Alaska” scheduled to air on Discovery in March. He will spend a little more than a month in Alaska, having a great adventure and capturing spectacular aerials. He is standing next to an AS350B2 with a Cineflex V14 HD gimbal.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 09/23 at 11:54 PM
Aerial DP Carston Bell used this Bell 407 from E & B Helicopters in Cambpell River, BC to shoot epic aerials for the third installment of Discovery’s ‘Extreme Logging’. Airborne Images is the provider of Aerial Production Services and aerial coordination for ‘Extreme Logging’. Carston reports that E & B Helicopters were more than up to the task and highly recommends them. Previously, he shot aerials for this show in North Carolina and Tennessee. (The next three will be shot in a very remote, as of yet undisclosed location.) This photo was taken at the Coulson logging support camp in Stewardson Inlet, B.C. by Carston Bell.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 09/22 at 03:59 PM
Carston setting up his new helicopter, N91NE, for a shoot over downtown Los Angeles on July17th. This is the latest AS350B2 in the Angel City Air fleet. We were out getting a shot for a corporate client that involved shooting through a window with a pull-back reveal of the Los Angeles skyline at dusk. The shot turned out beautifully and it was a real pleasure to fly a brand new helicopter.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 07/18 at 08:54 PM
Here is a shot from this year’s Baja 500 race in Mexico. I flew the support helicopter for Robby Gordon’s off road team and their Hummer trophy truck. Jonathan Gunn is their regular pilot, but couldn’t make it this year so I was happy to fill in for him. The team is great and it was a lot of fun working with them. The helicopter is 101HX, but everyone calls her ‘Goldmember’.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 06/25 at 03:28 PM
This was Aaron on the ferry flight home from the NASCAR race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma. The picture was taken by Lance Strumpf from a Twinstar over Hollister, CA on June 23. The race was fun and it was great to work in Napa again this year.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 06/23 at 07:46 PM
Aaron on the track at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, OR during the U.S. track and field championships. This is the Olympic trials meet. We were there doing the HD aerials for the live broadcast on NBC. Aaron was working as the aerial DP for Winged Vision of Gaithersburg MD. This photo was taken by Richard Crofton-Sleigh shortly after the finish of the women’s 100m semis.
Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 06/02 at 09:38 AM
As the Aerial Coordinator for the Discovery show ‘Dirty Jobs’ I get to see a lot of unusual places. Airborne Images provides all the aerial production resources for ‘Dirty Jobs’ and I really enjoy working with the crew. Here we are on the salt bed at Trona, preparing to shoot Mike learning about a mineral mining operation. (l to r) Me, Sound Technician Chris Jones, and host Mike Rowe. The helicopter in the background is N1231A, a sweet-flying AS350B2 that is owned and operated by Angel City Air in Los Angeles. I was the pilot and Carston Bell was the aerial DP. Carston and I work together on the majority of the ‘Dirty Jobs’ aerial shoots. Photo by Carston Bell Posted by Aaron Fitzgerald on 10/10 at 07:40 AM
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Extreme Logging, British Columbia
Carston knows the importance of looking cool
Baja 500
114MX over Hollister, CA
U.S. Track & Field Championships
Dirty Jobs shoot in Trona, CA
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