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Posts Tagged ‘HELICOPTER’

NASA Ingenuity helicopter prepares for the first powered, controlled flight on another planet

25 Mar

NASA has announced that it is preparing to launch its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter no earlier than April 8. Ingenuity’s maiden flight will mark the first attempt at a powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. Before Ingenuity can lift off, the team must meet numerous challenging milestones.

The Mars Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on February 18. Since then, the rover has been sending important images and data back to Earth while the team goes through different instrument checks and testing procedures. Since then, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has remained attached to the belly of Perseverance.

However, the operation has experienced progress. On March 21, Perseverance deployed the ‘guitar-case shaped graphite composite debris shield’ that protected Ingenuity when Perseverance landed last month. Perseverance is now in transit to the ‘airfield’ where Ingenuity will attempt to fly. After Ingenuity is deployed, the helicopter will have 30 Martian days, known as sols, to perform its test flight campaign. This is equal to 31 Earth days.

‘When NASA’s Sojourner rover landed on Mars in 1997, it proved that roving the Red Planet was possible and completely redefined our approach to how we explore Mars. Similarly, we want to learn about the potential Ingenuity has for the future of science research,’ said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. ‘Aptly named, Ingenuity is a technology demonstration that aims to be the first powered flight on another world and, if successful, could further expand our horizons and broaden the scope of what is possible with Mars exploration.’

‘When NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter attempts its first test flight on the Red Planet, the agency’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will be close by, as seen in this artist’s concept.’ Caption and image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

It’s difficult enough to get a helicopter to Mars, and that accomplishment is the result of years of work by many talented people and considerable financial resources. When designing Ingenuity, the team had to ensure it was small and light enough to be an acceptable payload for Perseverance. The helicopter is solar-powered, and it must be efficient enough to have the required energy to operate on Mars and survive cold Martian nights.

There are significant challenges to flying on Mars. The Red Planet has about one-third of Earth’s gravity, for starters, and the atmosphere is also only 1% as dense as Earth’s at the surface. The weather poses unique challenges, with nighttime temperatures dropping to -130° F (-90° C), which can wreak havoc on electrical components.

‘Members of the NASA Mars Helicopter team inspect the flight model (the actual vehicle going to the Red Planet), inside the Space Simulator, a 25-foot-wide (7.62-meter-wide) vacuum chamber at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, on February 1, 2019.’ Caption and image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

‘Every step we have taken since this journey began six years ago has been uncharted territory in the history of aircraft,’ said Bob Balaram, Mars Helicopter chief engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. ‘And while getting deployed to the surface will be a big challenge, surviving that first night on Mars alone, without the rover protecting it and keeping it powered, will be an even bigger one.’

Once Ingenuity is in place, squarely in the center of its 33′ x 33′ (10m x 10m) airfield, the complicated deployment process can begin. ‘As with everything with the helicopter, this type of deployment has never been done before,’ said Farah Alibay, Mars Helicopter integration lead for the Perseverance rover. ‘Once we start the deployment there is no turning back. All activities are closely coordinated, irreversible, and dependent on each other…’

‘NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover’s descent stage was recently stacked atop the rover at Kennedy Space Center, and the two were placed in the back shell that will help protect them on their journey to Mars. In this image, taken on April 29, 2020, the underside of the rover is visible, along with the Ingenuity helicopter attached (lower center of the image). The outer ring is the base of the back shell, while the bell-shaped objects covered in red material are covers for engine nozzles on the descent stage. The wheels are covered in a protective material that will be removed before launch.’ Image and caption credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

If all goes according to plan, the deployment process will take six sols. On the sixth scheduled sol of the deployment phase, NASA states that ‘the team will need to confirm three things: that Ingenuity’s four legs are firmly on the surface of Jezero Crater, that the rover did, indeed, drive about 16 feet (about 5 meters) away, and that both helicopter and rover are communicating via their onboard radios. This milestone also initiates the 30-sol clock during which time all preflight checks and flight tests must take place.’

Artist’s rendition of the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Ingenuity is not carrying special instruments, and unlike the rest of the mission, its goals are not scientific. Ingenuity is solely an experimental engineering test flight. The team wants to see if it can fly on Mars. When Ingenuity is ready to fly, JPL mission controllers will send and receive flight instructions through Perseverance. Hopefully, early next month, Ingenuity will successfully launch from Mars’ surface. When it does, it will mark a monumental achievement for NASA, JPL and countless others.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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East River helicopter tragedy prompts FAA to halt some doors-off flights

20 Mar
Doors-off flight experiences promoted by FlyNYON. Last Sunday’s tragic flight was booked through the company, and operated by Liberty Helicopters.

A photo tour helicopter crash in New York’s East River that claimed the lives of five passengers has prompted closer scrutiny of doors-off flights. For now, the Federal Aviation Administration has ordered a stop to such flights involving restraints that can’t be released quickly in the event of an emergency.

Doors-off helicopter tours are popular among sightseers and aerial photographers, and typically involve sturdy restraints so that passengers can safely lean toward the open sides of the aircraft for better views. Unfortunately, as was the case in last Sunday’s crash, these harnesses can also prevent passengers from escaping a helicopter in the event of an emergency water landing.

Not all doors-off flights operate with the same kinds of harnesses. Some use restraints that allow less freedom of movement, but can be removed more quickly in an emergency. Travel Resource Editor Michael Bonocore wrote recently about his experience in such a doors-off flight.

Less restrictive – and harder to remove – harnesses allow passengers to capture popular ‘shoe selfie’ shots as they can move with more freedom. Last Sunday’s flight employed these kinds of harnesses, as demonstrated for the Associated Press in the video below.

The FAA states that in addition to ordering operators to mitigate the risks of these kinds of harnesses, it will also review its own regulations to identify any potential misapplications.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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NYC photo tour helicopter crashes in the East River, claiming five lives

13 Mar

A photo tour helicopter crashed into New York City’s East River on Sunday, claiming the lives of the five passengers who were onboard. The helicopter was owned and operated by New Jersey-based Liberty Helicopters as part of a doors-off photo tour that allows passengers to take aerial images of the city.

According to the New York Times, the tragedy was caused by engine failure. The helicopter’s pilot, Richard Vance, made an emergency call shortly after taking off, later telling investigators that the fuel shut-off switch may have been accidentally hit by a passenger or some onboard equipment.

Vance reportedly aimed toward the river as an emergency landing site to avoid crashing in Manhattan; however, after hitting the water, the helicopter’s inflatable pontoons were unable to keep the chopper upright. The helicopter quickly capsized, and though Vance was able to escape and scream for help, the passengers were unable to cut themselves loose from the heavy-duty harnesses that are used as part of these doors-off tour.

Firefighter and police divers worked as quickly as they could against 5 mph currents to try and free the passengers, but they were not able to rescue any of them in time.

The tragedy highlights concerns about marketing helicopter photo tours to tourists. These doors-off tours require strapping passengers into the helicopter using heavy-duty harnesses, equipping them with only a knife to cut themselves free in the event of a crash. And while all passengers must watch a short safety video, this is hardly adequate training to deal with an actual emergency.

According to the Times, the passengers on this helicopter tour were shown a 10-minute safety video about using the knife to escape the harnesses; however, the video didn’t include instructions on cutting through nylon ties during a water landing. Critics have long called on officials to restrict helicopter traffic over Manhattan, but the latest incident has also called into question whether the doors-off photo tourism industry should face greater regulation.

An investigation into the crash, including why the helicopter’s inflatable pontoons failed to prevent the vehicle from sinking, is still underway.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Drone may have caused helicopter crash in South Carolina

21 Feb

Officials are investigating whether a recent helicopter crash near Charleston, South Carolina, was caused by a civilian drone operated nearby. The accident, which happened last Wednesday, involved a Robinson Helicopter Co. R22 helicopter carrying an instructor pilot and student.

The two are reporting that a small UAV flew directly in their path, forcing the instructor to perform evasive action. That evasive action, unfortunately, caused the helicopter’s tail to hit a tree, which sent the helicopter into a crash landing, according to Bloomberg. Sources speaking to the publication report that the helicopter’s tail was severely damaged; fortunately, neither person was injured.

A National Transportation Safety Board spokesman confirmed to Bloomberg that it is looking into initial reports claiming a drone contributed to the crash. Assuming that’s true, this would be the first time that a drone has caused an aircraft crash in the US. The FAA hasn’t commented on the possibly of a drone’s involvement.

Reports of drones being operated illegally, near-misses with aircraft, and even possible collisions are increasing. In recent days, a video surfaced of a drone being operated directly above a commercial passenger jet in Las Vegas. Following that, more recent reports claim a drone struck a tour helicopter in Hawaii. Canadian officials also recently released a report detailing a collision between a drone and a small plane.

Though the drone model hasn’t been stated (and may not be known), Chinese drone maker DJI has preemptively released a statement on the matter, saying:

DJI is trying to learn more about this incident and stands ready to assist investigators. While we cannot comment on what may have happened here, DJI is the industry leader in developing educational and technological solutions to help drone pilots steer clear of traditional aircraft.

Last year, DJI introduced a system called AeroScope that helps law enforcement and airport officials identify drones being operated in restricted airspace.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Shooting K?lauea Volcano, Part 4: From a helicopter

21 Jan

In the first part of this series, I talked about shooting Kilauea’s lava surface-flows using a drone. In the second part, I talked about shooting the lava with a DSLR from the ground. In the third, I talked about shooting from a dedicated lava-viewing boat. I’d like to finish this series with a short article about shooting the lava from a helicopter.

I will also try to sum up the lava shooting part of my Hawaii trip, and survey how it ended up being published.

I was very excited for my lava helicopter flight. After my amazing hike to the surface flows, where I also used (and melted) my drone, and after the sail a few days before, I had already gotten many epic shots and had much less pressure to produce something exceptional. My friend and I decided to only take a (relatively) short 1-hour flight, to experience another way of shooting the lava.

There are several helicopter providers available in Big Island, and they can easily be found online. Remember to schedule your flight several days (a week is recommended) in advance to make sure you get the time slot you want. We chose a sunrise shoot.

Upon reaching the hangar, the helicopter was already stripped of its doors (nothing will come between me and the lava!) and our pilot was making his preparations. We took off quickly and were on our way to the Pu?u ???? Crater.

If you intend to take an open-door helicopter flight in Hawaii, remember to dress well. Hawaii is generally not as hot as one would think (it even snowed on the Big Island recently!), and it can get very cold up in the air on the way to the lava. I’d suggest a serious warm jacket and thick pants to be comfortable. I was a bit under-dressed, so it was a bit chilly on the way there.

Upon reaching the crater itself, I started shooting with a medium telephoto (24-70mm). This would prove the last time I used this lens in the shoot, as I quickly switched to my 70-300mm to get better details.

A lava ‘bird’ in Pu?u ???? Crater.
The wonderful details inside the crater.

The crater was nice but I quickly got bored of it. I knew the real deal was the surface flows with all their beautiful diversity. I was adamant on getting some nice abstracts and natural patterns, so I asked the pilot to leave the crater and find the flows.

Once you start shooting the surface flows, it’s endless. There is so much to choose from and you need to manage the time wisely, since the really good light is extremely short-lived. Try to get the shot and already think on what you want to get next. It’s not my ideal method of producing good shots, but in these conditions, time is a serious bottleneck and there’s just no choice.

The lava surface flows look like painted brush-strokes on the dark earth.

Technically, just like the boat shooting, remember that you’re on a moving, vibrating, flying vehicle: exposure speed should be on the high side.

I was aiming for between 1/500 and 1/1000 of a second (with the 70-300mm) and managed to expose in that range most of the time. ISO settings depend on light, but since this was early morning, I had to use ISO 3200 or 6400 most of the time, unless I was shooting into the crater (where lava was brighter) or when the sun went up a bit. In these cases I went down to ISO 1600.

Contrary to my usual shooting style, I tried to put a large emphasis on abstracts. The lava creates such wonderful patterns and colors, it made sense to concentrate on those alone.

The hardening lava seemed like fabric.

Another cool thing about shooting from the air is the visibility of skylights – underground lava flows that have been partly exposed and are visible from the air.

To sum up, the helicopter shoot was a lot of fun. It’s all so easy: you don’t have to hike 8km, there are lots of opportunities, and you have total control and an infinite choice of subject matter (if the lava cooperates, of course).

We paid about $ 1,700 plus a well-deserved tip to the excellent pilot, whose hovering abilities were off the charts. Not a particularly cheap experience, but worth it to me. Remember, Hawaii is extremely far for me to reach and I wanted to make sure I made every effort to go back home with a good portfolio.

If you enjoy aerial photography and lava, I can highly recommend the heli flight in Big Island.

Series Epilogue

I was incredibly lucky in Hawaii. The surface flows outside the National Park, where I was allowed me to use the drone; the crazy eruptions before my eyes; the action and sunrise in the boat sail; every experience was fantastic. While the Big Island was just part of the trip and I took many more images in Kauai, the lava, and particularly the very first day of my trip, was definitely the main event, and for that I’m thankful.

The trip was very expensive. I knew it would be so in advance, but in the end I spent even more than I thought I would. That’s OK, but bare in mind that a visit isn’t going to come cheap, especially if you want to do all the lava shooting from a boat and a heli. That said, it was more than worth it—it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken, a truly exhilarating experience that I will cherish forever.

The lava shots, and perhaps mainly the fact that I’d melted my drone, meant big publicity in all of the main photographic websites, which was very nice. In addition to lots of licensing deals, my images were on the front page of NatGeo.com (which more than paid for the drone repair) and also the Nat Geo international websites of about 10 countries. Stories about my shoot have been published in over 20 countries and surveyed in countless websites. I’ve been interviewed by Nat Geo and by several international photography and travel sites, as well as by Israeli news sites.

The point is, I had no idea what would come of the Hawaii trip before taking it. It could just as well be bad, with no visible surface flows or (as it is now) no lava in the Ocean Entry. It was a stroke of luck, and happily I was ready to take advantage. I’d like to encourage you to take the risks and, hopefully, you’ll get similar rewards.


Erez Marom is a professional nature photographer, photography guide and traveler based in Israel. You can follow Erez’s work on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to his mailing list for updates.

Erez offers video tutorials discussing his images, and explaining how he achieved them.

If you’d like to experience and shoot some of the most fascinating landscapes on earth with Erez as your guide, take a look at his unique photography workshops in locations such as southern Iceland, Northern Iceland, The Lofoten Islands, Patagonia, Greenland, Namibia and the Faroe Islands.

More in The K?lauea Series:

  • Part 1: How to Melt a Drone
  • Part 2: Grounded
  • Part 3: At Sea

Selected Articles by Erez Marom:

  • Parallelism in Landscape Photography
  • Winds of Change: Shooting changing landscapes
  • Behind the Shot: Dark Matter
  • On the Importance of Naming Images
  • On Causality in Landscape Photography
  • Behind the Shot: Lost in Space
  • The Art of the Unforeground
  • Whatever it Doesn’t Take

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Top Choppers: 15 High-Flying Helicopter Designs & Drones

02 Dec

[ By Steph in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

Helicopter Drone Designs Main

Everybody’s buzzing about Amazon Prime Air, which will bring the products you order from the mega-retailer to your doorstep in just 30 minutes via helicopter drone. So how else is helicopter tech – both manned and unmanned – moving forward into the future? These 15 designs include pedal-powered flying machines, electric helicopters, self-assembling drones and the world’s most expensive helicopter at $ 21 million.

Amazon’s Flying Robot Delivery Drones

Helicopter Designs Amazon Prime Drone

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos revealed the possible delivery method of the future for its Prime consumers: helicopter drones, from the warehouse to your doorstep in 30 minutes. Showing off the prototype on 60 Minutes, Amazon announced that its Prime Air program is slated for rollout in 2015, pending FAA approval. So just a half hour after you hit the ‘buy’ button on a product page, the item you want is dropped off by a propeller-powered robot.

eVolo 18-Rotor Electric Helicopter

Helicopter Concepts eVolo Electric

An 18-rotor electric helicopter made its maiden flight in late November, reaching heights of nearly 22 meters (72 feet.) The eVolo VC200 is capable of carrying two passengers for distances of up to 100km and flight altitudes of up to 6500 feet. It can be disassembled, with all parts connected to an ‘intelligent mesh network’ so that if one or several components fail, the aircraft can still land safely. It’s the first electric helicopter to lift off successfully.

eVolo Personal Helicopter

Helicopters eVolo Personal

Another eVolo design, the Personal Multicopter, can elevate a single passenger into the air with a joystick steering system and sixteen propellers. A team of German professionals completed the first prototype and test flight, and envision its use in the entertainment arena as well as for aerial photography, inspection and short-distance travel. A one-hour flight is estimated to cost just about 6 euro’s worth of electricity, and it can land safetly even if up to four of its motors fail.

Hermes Luxury Helicopter

Helicopters Hermes Luxury

Perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that fashion designers are getting in on the game of designing luxury helicopters, since people with tons of money are always eager for prestigious labels. French fashion company Hermes teamed up with Eurcopter to create L’helicopre par Hermes “for the discerning luxury traveler.” It features a spacious cabin for four, a minimalist color palette, Hermes signature upholstery and calf’s leather banquettes.

Solar Copter

Helicopters Solar Copter

The world’s first solar-powered helicopter isn’t going to lift much of anything up in the air – but it does work. It’s basically a remote-controlled solar panel liftable via four propellers. This project by masters students at Queen Mary University of London may be small, but it could become the basis for larger and more complex designs.

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Top Choppers 15 High Flying Helicopter Designs Drones

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[ By Steph in Technology & Vehicles & Mods. ]

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10 August, 2013 – Edward Curtis and Helicopter Production

10 Aug

Two new articles grace our pages today. The first is titled Edward Curtis, The Man Who Never Slept, by Eric Miola.

The second is the opening helicopter sequence to our Capture One 7 video training tutorial, which we just completed shooting. A helicopter sequence? Seriously? Yup.

"Having been to Antarctica with Michael and Kevin, I would say after having traveled the world and shot nearly my entire life as an exhibiting photographer,  it was one of my highlights in my life and I talk about it, all the time.  The images and experience of seeing something visionary and nearly extinct from the world, to see and experience the wildlife and scenery that does not fear humans is amazing.  The images I shot there won me two Smithsonian awards and nearly 18 other international awards". – Tim Wolcott

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These Expeditions Will Sell Out Quickly. They Always Do

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These Expeditions Will Sell Out Quickly. They Always Do


The Luminous Landscape – What’s New

 
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Flying helicopter camera captures video while streaming to smartphones

26 Jan

mecam_01-540x366.jpeg

San Francisco-based startup Always Innovating has announced that it is working a tiny flying camera designed to follow you around and capture your every move on video which can be streamed directly to an Android smartphone. You’ll be able to control the MeCam – a tiny helicopter-like device – via voice commands and share the video via social media. The MeCam is still in development, but the company claims that it is ‘available for licensing’. Click through to learn more on connect.dpreview.com.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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RC Helicopter Aerial Photography by Flying Camera Systems

18 Nov

www.flyingcamerasystems.com The Flying Camera Systems RC helicopter is perfect for shooting professional quality aerial digital photographs… photo’s with altitude! Flying Camera Systems offers high quality aerial photographic images that would be considered too difficult or too costly to obtain from a full-sized aircraft. Get stunning photographs from normally impractical locations, showcase your event, business, premises or structure in a unique and powerful way using aerial still imagery or video. Introducing Flying Camera Systems After years of development, Flying Camera Systems can now offer clients ranging from private homeowners through to multi-national companies an easy, cost effective, and low pollution solution to aerial photography. The service Flying Camera Systems provide is of particular value in areas near major civilian or military airports where full sized aircraft have severe flight restrictions imposed on them. It is also useful when the costs of using full sized aircraft would be prohibitively expensive. The company uses high quality miniature helicopters; each with a purpose-built mount designed to take a camera (video or photographic), and a video downlink. The system is not subject to the same restrictions that full size aircraft have imposed on them, and can be used in relatively confined areas which open up a new realm of possibilities for aerial photography. The flight team comprises of an experienced pilot with the necessary skills for precise
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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rc helicopter aerial photography

20 May

Flips, rolls, cars, boats, ducks, roos and a Cessna. This and more, captured with two onboard video cameras. I used my Trex 500 helicopter with a flycamone2 mounted to the tail and a sony cybershot digital camera mounted to the skids (using pool noodle foam). This video was NOT done using FPV equipment and is arguably the worlds best non-FPV rc heli aerial video; see comments from “muni86”. The locations are Warrandyte, Wonga Park, Rosebud, Sugarloaf Reservior, Torquay, Melbourne (Alexandra Gardens) and Williamstown (Victoria, Australia). The sound track is “asleep from day” by The Chemical Brothers with Mazzy Star vocals. SUBSCRIBE and RATE if you like my stuff!
Video Rating: 4 / 5