What type of helicopters do we use?

What type of helicopters do you use?

And why do you use them? ????


This is a question I get asked quite often.

As an aerial photographer, I’ve been in many different choppers over the years. In fact, I have even owned my own helicopter for a number of years…

For aerial still photography, we usually don’t need an overly large aircraft depending on the job we have been contracted to do. What we’re mainly concerned with is keeping the cost down for our clients and making sure the chosen helicopter has a decent speed to travel between sites quickly.

We also need to ensure there’s ample space for our crew and equipment. For our needs here at Airview, the Robinson R44 is our helicopter of choice. The R44 is a 4 seat piston engine helicopter that provides good speed and operational space for most aerial shoots. It’s also more affordable than it’s jet engine counterparts.

Sometimes, our clients or their creative teams want or need to join us on a particular flight.

When this happens we opt for a larger jet engine helicopter. These are usually Bell Jetrangers or Eurocopter Squirrel helicopters.

However, the price is often twice as much as the R44.

Essentially, we use the helicopter that’s best suited to the needs of your particular project and most of the time that’s the R44.