Helicopter or fixed wing aircraft – a stable platform for aerial photography?

There are many ways to elevate a camera to achieve the required angle and content in an image. Photographers undertaking Commercial Aerial Photography have many choices of platforms on which to elevate themselves but the two main options are either a fixed wing aircraft such as a Cessna or a rotary aircraft such as a Robinson Helicopter.

Fixed wing aircraft

Advantages

Disadvantages

Rotary Aircraft

Advantages

Disadvantages

It is clear that both Rotary and Fixed wing aircraft have their advantages and disadvantages and although small rotary aircraft can have comparable running costs they also have reduced cruised speed. Therefore it would take longer to get from site to site which is where economies of scale can be obtained. Therefore if the company has a planned route where there are many sites far apart a more economically cruising aircraft such as a Cessna 172 may be the best option. This type of planning is often the case where Oblique Aerial Photography is required for the commercial property market and large companies will have many sites far apart.

Survey Photography is often undertaken using fixed wing aircraft with a vertical camera. This is because most surveys are required along a fixed route such as a pipe line or a road network and require vertical photography through the bottom of the fuselage of the aircraft.

Event Aerial Photography often benefits from using a rotary aircraft as the ability to remain relatively stationary over the ground allows continuous coverage of one spot. This also allows the aircraft to land nearby in a temporary airfield to refuel before continuing coverage.