Sorry AnFI - I missed your snide little reply to John's post - no more than I have come to expect from you.

John, I take your point but maybe shot variation would be preferable to the same picture where nothing is happening (usually because it is so far after the event) whilst the newsroom anchors fill TV hours with, usually, pointless speculation.

I based my opinion on countless hours of day and night searches with daytime TV/FLIR where the same POV was distinctly undesirable and long periods of hovering, especially at night with few references, were both fatiguing and heavy on fuel burn.

I suspect the other problem with the news gathering, especially in the US, is that every channel will have a camera helo in the air, all vying for the best shot.

crab@, different strokes and all that. Yes, a Sea King with gear up and a relatively unobstructed view all round from the FLIR, plus a very different task, will benefit from a racetrack.

A news Bell 206 (which is, after all, the topic of this thread) will not achieve the primary task of newsgathering by mucking around with the image unless at the specific request of someone higher up the foodchain. They actually like the same picture filling the monitor back in the newsroom, it gives a reference for the story.

Roger that - must be mind-numbingly tedious though - other than the constant fear of VRS, engine failure, TR failure, fire etc:ok:

No, no, no. Dontcha know that only happens in twins ;)