Overkill at the Olympic Games

[Nipper2]

The last time I posted here was in August 2004 when I received some very interesting information about helicopter operations at the Athens Olympics.
I am now in Qingdao for the sailing regatta of the Beijing Games.

The TV guys here seem to be using a pair of AS365s for filming and microwave linking. One is fitted with a gyro-stabilised HD camera and the other appears to be purely for link purposes. This looks like overkill to me. The hourly cost of a 365 can't be cheap.

Can anyone throw any light on why they are using such heavy aircraft for a seemingly simple job (Athens was a mixture of 206s and AS355/350s)? Are they civilian run or military in civilian paint?

[rattle]

Agree they are big machines, but it could be that one is doing up and downlinks (rebro) for any on board cameras, or gyro mounts on camera boats. If they are running a lot of channels, the rebro machine could be full of link kit that wouldn't leave much room for a camera op and the associated gear. In the UK, Link XP make a kit that will do all of that from one box, so it is possible to receive three ground cameras I believe and rebro them with the on board heli camera too. And it will go in a 44.

Also, a linking machine will traditionally work higher or in a different position to the needs of the camera ship.

[Bravo73]

The Chinese Army and Police certainly operate plenty of licence built/copied* AS365s: Z-9 (http://www.sinodefence.com/airforce/helicopter/z9.asp).

Knowing how paranoid the Chinese are, I imagine that you are right when you say "military in civilian paint".


*Delete as applicable.

[PANews]

It will be interesting to see what does get into the skies over Beijing. As you may be aware the Chinese have bought a number of police ahelicopters to kick start air support from cold. With the generals controlling the skies will they be able to launch a police mission quickly enough in an emergency? The Beijing police fleet is AgustaWestland based.

Back to your specific post though, a press release was recently issued by...
Axsys Technologies, Inc. announcing that the Bush Administration issued a waiver authorizing the use of Axsys Technologies’ stabilized camera systems at the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games to be held August 8-24, 2008. President George W. Bush has waived the so-called “Tiananmen Square sanctions,” thereby allowing Aerial Camera Systems (ACS) Ltd, an Axsys Technologies customer based in the United Kingdom, to use Axsys Technologies’ V14 High Definition camera systems to provide state-of-the-art footage to viewers around the world. The temporary waiver allows the HD camera systems, which incorporate military-grade stabilizing components, and therefore are normally banned from entering China, to be used during the games.

You may or may not know that there are very strict controls on technology leaving the US and that is why at many 'open' airshows US based manufacturers have to put up with displays of 'empty' sensor pods on booths and seperate secure viewing areas for the 'right' people. It actually gives a degree of advantage to non-US manufacturers that they rarely seem to pull off.

It continues...
During the upcoming Olympic Games, Axsys Technologies’ gyro-stabilized camera systems will be mounted on helicopters, boats, and other vehicles to provide television viewers with a unique perspective of the Olympic proceedings, including the opening and closing ceremonies and a variety of sporting events such as rowing, cycling, and the marathon.

Whether that is what you have seen on that 365 we will have to await. I would have expected that the games will generate more than just a couple of camera ships when it kicks off for real.

[fleigle]

And no doubt "knock-offs" will be on the market within 3 months.....:rolleyes:

[Flying Bull]

Hi Nipper2,

may be it has to do with endurance, especial for the link helicopter.
Flying at Vy the bigger brother, the EC155, can fly up to four hours on the fueload.
Greetings Flying Bull

[chopper2004]

Don't forget there are civil operators like COHC operate 365N2 or N3 I believe :sad:

And China Flying Dragon Service also fly them as well

[Fareastdriver]

It wouldn't have been military. There are quite a few helicopters in China that do media work. I have done it myself on occasions and the big advantage is that can you ask for a clearance from ATC and if they give it to you you are fireproof. Down to thirty metres in Shezhen? Great fun. You can look at your reflection in the tenth floor of an eighty floor office glasshouse quite legally. In Wenzhou I had a TV crew doing a railway station opening. They bigwigs were in convoy in the right hand carriageway and we were filming them at twenty-five feet in the other one with me watching out for overhead traffic lights just in case I got a red and had to stop.

Legalised hooliganism, basically.

[Whirlygig]

My "source" in Beijing tells me the pilots are military, if not the aircraft.

Cheers

Whirls

[Beamish Boy]

When my colleagues flew out 10 days ago to China for the sailing events, they were expecting to use military helicopters flown by military pilots.

BB

[southerncanuck]

has anyone seen an A109 about, big camera and downlink installed????

[Fareastdriver]

My "source" in Beijing tells me the pilots are military, if not the aircraft.

He is probably right. They are not letting civilian helicopters anywhere near the Olympics. During the equestrian events in Hong Kong we have been rerouted to give us an another ten miles seperation.

[Heli-Ice]

Nipper2

Overkill what? In Iceland we use Super Pumas for traffic watch and highway patrol

[Runway101]

During the equestrian events in Hong Kong we have been rerouted to give us an another ten miles seperation.

Wow you are fast, the equestrian events started at around the same time you made your post. What were you flying and what was your route?

[Fareastdriver]

Give me time. The new route goes over a completely different version of China than the last pictures I posted. When the visibility gets up to decent photo standard you will see a totally different world.

[Fareastdriver]

As a matter of interest I have just been watching CCTV1 on Chinese television where a sweet young reporter was giving us the lowdown on the helicopter shots of the games. I know what the inside of a military Z9/365 looks like because the company I work for does their major servicing. This was not a military one. The aircraft interior trim was full civil and both pilots had white shirts and lightweight headsets. I don't think that they would civilianise to that extent.

[ReverseFlight]

You may be aware that the Olympics equestrian cross-country took place in Hong Kong today.

There was an AS355N B-KHS circling 1,000 ft AGL with a gyro-stabilised camera specially attached out front for the entire 3.5 hours of the event. A hire from HeliServices, the local commercial monopoly.

[R.OCKAPE]

1000' agl ? for 3.5 hours. do they have aux tanks in that thing now ?

[ReverseFlight]

Someone must be having a sore left arm and backside tonight with all that HOGE.

Besides, I bet the noise really pissed off the horses !

[Nipper2]

Thanks for all your responses guys. I now have more information myself having been able to speak to the technical staff operating the cameras.

Surprisingly I was able to get right up close and look in detail at the aircraft and installations.

The aircraft are Chinese Navy owned and flown, though in civilian uniforms. They have been painted in the 'Look of the Games' colours. The paint job is pretty rough and ready (over-spray on the transparencies etc.) and the camo-seats and drab harnesses are a dead give away as to the origins of the aircraft. I assume that the deck-lashing eyes are only fitted to naval varients of the type!

I rather got the impression that the guys running the cameras wished they had more experienced aerial filming guys up front.

http://www.photobox.co.uk/my/photo/full?photo_id=1485235467

The endurance is not actually adequate and the aircraft have to return to their operating base for a refuel halfway through the detail. Why they don't have a bowser at their forward operating base in the Olympic marina seems to be a mystery to all concerned.

One aircraft is fitted with a Scorpio Ball. Basically a standard shoulder-mount HD camera fitted into a gyro mount. Nobody seemed to have very much good to say about that one.

The other aircraft has a Cineflex Gyro unit which as discussed above provides some security entertainment. The unit is not allowed to overnight on the Chinese navy base and has to be fitted and removed each day. It is allowed to go back to base for refueling but only on condition it is under watch at all times.

The footage goes via a direct microwave down-link. This link seems quite robust, but the ones from the various boat-mounted cameras are very flaky. There is some speculation that this might be due to interference from military radar.

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/26065543

[Freewheel]

The AS365 will accept the same ferry tank as the AS350/355. Try the photos post.

Don't know about whether the camera operators like the smell of jet fuel through the day though.....


I also doubt the harbin copy will have the right gear though.


On the subject of the TV broadcast - I wouldn't put it past them to put together a mockup for the story to be filmed, or have a "standard bearer" secconded from another purpose, like carrying admirals around in comfort. After all a Brazillion is an awful lot of money and will buy a lot of appearances....

[BlenderPilot]

The local TV network in Mexico City had a Dauphin for almost ten years, and flew it everyday doing news gathering for at least 4 or 5 hours a day,

Now they do the same on an EC-145.

[chopper2004]

Any photos of these Z-9s in Olympic colours, please? As I can't seem to find any on the web :ok:

[Nipper2]

I have finally managed to post some pictures. Please see Here (http://gallery.me.com/peterbentleypictures#100021)

I was not able to find the data-plate on the aircraft (if it is easily accessible and someone can tell me where to find it, I will) but the individual parts tags I could see were all 'Eurocopter'.

[chopper2004]

Nipper2

Thanks for that, much appreciated :)

Not too sure who that operator colour scheme is though :)

[JerryG]

Interesting stuff.

Having supplied all the (ten) broadcast helicopters for Athens, and then performed the same role in Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games and Qatar for the Asian Games, I declined to tender for Beijing. The requirement involved exclusive use of Chinese military pilots and, at one point, excluded westerners from even being in the aircraft. The request to “teach them how to do an Olympics from the air” didn’t seem to acknowledge even a faint understanding of the scale of the task.

The comments above about the helicopters being excluded from the Equestrian airspace seem to be borne out by reports I’m hearing myself. It’s just this kind of thing that we usually spend two years planning and coordinating in order to avoid. It’s a great shame that after carefully gaining the confidence of the Equestrian governing bodies in Athens things seem to have gone backwards in Beijing.

As for the opening ceremony, I wanted to weep. High, wide and general views of stadia went out of the window long ago. When the Cineflex came along we then refined the technique to being able to pick out recognizable individuals in the stadium from 2,000’. Beijing has taken us backwards again. My team in Athens were simultaneously coordinating aerial shots between the stadium, the Acropolis and the Olympic flame on the streets. To have to sit through computer generated aerial images of Beijing (as finally admitted on the news yesterday) because it was “too hard” to do live was particularly painful. Too hard for whom???

The “legalised hooliganism” referred to earlier made it’s mark on the Cycling Road Race. Horrible wide shots coming from a Z9 that was hovering so low over the field of play that the riders must have been lucky not to get blown over. I doubt the cycling authorities will ever let a helicopter near a cycle race again.

It’s a sad week for sports broadcasting and has probably set our industry back by a decade. Let’s hope that London (and Whistler) look to Athens and Sydney as examples of what can be responsibly and professionally achieved by people who have the experience to know what they’re doing, because it sure ain’t happening in China.

If you want to invade Tibet use a military pilot, if you want to broadcast the Olympics use a film pilot……..and preferably not the noisiest airframe on the planet.

[Nipper2]

I'm not working for the media here, but I have done at previous Olympic Games. Everything Jerry says is pretty much correct. I had the opportunity to watch the live feed from a race today and it was shocking. The footage was poor technical quality, horribly composed and edited and almost meaningless in terms of telling the story of a race.

Problems with the helicopters are only the half of it...

Now to get back on topic, can someone please tell this humble fixed wing pilot why when these Z9/365s take-off they pull slowly into a not-so-low hover (perhaps 100 feet), hang for a while and then ever so slowly push over into forward flight? They have a superb operating location with a long enough slab of concrete for me to fly my Tipsy Nipper from so it's definitely not a site limitation.

I was always led to believe you wanted to be low and slow for the minimum possible amount of time when flying one of these loosely connected sets of rotating parts. Have the Chinese also found a way to change the laws of aerodynamics?

[Bravo73]

Now to get back on topic, can someone please tell this humble fixed wing pilot why when these Z9/365s take-off they pull slowly into a not-so-low hover (perhaps 100 feet), hang for a while and then ever so slowly push over into forward flight? They have a superb operating location with a long enough slab of concrete for me to fly my Tipsy Nipper from so it's definitely not a site limitation.

From your description, Nipper2, that sounds like a fairly standard 'Group A, Helipad' departure. The idea is that if you have an engine failure before TDP (Take-Off Decision Point ie 100 feet) then you can reject back onto the helipad. If you have an engine failure immediately after TDP, you should have sufficient height to fly away on the remaining engine. (Think of TDP as roughly equivalent to V1.) This procedure obviously only applies to twin engined helicopters.



I was always led to believe you wanted to be low and slow for the minimum possible amount of time when flying one of these loosely connected sets of rotating parts. Have the Chinese also found a way to change the laws of aerodynamics?

The 'avoid low and slow' (ie what 'we' refer to as the Height/Velocity Curve) particularly applies to single engined helicopters. Although twins also have to be aware of height/speed issues, the idea is that in the event of an engine failure, you should be able to fly away on the remaining engine. (There are, of course, some H/V combinations where particular twins might not be able to fly away though.)


HTH

[tonyosborne]

If you want to invade Tibet use a military pilot, if you want to broadcast the Olympics use a film pilot……..and preferably not the noisiest airframe on the planet.

Just been watching the sailing event at Qingdao on the tele, the noise from the Z-9 was very apparent in the recording, I was expecting to see downwash from it in the footage.

[Runway101]

Here is another bit of info what exactly happened during that helicopter operation at the Olympics 2008 for those who are interested. I found this hands-on report in the newsletter of the Hong Kong Aviation Club. One of their members worked in Beijing on the helicopters.

Note: I am just the one who is posting it, I am not affiliated to the person or her views etc.

Here is the PDF:
http://www.hkaviationclub.com.hk/doc/newsletter/Newsletter%20Sep%202008.pdf#page=4



Beijing Olympic Experience 2008
by Teresa Wong

As a Chinese, a Hong Kong Chinese, it is my honor for being able to serve in the first Chinese Olympic. As a PPL, helicopter pilot, this is a wonderful experience in my life to work with the Chinese Air Force and the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Team.

I was first informed that the job would last for about one month, it would be very tough and very stressful to deal with a lot of multitasking, not only aerial instant interpretation, but also the daily schedule arrangement to coordinate the Air Force’s pilots and their logistic support, a team of interpreters who are professional airline pilots, as well as aerial shooting camera professionals. I said no problem, because I have been managing the most demanding and tough CEO for 22 years, my husband! Before I went to Beijing, I had to prepare myself to fit in that post, including improving my mandarin skill as I am not a professional interpreter, I have to familiarize with the Beijing map in details and the bearings of the new stadiums as well as the military air base. I bought a book with the helicopter’s jargons in Chinese. I have to memorize all the names of the contact persons coming from all over the world, including French, German, Chinese, Canadian and American. Many friends asked me how I got this honorable job, this is because I have a friend knowing BOB.

On 27 JUL 08, about 1100hrs, right after landing Beijing, I rushed to the headquarters of BOB (Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Team). It was the exclusive team for broadcasting the event to the world. It had the ground team with cars, motor bikes and the helicopter team for aerial camera shooting which I worked with.

The first 7 days planned as rig days which were for installing the camera head and radio transmission systems for 6 helicopters. It was unexpectedly tough because the hangar was huge and the weather was hot and dry. I always felt thirsty no matter how many bottles I drank. My workload should have been supported by another 4 persons but I was alone for everything. I was totally exhausted everyday, but I still felt good. It was until when the team arrived I felt relieved. Thereafter I collapsed and had a fever for two days.

In one occasion, I was asked by the Air Force Company Commander why I worked so hard in the Olympic, away from my family and stayed there for a month. I said, because I am a Chinese, and this is my honor to serve my country! He was very impressed and even invited me to join the Communist’s Party!

All helicopters were made in China, 20 plus years old, same as those used in Shek Kong. For aerial shooting, we had to fly very close to the trees, the wires, the poles, the barricades under poor weather condition. We always applied radical steep turns to rush for the best position because there was no “taketwo”,

All air force pilots were young, quite handsome! They were temporarily transferred from Bao Din Airbase, where the best fighter pilots are retained to protect the capital city of China. When flying, they switched on as if in the war zone, they were under stress because they did not want to fail the expectation of the nation. They were well cooperative to the demand we made and made sure that the flying position created the best angles for aerial camera shooting.

For operating 6 helicopters, there were 60 crew members including the Chief, pilots, maintenance team, gatekeepers, control tower and the security team. Apart from BOB’s helicopters, they also have to take care of CCTV’s helicopters, which has long hour of shooting and more frequent sorties for Olympic. They took the shooting from early morning to midnight, not only covering the games, but also for the subsequent documentary. The locals said they were capturing the historical record for the whole nation, so they would do as much as they can. In an occasion, we had to ask the tower to force them to land before we can take off because they were just hanging around our flying route.

I was an interpreter between the pilot and camera operator. BOB employed a French company to set up the transmission system as well as the intercom system in the cockpit. Unluckily, it was not function well as planned. For all the interpreters on board, we have to wear 3 sets of hearing devices. First one was an earpiece for listening to the camera operator only. The second one was a headset hung around the neck for using its speaker to communicate with the camera operator. The third one was the old style headset for communicating with the flying crews. It was an unpleasant experience to hear many voices speaking at the same time, different languages at one moment, and choosing the correct language to answer the right persons, one by one.

Moreover, most of the time, we were very busy for the operating tasks, communicating and identifying for the leading racers, giving out instruction to the pilot. We had to find the most suitable route for tracking the racers, without disturbing the competition and compromise the safety issues. There was no retake, no waiting. To respond immediately was the most important element because the helicopter can’t be flying too slowly or it needed time to go around to the right position again when one shot was over. Each helicopter carried 6 people on board including pilot, copilot, mechanic, camera man, radio transmission technician and interpreter. We didn’t have much cockpit space, worse than any economy class in the world. Sometimes, we had to be on board over 3 hours of flying. Everyone on board was exhausted.

During the game time, we woke up at 0400hrs and arrived to airbase at 0530hrs. We even could enjoy the moment of sun rising and fresh air with a thin layer of fog subside. We usually finished the work by 2200hrs, and after the dinner, I needed to prepare works for the next day. All our land traveling was provided by Beijing Olympic, we had the privilege to keep away from congestion, as our vehicles could use “Olympic special motor lanes”. We could go into any stadiums, free of charge, and get the best viewing seats, as our leisure after works.

The whole 4 weeks in Beijing, I was inspired by the Chinese’s team work, making that first class Olympic in terms of the organizing power of the whole nation, the manpower and also the money power. The attention to details in every segment was well planned and prepared. As a company director and a mother of two kids, I could see that in the coming decades, there would be a lot of opportunities in China.

[Whirlygig]

As a PPL, helicopter pilot, this is a wonderful experience in my life to work with the Chinese Air Force
:eek:Does an HK Chinese PPL have the same licencing rules as everywhere else ???? :eek:

Cheers

Whirls

[TRC]

Quote:
As a PPL, helicopter pilot, this is a wonderful experience in my life to work with the Chinese Air Force

Does an HK Chinese PPL have the same licencing rules as everywhere else ????


Why does someone flying on board a helicopter as an interpreter need a pilot's licence of any sort?

I'm more intrigued by the fact that they were flying six up with all that kit for up to three hours - and one of the POB was a mechanic.

What was he/she supposed to do if something broke or fell off in the middle of a sortie "with no second take"?

[Beamish Boy]

In Qingdao the interpreter was not allowed to talk to the pilot directly. Instructions had to go via a colonel (co pilot?) in the back.:ugh: