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Mailinglist:PanoTools
Sender:Edward Fink
Date/Time:2005-Jun-10 06:27:04
Subject:RE: Re: helicopter panorama - consider a different pilot

Thread:


PanoTools: RE: Re: helicopter panorama - consider a different pilot Edward Fink 2005-Jun-10 06:27:04
	I have no intention of badmouthing the pilot, at least not until
I can fly a helicopter better than he can.  In fact, if the client
decides to try again, I'd probably vote to use the same pilot again,
just because I'm already familiar with him and his helicopter, and I
know what to expect.

	But I would not have the pilot do the rotation for me next time.
Clearly it isn't an easy task and right now I have no reason to think
that this pilot or any other could definitely nail it on the next try.

	I finally got in touch with an old friend in Sweden that's a
helicopter pilot, and he says it's the turning around that's causing the
problems, especially since we weren't flying in zero wind.  He says that
in the time it took to shoot the series, we rotated from a headwind to a
sidewind to a tailwind and another sidewind, which was almost certain to
cause us to move.  He said it would be far easier for any pilot to hover
flying into the wind, without trying to rotate.

	It's also VERY difficult to see exactly what we were over. We're
a half mile up.  I was leaning way out and had a far better view than
the pilot, and it was hard for me to tell if we were really over the
building or the street, or the parking lot across the street, especially
as we rotated.  It seemed to vary depending on how far I was leaning out
too.  You almost need something like a bomb sight to tell for certain.

	My biggest complaint with the pilot is something that's not
really his fault:  he's not as enthusiastic about the project as I am.
It seems to be just another flying job to him, rather than him being
like a partner or team member actively working to find a solution.  To
me, the ideal pilot would be somebody who is excited about VR and wants
to help make a killer aerial VR so he can get a copy for his website.

	Also, I should point out that I'm not in charge of the project,
so it isn't up to me which of everyone's suggestions to implement.  The
client is an ex pilot (not helicopter), plus he's done cylindrical VR's
before, so he's making a lot of the decisions about the flying and the
photography.  I pass the tips on, along with my opinion, but I'm not
footing the bill so I don't get to call the shots.  (Maybe I will
though, because I can be very stubborn and independent about some
things, and if push comes to shove, I just might pay for my own flight
so that I'm free to try whatever I want, and to prove I can do it.)

	Next time, I only have faith in trying two options.  One is to
rent a camera, maybe a film camera, with a 1.0 crop factor so I can get
a full 180 degree circle, and hang that from a tether or pole under the
landing skid.  The other is to put my D70 on a pole, either upside down,
extended under the landing skids, or sideways several feet out past the
landing skid (like Willy's monopod shots over the railing.)  I
downloaded Nikon Capture tonight and tomorrow I'll pick up a USB
extension cable so I can fire the camera from my laptop for some pole
tests.

	The pilot said he was "intrigued" by the idea of hanging a pole
underneath, but on the other hand he seems nervous about it and hasn't
really signed off on the idea yet.  He did say there were no regulations
against it as long as I didn't drop it on anyone's head.  He said he
likes to drop ping pong balls from the helicopter. :)

	I wouldn't mind trying some of the suggestions like making
cloverleaf passes over the location, and/or having spotters on the
ground, but because that leaves me too dependent on others, I think I'd
only do it as an experiment after shooting with the pole. 

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: #removed# [mailto:#removed#] On
Behalf Of tflyfish2002
Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 1:06 PM
To: #removed#
Subject: [PanoTools] Re: helicopter panorama - consider a different
pilot

With respect, I doubt if there is anything wrong with the pilot, but
more with your technique and understanding of the problem.  You have
been offered several good solutions to your not being able to shoot a
decent pano, have you tried any of them? You could do a dummy run from
the top of a step ladder.
 Please don't diss someone who is a professional whilst you are just
begining to understand the problem.

Barry
--- In #removed#, "Mark D. Fink" <#removed#> wrote:
> This might be a good topic for a Wiki page - local ancillary
services that
> provide good (or bad) services. If anyone else happened to get an
assignment
> for aerial photography in your area, I'm sure the last thing they
would want
> is to hire this pilot and find out the hard way that his attitude
gets in
> the way of getting the job done. 
> 
>  
> 
> Mark
> 
> www.northernlight.net <http://www.northernlight.net/> 
> 
>  
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: #removed# [mailto:#removed#]
On Behalf
> Of Eric O'Brien
> Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 12:46 AM
> To: #removed#
> Subject: [PanoTools] Re: helicopter panorama - consider a different
pilot
> 
>  
> 
> On Jun 8, 2005, at 2:37 PM, Edward Fink wrote:
> >
> >> Also I wonder why you didn't take the time to direct the pilot over
a
> > vertical edge pointing to you as I suggested...
> >
> > The pilot doesn't appear to place much value in suggestions from
mere
> > mortals.
> 
> Umm...
> 
> I think you may need a different pilot.
> 
> You are not "a mere mortal" -- you are his CLIENT.  How long would you

> get away with treating your clients like that??
> 
> 
> You are paying him money for a service.  For that pay, he should be 
> VERY interested in accommodating your needs.  If he feels that he 
> cannot accommodate your needs, he should be forthright about that.  
> Otherwise, he AT LEAST should be willing to work with you.
> 
> 
> There must be more than one helicopter pilot in Minneapolis!
> 
> eo
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> 
> 
> 
> 
>   _____  
> 
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> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




 
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