3 Helicopters over Edinburgh?

[ninja-lewis]

Right now, there are what appear to be 2 police helicopters and a third unknown flying around Edinburgh city centre. The two police ones seem to circling the third. Anyone know what's happening?

[handysnaks]

I believe they're looking for paarmo ;)

[Fortyodd2]

:D:D:D:D Now that is funny!!!!!!:E:E:E

[eoincarey]

by odd coincidence, I was chatting to the BUPA run commentator for tommorow in the Novotel bar just down the road from where these helicopters were operating. He said it was news helicopters practicing filming for tommorrows 'run of deathly misery'. No intrigue unfortunately.

Mind you, did look a bit like Independence Day at one point with the three of them in a Vee formation sat above the Student Union. Probs just checking out the talent.

ETC

[Whirlygig]

Was one of the helis maroon by any chance ? Was indeed a practice (and now the real thing) for some "fun run"

Cheers

Whirls

[WylieCoyote]

One was filming the 10k run, the other two were providing downlink.

[Beamish Boy]

My colleagues tell me that it was a great sucess. Well done PDG.:D

[SimonHayEsq]

Hey guys,
I saw the choppers. In fact I was up on my roof watching them for an hour or so. I don think they were filming anything to be honest. Firstly the media don't hire Police choppers, and being 3 of them Its just not he case.

The other 2 weren't providing an uplink for anything, they would have had a mobile satellite on a van for that sort of feed and indeed the whole event.

I find it legally very unlikely that any low altitude training exercise would take place during the middle of the day over Edinburgh, or any city.

The most fundamental problem with this is there were no choppers out for the run itself.

Anyone clear this up any better?!?!?!?

[ShyTorque]

He said it was news helicopters practicing filming for tommorrows 'run of deathly misery'.

Why does it always have to be about Gordon Brown? :p

[FloaterNorthWest]

Simon,

In answer to your questions.

1. How did you know they were Police helicopters? Was it the paint scheme or the aircraft type? When the Police fleet was upgraded to 135/902 all of the AS355s were sold to other operators. Most of them left them in the same colour scheme to save expense plus it is a recognised high visibility scheme for low flying aircraft. A lot of these aircraft are used for utility and aerial work like airborne rebroadcast.........

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/GImages/G-NTWK002.JPG
Could this be what you saw?

2. Go to any big event that requires on course cameras, spread over a large area and with some that need to move with the action then you will need to get their broadcast signal to a central production vehicle and then a "satellite van" for onward broadcast to the network. The cameraman standing on the back of the motorbike filming the runners in amost the buildings of the city with no line of site to the satellite van. He will transmit to a rebroadcast helicopter who will have line of site with both camera and van. The rebroadcast aircraft are easy to spot as they usually sit in a higher altitude in the hover or flying small orbits. Camera aircraft tend to be lower and follow the action. They may have had two rebroadcast aircraft as there was a lot of cameras to service or they may have been doing a running "relief in place" to give continuous coverage.

Hope that helps?

FNW

[SimonHayEsq]

Hi,
thanks for the reply. Yeah one of the choppers did look like that and had a camera on the front. But the other 2 were Police as they had police written on them. Again, I live on the edge of the meadows and I didn't see anything even coming close to that on the day of the race itself.

Did anyone else see 3 helicopters flying in that way or that low on the day of the run?

thanks again,

Sim.

[Whirlygig]

The helicopters were all involved in the televising of the 10k run.

It is not unknown for some "police" helicopters to have a part-time job in rebroadcast work :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[Staticdroop]

I thought the title was the start of a good joke...:ok:

[farmpilot]

We routinely use three helicopters for filming in Cape Town. One has the camera and follows the race lead, one receives the link from the lead mens' motorbike camera and the third machine receives the lead womens' signal.

[KNIEVEL77]

In answer to the original post, I was the Sound Engineer responsible for the sound transmitted for the Bupa Great Edinburgh 10k on Sunday shown live on Channel 5 and 'farmpilot' is spot on.......the first helicopter was beaming live pictures of the race down to our scanner, the other two helicopters each had their dedicated motorbike cameras for which they are used to down link the relevant pictures to us in the TV Compound. None of the helicopters were Police Helicopters but no doubt the Police Helicopter was in the vacinity to keep an eye on the crowds attending the many events taking place in Edinburgh this weekend.
Hope this answers the question.

[jivusajob]

No police helicopters over Edinburgh. They don't have one.........
Only Police helicopter in Scotland is Strathclyde's based in Glasgow.

[JimBall]

This thread frightens the life out of me.
Lord forbid that I should ever have to face a jury and/or the evidence of the public.

[chriswhi]

Jim you are so right !!!!!

[Tarman]

You're right, Scotland has 1 Police machine and that's an EC135. I've never heard of a Police machine working for a TV company for extra income and a quick check of PDG's fleet on G-INFO shows 2 twin Squirrels painted Yellow and Black.
It's not rocket science ! If you don't know what's going on . . . . . . . .stop guessing !!

[Floppy Link]

...no doubt the Police Helicopter was in the vicinity to keep an eye on the crowds attending the many events...

Another huge assumption there. Facts not assumptions! It's the Strathclyde Police helicopter, not Lothian and Borders. Occasionally it'll help with major out of force tasks but this probably wasn't one of them.

...probably...:)

[misterbonkers]

It was 3 x PDG AS355s. One Black and Yellow. Two Maroon.

[JimBall]

The accuracy continues to improve......:)

No wonder we get all these spurious UFO reports.......these helicopters were doing no more than 60kts in tight orbits, yet there were apparently 2 "police" machines !

[Whirlygig]

I've never heard of a Police machine working for a TV company for extra income
At one time, the Bolkow used by Norfolk Constab was also used for rebro work for Commonwealth Games and Great Fun Runs. I wasn't guessing. :ok:

Cheers

Whirls

[JimBall]

"Great Fun Runs" : surely a contradiction ?

[Whirlygig]

An oxymoron indeed :ok: to encompass Great North Run, London Marathon, yada, yada, yada ...

Cheers

Whirls

[FloaterNorthWest]

Whirly,

Norfolk Police don't own a Police helicopter they charter/lease from Sterling helicopters so technically NO Police helicopter has worked for a TV company :}

FNW

[Whirlygig]

Technically :}

It still looks like a police helicopter ;)

Cheers

Whirls

[FloaterNorthWest]

Ohhhhhhh No It doesn't

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/GImages/G-BFYA002.jpg

Sorry slow day!

FNW

[Whirlygig]

Ohhhhh yes it does :ok:

One has intimate knowledge of G-BFYA; after all, it and its pilot got me into this mess :}

Cheers

Whirls

[Airport1975]

10am Sunday Morning

They are up there again. I live west side of leith walk overlooking Arthurs seat and castle - Looks like they are over London Road.

[Martin Barclay]

Bupa Great Edinburgh Run!

TV? Police? Just general interest. Edinburgh is quite a big place, lots of sky, good ATC. What is the point being made?

[Whirlygig]

TV most likely as it's being broadcast live. One helicopter for aerial camera and two for live rebroadcast.

Cheers

Whirls

[bolkow]

G_BFYA is still around then? At one time it was averitai machine and was borrowed by Irish Helicopters when their lighthouse releif bolkow was down for maintainance. Colour scheme was a lot different back then though.

[mickjoebill]

Dig those high heels on blondi!


Mickjoebill