AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY
SKYSHOT HELIKITES
Anybody can take professional quality aerial photographs - instantly!
Taken from a 1m3 Skyshot Helikite flying at 400ft. First time, in a couple of minutes, with no tuition.
The greatest advance in aerial photography since the camera.
Why?
The Skyshot Helikite blows away the requirement for technical knowledge of any kind in order to take superb, professional quality aerial photos in almost all conditions. No need to be a light aircraft or helicopter pilot with hundreds of expensive flying hours. No Jeeps with tall, heavy masts required. Geeky model aircraft flying skills are redundant. Expert knowledge of the intricate details of quad-copter propellers, motors, lithium batteries, chargers, radio frequencies, ground control stations and actuators is no longer needed. Forget MHz, watts, amps, volts, RPM, power-to- weight ratios, glide angles, propeller-angle-of-attack, gyros, attenuators, voltage regulators, computer programs etc, etc... If you just want to take superb, professional quality aerial photos without any trouble, then the Skyshot Helikite truly is a revolution.
With all Skyshot Helikites the flight is automatic. Steady, reliable. No wind, or high wind, a Skyshot Helikite is going to fly in a stable manner, whether attached to a person or the ground. Now, with the new 'Action Cam' Skyshot Helikite even the aerial photography is completely automatic. The 'Action Cam' does everything by itself! Skill is not required.
So absolutely anyone can be a great and safe aerial photographer within minutes of opening the Skyshot package. It really is that easy. Simple, reliable and safe aerial photography has never been possible before.
Skyshot Helikites are not toys or unstable balloons. They are serious aerostats in miniature. Used by the Special Forces of numerous countries for various duties, they will fly in conditions which defeat other aerostats many times larger. These are professional pieces of equipment designed to operate reliably all the time. They are designed for business as much as pleasure. Skyshot Helikites can be relied on when you need them.
SKYSHOT APPLICATIONS
REAL ESTATE - Great aerial photos sells homes, land and industrial buildings far faster than normal photos. 'Action Cam' Skyshot Helikites make taking the photos so easy that any member of staff can take good photos for just the small cost of a few minutes of their time. All houses can be photographed both in town and countryside. The larger Skyshot Helikites are suited to the specialist aerial photographer. Clients love this service, and Skyshot Helikites can provide it at minimal cost.
SURVEYING - Aerial photogrammetry is by far the fastest and most accurate way of measuring large areas of land. Great for building plots, boundary disputes etc. Skyshot Helikites make this extremely easy compared to all other surveying methods.
SCIENCES - Skyshot Helikites are invaluable tools for geography, geology, ecology, pollution measurement, biology, archaeology, oceanic science and meteorology. Every natural scientist should have a Skyshot Helikite.
FARMING - Measure crop growth, spot disease, check for water deficiency and plant stress from the air. Increase yields by using near-infra red or normal spectrum aerial photography to monitor thousands of acres of crops fast.
ENVIRONMENT - Skyshot Helikites can measure oil-spills from boats at sea. They can monitor habitat destruction caused by over-farming, fires, landslides, flooding, urban sprawl, roads, etc.
PLANNING - Excellent for providing overview of a developers proposed site. Aids the granting of planning permission. Also, great for showing the view from future high rise developments to increase sales.
POLICE & FIRE BRIGADE - Vehicle accident site aerial photography, search and rescue, crime scene monitoring, pollution evidence, hostage situation overview, crowd control, traffic management, festival monitoring, disaster monitoring, thermal-imaging of building fires and wildfire control. All can be aided with Skyshot Helikites.
EDUCATION - Superb tool for teaching students the aerial perspective of many science and human geography courses.
EVENTS - Fetes, conferences, business gatherings, political rallies, weather events, beaches. Wonderful aerial images.
JOURNALISM - Photograph crime scenes, royal gatherings, political marches & police action. See beyond the police cordon.
SPORTS - Airborne pictures of surfing, sailing, skiing, riding, cricket, football, cycling, motor racing, NASCAR, climbing etc.
MILITARY - Instant ISTAR for troops on the ground.
PHOTOGRAPHY - For art, advertising, fun, learning, and philosophy.
SKYSHOT MODELS
Skyshot Helikites are a very popular series of small photographic Skyhook Helikites with various custom modifications added to allow the lifting of compact digital cameras. There are presently three basic types:1) 'STANDARD' SKYSHOT HELIKITE. Most economical.
With simple, manual, pan/tilt monopod for a single camera. In sizes 1m3, 1,6m3, 2m3 and 3m3. A large variety of cameras can be lifted, from lightweight pocket digital cameras such as the Pentax Optio series or GoPro, to the surveyors favourite Ricoh GR2 Digital, up to superb quality 'Bridge Cameras' and large DSRL's. With our optional 'Damped Pendulum Mount' extra cost they will lift many pan/tilt rigs.
2) NEW 'ACTION CAM' SKYSHOT HELIKITE.
Simplest and fastest. This Helikite allows numerous GoPro Cameras to be attached around the circumference of the Helikite's balloon. They can all take photos at once therefore guaranteeing numerous superb photos in all directions within a few seconds of launch. This allows anyone to instantly become an excellent aerial photographer with no training or trouble. The 1m3 size can lift up to three cameras, the 1.6m3 four cameras and the 2m3 can carry six cameras.
3. NEW RADIO-CONTROLLED PAN/TILT RIGS
a) GoPro Pan/Tilt Rig. This lifts our brilliant new 'Steady-Cam' + radio-controlled pan/tilt gimbal with camera. Fits on a 2m3 Skyshot Helikite. Streaming video is sent directly to any smartphone or tablet via WiFi utilising a free GoPro app. WiFi range on a flying Helikite is up to 140 metres. This is a brilliant system. Probably the smallest, lightest pan/tilt rig in the world.
b) Gyro-Stabilised Brushless Motor Gimbals. For GoPro and Sony Nex 5 only. 3 axis and 360 degree rotation. These rigs need to be very carefully balanced. So it it not possible to do them for any camera at a low price. We decided to concentrate on the GoPro and Nex 5 in order to provide video for as many professional cameramen as possible. They give superb, stable video and photos and can be lifted with the 3m3 Skyshot Helikite.
c) Custom Gimbals. Any camera can be fitted with a custom made pan/tilt/zoom rig. The cost is much greater as it involves development but this is interesting work. Brushless gimbals too, although they take more time. Please ask us for a quote for your favourite system.
SKYSHOT FEATURES
â— ALL-WEATHER
Skyshot Helikites will fly in almost any weather. Even in near-gale conditions. So a professional photographer can plan his or her photo-shoots months in advance with confidence, knowing that the Helikite will fly on that day. This is hugely important for the successful running of an aerial photography business. All Helikites are far less weather dependent than any other aerial vehicle, including drones, manned helicopters, manned aircraft or UAV's. There has not been a single day in Hampshire, UK in the last ten years when it was not possible to fly a Helikite and take photos at some reasonable time.
â— SAFE
There has never been a significant safety problem of any sort with any Helikite, anywhere in the world, ever since they were first invented by Sandy Allsopp in 1993. Not a single injury or concern. Skyshot Helikites are lighter-than-air and small. They do not fall out of the sky onto people or property. They just float away if let go causing no more worry than a weather balloon. If they bump into a building it may puncture the Helikite but it will not damage the house. Punctures are very easily mended. The cameras lifted are very lightweight and are all attached by safety lines to the body of the Helikite. Cameras can even have little parachutes attached for the ultra-safety conscious. The 'Action Cam' Skyshot Helikite even has its tiny, 70 gram GoPro Cameras encased in soft fluffy Velco and immensely difficult to pull off accidentally. It is exceedingly unlikely to seriously harm anyone even if it did somehow land directly on their head. As long as electric pylons are avoided, which are illegal to fly near anyway, there are very few safety concerns with Skyshot Helikites.
â— QUICK
SkyShot Helikites inflates with helium in a minute, and then rapidly fly themselves up to 600 feet altitude, with or without wind. They can automatically take hundreds of superb aerial pictures within a few minutes. Then you just reel in and go. No other aerial photography is easier!
â— INEXPENSIVE
Skyshot Helikites are the cheapest way to do all-weather, reliable, professional, aerial photography. It is possible to buy many bigger balloons at less initial cost, but their running costs, unreliability and huge helium usage soon render them uneconomic and annoying. Skyshot Helikites are very cheap to buy initially compared to other reliable, all-weather, professional methods of aerial photography. Due to their small size Skyshot Helikites require little helium to fill. Their small size also allows them to be put in a car fully inflated, so no helium gas is lost between flights. They lose very little helium over time through the balloon material, so helium cost is minimal. Running cost per aerial photo is likely to be less than 1 cent.
â— CONVENIENT
SkyShot Helikites can be used almost anywhere and can be carried fully inflated in an estate car or van. The 1 cubic metre SkyShot Helikite is only 3ft 3in x 4ft 4in x 5ft 5in when fully inflated. Inflation is easy. It uses safe, inert helium gas that can be bought in either small disposable cylinders, or larger returnable ones as preferred.
The unique patented SkyShot Helikite is a superbly stable aerial platform compared to normal unsteady balloons, vibrating and windy manned aircraft, or unreliable kites. Skyshot Helikites provide sharp photos even on windy days. Takes superb high or low altitude shots. Highly creative video and photography is easy.
â— SIMPLE
Anyone can learn to safely fly a Skyshot Helikite in a few minutes. No technical knowledge required. This means that and within a few minutes of getting hold of a Skyshot Helikite, ANYBODY can be taking as good photos as the most experienced aerial photographers in the world!
ANYONE can easily start a very professional aerial photography business in a single day. In fact with Skyshot Helikites they will be able to be faster, cheaper, quieter, safer, more timely and reliable for their clients than photographers relying on drones, simple balloons, manned aircraft or helicopters.
â— FLY ALMOST ANYWHERE
The small size, steady flight and all-weather capability of the Skyshot Helikite allows aerial photography in places never before possible. With common sense, it is easy and safe to fly within a few feet of rooftops to inspect tiles or refinery flame-stacks. It is even possible to differentiate an individual grain of sand on a roof tile. Fly between trees to get the best real-estate views. Fly down to 6ft if an artistic or survey shot requires this. Fly way up to 600ft to capture wide expanses of countryside or cityscapes. Fly in towns, countryside, parks, beaches, schools, factories, industrial areas, sports arenas. Fly pretty much anywhere kites or balloons are allowed.
â— QUIET
No noise complaints. This is very important, both in high value neighbourhoods and also the local park. No need to irritate potential future customers or get thrown off a property whilst filming.
â— EXCELLENT PERSPECTIVE
Skyshot Helikites allow the photographer to get physically close to the subject, or far away as preferred. This gives the perfect perspective for the situation. An aerial real-estate photo taken from a distant aircraft with a long telescopic lens has an inhuman, distant feel to it due to its incorrect perspective and often atmospheric disturbance. Colours are altered due to water in the atmosphere filtering light. The human eye/brain instinctively picks this up. The photo seems dead. In contrast, a photo taken from a Skyshot Helikite at a closer range has a vibrant, colourful, immediate and exciting feel which helps provide interest in the subject matter - vital for real-estate work or good art.
A surveyor however may want a long-range photo that no mast can provide - no problem for a Skyshot Helikite with its ability to fly to 600ft if required.
â— PERFECT TIMING
You want to get the 'Million Dollar Real-Estate Shot' with the family plus pet dog standing in the doorway, taken from the air to show the large garden and golf course behind? How about a school sports day awards ceremony at exactly 3.15 pm? What if you want a bright landscape photo, but the sun is only appearing fleetingly from between the clouds? With a Skyshot Helikite, no problem. Photos are taken within a few seconds at minimal cost. Try arranging that with a normal aerial photographer flying in a manned aircraft at 1000ft on a day of low cloud! You are not likely to get any change out of £1000! Manned helicopter - £2000!
â— NO LEGAL PROBLEMS
Skyshot Helikites can be flown up to useful altitudes with no problems or licences anywhere that kites are allowed. Which is most places. They can be flown with due care in towns. With easily gained air-traffic permission Helikites can be flown to great heights if occasionally necessary. Due to their impeccable worldwide safety record, air traffic controllers look kindly on Helikites. Insurance is easily gained for photographic work.
In contrast, drones are a legal minefield. In the UK all drone pilots must be licensed. Even then, drones cannot be used for professional work anywhere within the boundary of a settlement of over 1000 people. Drones cannot be flown over people, roads, canals, or any 'uncontrolled' ground. This eliminates most of the potential aerial photography work! Insurance is also hard to get due to the increasing number of crashes.
In the USA the legal side is in confusion due to an ongoing legal battle between the Federal Aviation Authority and a drone pilot. Reckless flying is not allowed. So even if legally a drone could have been flown in an area, if it crashes on property or a person then it would have been being flown recklessly by default, and therefore illegally - so not insured! Therefore the drone operator plus the company involved will be open to be sued. A 3Kg drone with a 1Kg camera falling from 400ft directly onto someone's head will certainly kill him. With no insurance, an expected compensation claim running into millions of dollars would bankrupt most people and most small companies too. Flying a drone over a school sports ground, city street or millionaires mansion is not such a good idea as it might seem at first.
â— GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
We really care for our customers. We are happy to deal with questions or any problems. We are not an anonymous internet shop with just e-mail communications. We look forward to your phone calls, letters, e-mails or even personal visits to our factory and offices. Don't just take our word for it. Come and have a test flight. The worse the weather, the better! See for yourself how well Skyshot Helikites fly cameras and the great photos they take.
The SkyShot Helikite may seem very simple and inexpensive, but we believe that this unique combination of great flying capability, compact size, speed, safety, altitude, reliability, simplicity, picture quality, and fine customer service makes it the finest aerial photography system available, anywhere - at any price.
SKYSHOT PRICES:
1.0m3 SKYSHOT HELIKITE £450.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Operates in winds up to 30 mph. Size: H: 3ft 3in W: 4ft 4in L:5ft 5in. It fits fully inflated in estate cars, hatchbacks, Jeeps etc and lifts compact cameras up to 250g.
1.6m3 SKYSHOT HELIKITE £630.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Operates in winds up to 30mph. Size: H: 4ft W: 5ft L: 6ft 6in. It fits in large estate cars, small vans, Land-Rovers when fully inflated and lifts compact cameras up to 250g.
2m3 SKYSHOT HELIKITE £860.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Flies in winds up to 33mph. Size: H: 4ft W: 5ft L: 7ft. It fits fully inflated in a Transit Van and carries all the compact cameras or small digital SLR cameras and Sony Nex-7 up to 600ft. It also lifts radio-controlled pan/ tilt/ zoom mechanisms for compact cameras or video. It is also excellent for use with a good compact camera on the constantly turning AutoKAP from KAPShop.
3m3 SKYSHOT HELIKITE £1,270.00
Flies in winds up to 35mph. Size: H: 5ft 5in W: 7ft L: 9ft. It fits fully inflated in a large van or trailer. It carries the heavy, high quality DSLR's, or stabilised brushless radio-controlled gimbals up to 1000ft. Produces outstanding photos and steady video.
1.0m3 'ACTION CAM' HELIKITE £480.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Operates in winds up to 30 mph. Size: H: 3ft 3in W: 4ft 4in L:5ft 5in. It fits fully inflated in estate cars, hatchbacks, Jeeps etc and lifts up to 3x GoPro cameras.
1.6m3 'ACTION CAM' HELIKITE £660.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Operates in winds up to 30mph. Size: H: 4ft W: 5ft L: 6ft 6in. It fits in large estate cars, small vans, Land-Rovers when fully inflated and lifts up to 4x GoPro cameras.
2m3 'ACTION CAM' HELIKITE £890.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Flies in winds up to 34mph. Size: H: 4ft W: 5ft L: 7ft. It fits fully inflated in a Transit Van and carries 6 x GoPro cameras thus allowing a narrower fields of view . It will also lift 4x compact cameras from other manufacturers.
3m3 'ACTION CAM' HELIKITE £1,300.00 + Delivery + VAT.
Flies in winds up to 35mph. Size: H: 5ft 5in W: 7ft L: 9ft. It fits fully inflated in a large van or trailer. This Helikite can be modified to carry multiple cameras of the customer's choice. The price includes customised Velcro fittings for the cameras.
RADIO-CONTROLLED PAN/TILT GIMBAL £400 + Delivery + VAT.
This includes the pan/tilt gimbal plus key-ring sized 2.4GHz controller. The GoPro camera (or other small cameras) simple screw straight onto the gimbals' platform. It goes on the 2.0m3 and 3.0m3 Skyshot Helikites.
STRONG FLAT WOODEN HAND REEL £50.00 + Delivery + VAT
CRANKMASTER REEL £60.00 + Delivery + VAT
SMOOTH RUNNING GAME REELS from £270.00 + Delivery + VAT
SKYSHOT PHOTOS
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| REAL ESTATE. An aerial photo shows the whole property not just part of it. Attractive position and surroundings can be displayed to prospective buyers. This sells houses much faster. Taken in a few minutes with a 1.6m3 Skyshot Helikite. | ACTION. Tree surgeons at 60ft. Taken from 10ft above them. This shot could not safely be taken using a quadcopter, and not at all from a manned aircraft or pole. Good perspective. | SCIENCE. Near-Infra-Red photo of wheat field. Boring to most, but great for a scientist or farmer, as this information helps produce higher yields. |
We are grateful for these contributions from some of our photographer friends:
SYLVESTRE BENARD
HAWKEYE PICTURES
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AERON SNEDDON
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There are large numbers of Skyshot Helikite photos posted on FLICKR in the 'Helikite' section. These are from many professional and amateur photographers from all over the world. Please take a good look at these great aerial photos .
Telephone direct from the USA call 01144 1725 517877 direct to our UK Evening Office.