Friday, December 21, 2007
Secrets of the WSF – Q&A part 2!
The interesting news is we have made a first appointment with a sound studio for just after Christmas. We do have quite an idea what the final composition should sound like, but it will be hard to transfer this "vision" to the minds of musicians. It's also a matter of cost and time; but anyway, let's just see how the music question develops as this will be one of the key factors determining the release date of the WSF movie!
Below's part two of our WSF Q&A series:
12) How much time did it take to prepare the WSF?
Frankly speaking, we have lost the overview. But it's certainly beyond description!
13) To how many countries have you been in total?
The current WSF project comprises pretty much exactly 30 countries worldwide. Personally I have been to 40+ countries in my life.
14) Why is there a 35/72 MHz aerial on your heli when you fly robbe/Futaba's 2.4 GHz FASST system?
Before the consecutive WSF trip we flew 35 and 72 MHz, throughout the trip we used 2.4 GHz only. We figured it might look a little silly if within one and the same movie the long aerial keeps coming and going and therefore kept the long aerial just for the looks.
15) Do you fly Kontronik or Schulze equipment?
We fly Kontronik equipment in nearly all of our machines. A detailed answer why and when we use Schulze ESCs can be found in the post about the Grand Canyon flights (use search function on top left to find it quickly).
16) How about the performance of the Three Dee MP-XL?
It's a Henseleit. What else could we say?!
17) How many transmitters did you have?
One only. It's made by robbe/Futaba so why would you want a spare?!
18) How does the FASST system work?
Brilliant under any possible and impossible conditions worldwide. It's safe to use on earth (except for very few exotic types of HeliGraphix stunts, e.g. where the heli loops around a bridge)! We'll talk about it in more detail in an upcoming ROTOR article.
19) How about the batteries?
After we got the replacement FlightPower packs from Rainer Hacker (Hacker Motor GmbH) there were no further issues. It remains a mystery what caused the ballooning of all the other packs; maybe a combination of their "age" (40 cycles isn't really old, is it?!), low air pressure during transport, fast changing climatic conditions, operation in high-altitude areas (Nepal!), transport when in uncharged condition. But like said before, nothing's really sure at this point of time.
20) Have you heard of Matt Harding's dancing video?
The idea of the WSF was born independently of Matt Harding's dancing video (also see HG Q&A #148). In fact, we first heard about him through a comment to our New Zealand Scenic Flights video! It was shot pretty much at the same time that Matt's first dancing video appeared.
To surprise you a little, we tried to contact Matt Harding well in time before the WSF trip for doing a "crossover"; it would have been very cool to have him dance while the heli comes in. The same scene could have been shown with different focus in both his and our movie. Unfortunately, he never responded to our detailed emails – what to make of this is up to you!
21) Have you been fully sponsored?
No. A significant part has been privately funded.
22) Will you continue to travel with the helis and do a WSF II?
Yes and no. The WSF is a project in progress as long as we are into model helicopters. We will continue to shoot footage when visiting new countries and maybe come up with a revised WSF video every now and then.
23) What do you look forward to the most now?
Flying I/C helicopters! :-) Electric models are smooth and nice, but then --- they are nice … ;-)
Another interesting note for those of you who have worried about how to archive this documentation: This blog will most likely be reedited and be available as a "book" in PDF format. Yes, there will be a hardcover version, too, but only for ourselves as the cost for such a high-quality printing with big pictures is high (if you really want one, too, let us know).
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008!
Labels: blog archive as book, composition, music, questions/answers - part1, WSF book
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Secrets of the WSF – Q&A part 1!
We're back in good old Germany and alive and well – apart from an annoying cold we probably caught in Canada already. The "World Scenic Flights" were an incredible success, even better than expected; nobody had really believed that the baggage would never get lost or seriously damaged. Was it luck? Probably yes, but that makes it all just better. :-)
For us there is still a lot to do: Rework the gigabytes of data we've generated, select the best scenes (that's the worst and most time-consuming thing of all!), work on a piece of music together with a sound studio, check all our equipment, discuss the project with our partners, and plan the final trips. Final trips?
The Madness is strong in Great Britain, and there will be no WSF movie without this country! So within the next few weeks we'll be visiting the island and continue the WSF mission there – as you will expect this blog will document also the new adventures!
And finally, there's one very hard target left: Russia. We've worked on it before and we haven't given up on this one either. We'll post more details when the time has come.
During the past trip a number of questions have accumulated. As promised here's detailed answers to the first bunch; should we have forgotten something, feel free to drop a note at any time!
1) When will the WSF movie be out? What will it cost?
Watch this space and the HG website for a release date. The video will be freely available through several channels (download from websites, YouTube, etc.).
2) How many km did you travel for the WSF project?
The continuous trip was 70,000 km, the total project up to now is 150,000 km!
3) How many times did you travel by airplane, and are you tired of sitting in the window seat?
The consecutive trip required 24 long distance flights. In my life I have done about 70 flights by now and as an aviation fan I always try to get a window seat!
4) How did you transport a 90size machine (or several) all that way?
Transporting one or more 90size helicopters is very different from transporting a "handy" 50size model (for the latter a golf case will do)! What's more it is vitally important to keep the box as small and lightweight as possible. We used a specially constructed cardboard box.
5) Heehh? How could a cardboard box possibly survive a trip around the world?!
It's a matter of construction. Let's say the exact way we did it remains a little secret. ;-)
6) How did you get it through the customs all the time?
We had many documents (even from the German interior ministry), loads of pictures showing the heli in front of world-renowned landmarks, a good reputation, backup from ROTOR magazine, profound HeliGraphix experience in dealing with international authorities, and we did lots and lots of talking.
7) Wasn't it always big fun to fly at such exclusive and sometimes exotic places worldwide?
Absolutely; but take a second look! Like explained in ROTOR 01/2008 there's a lot of time pressure which means you rush from one place to the next without any breaks. You have to deal with authorities all the time (that's really a pain and spoils the game!) and fly in places you do not know. You have to assemble/disassemble the equipment again and again; one mistake (also while flying) and the mission may be over or people get hurt. You are not at all free in what you fly where and how you do it – after all you are looking for good images rather than a fun flight like at your local club field! Your data needs to be screened, sorted, processed and backuped. And don't forget you would like to eat and sleep from time to time. Carrying 80 kg of baggage around the globe isn't that much fun either! And then, the self-washing clothes haven't been invented yet, have they?!
8) Did you discuss the maneuvers before flying? How did you choose them?
Yes, in about two thirds of all cases. The maneuvers were chosen in a way that they match the location; e.g. a long pass would be the wrong maneuver to choose when trying to picture the Taj Mahal from a confined area. We kept repeating the maneuver as long as possible.
9) In which countries did you shoot panoramic sceneries for the Ikarus/IPACS AFD flight simulator?
We shot them in every location except Nepal (not worth doing one and pressed for time), Chile (contrast problem), Mexico (no clearance by authorities!) and Senegal (safety issue). But we shot two brilliant panos in India (in Jaipur and in Agra/Taj Mahal), and we did both a day and a night scenery at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur!
10) When will the "HeliGraphix WSF Add-on" be available?
It will take a while until all of our footage has been processed by Ikarus/IPACS. As of now we do not know when the WSF package will be released. Once again, watch this space and the HG website for latest infos.
11) I already have a computer simulator. Is it worth changing to AFD just because of the WSF panos?
No doubt about that!
There is a number of more technical questions, too; we'll answer them in the next post, so make sure to check back soon!
Labels: back in Germany, questions/answers - part1
Monday, December 17, 2007
Portugal – A Legacy of Explorers
Lisbon is certainly one of the most beautiful cities we have ever seen. We think that everybody should go and visit it at least once in his life! The city is enchanting, modern yet monumental, big, clean, and wonderfully diverse. Last time I was here is more than 10 years ago and it seems many things have changed. Mostly for the better, still I was sad that there seem less of those cool small trolley lines leading through the city. The best way to explore town is to simply buy a ticket, hop on one of those trolleys (the old ones, not the new version!) and look out of the window. We promise you won't regret it!
We're staying in a downtown guesthouse; beautifully restored but with a super-small bathroom and equally small beds. I'm lying diagonally across two beds and keep wondering what Jan Henseleit would do. Rent two rooms?
Some people have asked why Portugal should be one of the most important stops. What makes it so special? Well, think about its place in history and about the monument we chose. So which part of the WSF film do you think we shot here?! B-) Ironically it was the last stop of the consecutive WSF trip.
Talking about history, Portugal has been known by the Phoenicians already and later on by the Romans. Its history is incredibly rich and equally complex. In the 8th century the Moors came and controlled both Spain and Portugal for centuries – an important part of European history because they brought back lots of knowledge which had been lost during the dark age of European migrations.
The 15th and 16th century was the time of the great explorers; Portugal became a world empire and established colonies in Brazil, Africa, India, China and Arabian countries. However, nothing lasts forever, and Portugal later on became dependent on Spain, then Britain, and in 1807 Frenchman Napoleon came along. A couple of years later (the French had left) Portugal became a republic – and not much later a dictatorship!
In 1960 the colonial wars started, and once the military had realized it was impossible to win they overthrew the dictatorial government in order to prevent the country from financial ruin. The colonies became independent in 1974 while Portugal was proclaimed a republic. Against this historic background it is not surprising that the country currently is – apart from the new eastern states – the weakest member of the European Union.
With the Lisbon flights being a big success, is the WSF tour over now?!
The good news is: No, it is not! And the bad news: No, it is not. (Think about it for a minute, it makes sense!) :-)
So what's next? First of all, don't forget there's targets left on our map (see HG website). Another ***BIG*** issue is the composition of a matching piece of music for the final movie! Furthermore, a number of interesting questions regarding some WSF secrets will be answered within the next posts.
And finally, we'll have to find a new work after returning home (that's the downside of the WSF only few people have realized). :-(
We would like to close for today by thanking our partners (see links in menu on left). These are not just any five companies – it is well-established brands on the market with outstanding products! And even more important: The people behind the scenes are devoted to model sports, just like you and us. Their vision and foresight are greatly appreciated as well as their constant belief in HeliGraphix and our larger-than-life projects like the "World Scenic Flights". Thank you very much!
Special thanks go to our Swiss Unit around Nicolas Kaiser – without their non-stop support it wouldn't have been possible to handle the logistics.
Thanks also to Marc Endres – he spent countless hours translating this blog on-the-fly into German and thus making the WSF project available for a wider audience.
There are a whole number of people behind the scenes who have contributed significantly to the success of this WSF trip – many thanks also to you! We will not forget to credit everyone of you in the final video (it's just a little bit long of a list for the moment).
And finally – thanks to you! It was both fun and a pleasure to have you aboard and to interact with you throughout the mission. You may not realize it, but this is a vital part of any of our projects. It motivates us, and together we are a strong community! We hope that you, too, enjoyed being part of this once-in-a-lifetime project!
We'll be landing tomorrow afternoon in Munich/Germany. And once again: Stay tuned for more news! :-)
Labels: Lisbon, Portugal, trolley, WSF end, WSF start
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The Quest for the Red Lake
I may be the only guy in whole Senegal wearing a scarf. I'm still weak on my feet and every move is a pain. Not good when rumbling through the dusty streets of Dakar in a cab. We have experienced a lot of air pollution in numerous cities around the world but it has never been worse than here. You try to breathe through your shirt but it doesn't help much. After an hour you have a burning throat, a headache and it feels as if your lungs are completely coated with a mixture of soot and dust. Really, it's insane. We have no idea how you could live in this place and grow old. This said, 60% of Senegal's population are under 20 years of age.
The mysterious Red Lake does exist, however the opinions regarding its actual colour were divided. Some swore it was deep red while others thought it was merely a mixture of blue and purple. Hmm …
But anyway, we had decided to go there and see for ourselves. The drive was a nightmare and it reminded us of India and Nepal. Partly the streets were gone and it was steering through a maze of villages. You sometimes felt it had to be the last outpost of civilization before the end of the world. But a few minutes later the real street was back and we could go a little faster. Don't ask how fast – nobody will ever know because the speedometer was broken (just like all the lights, the interior and most of the car body).
The Republic of Senegal counts about 12 million inhabitants and became independent from France in 1960; ever since it seems political chaos rules. Official language is French (yes, at last one other country where people speak French!). Capital and by far biggest city is Dakar with about 2 million citizens; it is one of West Africa's most-frequented seaports and therefore of special importance to Senegal. Most important pillars of the economy are fishing and the production of peanuts; there are natural resources, too, but unfortunately up to now both the infrastructure and the financial means for exploitation are missing.
Where else have you heard the name "Dakar"? Most likely in connection with motor sports because that's where the famous "Rally Paris-Dakar" ends. And guess what – the finish line lies next to "Lac Rosé"!
Before boarding the taxi to mysterious "Lac Rosé" ("Pink Lake", that's its official name) we made sure to leave any luggage that wasn't absolutely necessary at the hotel. Granted, that's not a safe place either – but still better compared to carrying around more stuff than you can overlook! Below's a little trick how to effectively hide important documents like passports. ;-)
The decision was a good one; upon arrival at the Red Lake the first guy jumped into our car to help us. Even though we do speak French it was good that he had a basic understanding of English – so we decided to continue with him to the shores. Again a good decision because after getting out we immediately attracted a crowd of vendors, onlookers and children. The guy kept them as good away from our equipment as he could – especially important while the helicopter is in the air because then the baggage is more or less unattended. To be fair we have to say the people were really nice and we did not feel uncomfortable at all. We especially liked the way they were dressed – very colourful!
We finally went to the edge of the lake and the water was – red! Yes, believe it or not, the whole lake was red! Not pink, not purple, but an appealing red! Insane, it immediately reminds you of the biblical plagues, a sea of blood …
The water is salt water – so much in fact that there is a small industry exploiting the salt; it is sold to regional cities but also exported. The salt content of the lake is said to be almost as high as in the Dead Sea; this means you will float without swimming!
So is it true that in the Dead Sea you can float effortlessly and read a newspaper?! Yes, it is! This inland sea separates Jordan from Israel in the Middle East; in fact, I have been there and tested it myself in early 2007, just days before boarding the plane to Egypt with HeliGraphix. You can lie "on" the water surface on your stomach and stick both your feet and hands out of the water at the same time. Get one single drop of water into your eyes or swallow a bit of it – and prepare to die instantly, it's beyond imagination! And by the way, the Dead Sea is actually about to die … it's drying out very (!) fast, at least until a certain level is reached. But that's just another stunning story. Maybe some later time …
Two interesting questions: Why is the lake red, and why is there a dispute about its colour?
Apparently the lake got cut off from the nearby Atlantic Ocean a long time ago; its area is just 3 square kilometers and it lies near the village of Sangalkam, about 40 km north-east of Dakar. Due to the high salt concentration (allegedly around 380 g/L!) there's no animals living in it – same thing as with the Dead Sea (that's where it actually got its name from). This said, a certain type of cyanobacteria does manage to survive. Cyanobacteria were formerly classified as algae, however it's not true since they do not have a complete cell nucleus and thus do not belong to the eukaryotes. As their name suggests they are normally blue ("cyan"!). But then again, they were one of the first forms of life on our planet some billion years ago; the fact that they're still around tells you that they are obviously masters in adapting to the harshest of all conditions – such as saturated, corrosive salt water! The type living in "Lac Rosé" is by way of exception not blue but produces a nice reddish-pink pigment – thus the lake's fantastic colour!
As for the exact colour, it is said to show best in the dry season (wintertime). What's more it changes with the position of the sun! Sometimes the red comes through nicely while some other times it doesn't.
The people liked the helicopter a lot and applauded every other manoeuvre. Because I was still in rather poor health condition we did three quick flights, paid our mite to all the "helpers" and went back to Dakar. Visiting "Lac Rosé" was actually one of the worthiest trips in recent history, despite all the difficulty.
The ride back to Dakar Airport through heavy traffic once again demonstrated the incredible extent of air pollution – there are simply no words for it, it's worse than worse. Our flight to Lisbon was scheduled for 03 AM, but for reasons of safety we decided to go to the airport in the late afternoon already (once again, do not confuse our trip with some pre-booked club tour; this may be a different matter!). The airport is definitely beyond its capacity, flights are leaving all around the clock. Just like in China they use sort of a "floating system" of queuing up; you queue up more or less where you want and try to end up where you think you should. We waited patiently for about three hours until check-in and safety had been completed.
Baggage is treated beyond your wildest dreams. A small wall separates the check-in from the baggage collection point at the end of a conveyor belt. There were five guys piling up the bags; some of them were thrown over the pile and hit the concrete ground hard, the next one crashed right into the pile and thus everything collapsed. The guys also walked through and over the bags --- you could feel your jaw drop and prayed to God somebody comes around the corner and says "this is the hidden camera, we just nailed you!"
We were sure the heli box would not survive that treatment. So I went to the wall, waved to the guy directly at the end of the belt and told him to watch out for a somewhat bigger yellow box (baggage with 40+ kg is common in both Africa and South America – stacked on top of your box also has the potential to crush it). I slipped our last money over to him and pat him on the shoulder. He got the message and made sure the box was treated well. Certainly a success, but the process of loading and unloading the airplane were still unknown factors. Our flight finally left at 04:30 AM. I have seen far more than 30 airports all over the world, but the one in Dakar beats everything so far (they seem to work on a new one, though).
Well, that's the end of one more fantastic adventure. We've just arrived in Portugal and are already in the middle of our next mission - one of the most important of the whole WSF project! All the details tomorrow!
Labels: Africa, air pollution, cyanobacteria, Dakar Airport, Lac rose, Pink Lake, Red Lake, salt lake, Senegal
Friday, December 14, 2007
Senegal/West Africa – Back to the Basics!
First of all, here's another picture of Canada we wanted to share with you. The Canadians really are great guys!
We didn't have a particularly good start into Dakar/Senegal. We arrived in the early morning hours, and once in the baggage claim area we had a hunch that the trip to the hotel might be a problem; after all, we'd seen more than one baggage claim in our lives ...
Before you board a taxi you need some cash money, best are small bills. So where's the next ATM? I walked out of the arrival hall in order to find one; hundreds of people approach you immediately. "Wanna change, man?! – Good change!" I found a machine and tried to draw some money but unfortunately my credit card seemed not to work. "Hey my friend, wanna change, huh?!" You really had to keep them at a distance. Damn, what was the problem with this ATM? It had swallowed my card and just showed a blank blue screen. "Change?! Good change, da best change for you my friend!" After an eternity the machine returned my card, nothing seemed to have happened. "I will give you special price, man – best price for you my friend!" Yah yah, fine, I will also give you special price, right after sending you to hospital, my friend!
With the help of some "security guy" I found out that choosing English as a language was the problem. Select French and the thing works! Okay, so I got some money; back to the arrival hall. "No change, man?!"
With 8 pieces of baggage, half of them on a trolley, we were on our way to the taxi booth. The "security guy" had come with us as recommended by airport officials. It was still dark outside and if you have as many bags as we do, then in countries like Senegal this is a huge problem. Dozens of people will jump on you and before you can even blink there's ten hands on your luggage. Most of them just want a dollar, some others will want several dollars, and then there's the guys who simply want the baggage and no dollars.
We reached the taxi together with a bunch of people. Saskia and I tried hard to stop them from stuffing our bags into the car. The first guy had the camera, the second guy had our hand luggage, the third was tearing at our backpack while numbers four to eight dropped the big heli box the second time. It's too big for the trunk but nobody cares; everybody wants to help. The "security guy" now tells you that for all of his efforts he would like to get his fair share – or a bit more since we are stupid Europeans and get our money for nothing. Everybody knows that, most of all the small kids.
Once you are in the taxi it is hard to tell whether or not all the baggage is on board. There's still many people behind the trunk and even more at the windows asking for tips; they all helped, didn't they?!
So the four of us went off in direction of our hotel. Uuupss – the four of us?! Just before the driver stepped on the gas another "security guy" hopped onto the passenger seat. So what now, stop the whole journey like in India and get out to the pack of wolves again?
We talked to the guy and he explained he had to help the driver with the location. So let them drive for a minute and see what happens; if they try any nonsense you can still kill them. ;-)
Things seemed to be fine and we were rumbling over half-finished roads when suddenly a second taxi showed up on our right-hand side. Our driver accelerated like wild, and so did the other car. The speed was insane for this kind of street and I shouted to the driver to stop racing the guy. He did not react and instead decided it was time to ram the other car. After the collision both cars slammed on the brakes. Our driver got out, so did the other driver. It was all shouting and pointing; the other guy's wing mirror was broken. Whether or not the cars had any additional dents was hard to tell; they looked like if their technical certificate had run out ten years ago anyway (pretty much all cars there do!).
We finally got to our hotel and paid the fare; we knew we're being screwed, but better not make a fuss about it. Just try to get all your baggage in one piece and into the hotel lobby. We were lucky because early check-in was possible; the time was about 8 AM by now. Next thing we did was to sleep for 10 hours.
In the evening I felt a little worn out. Saskia was still fighting her cold she'd caught in Canada. We strolled a bit through the streets trying to get some food. After all we had not really eaten in almost two days since we'd left Toronto and spent our time in transit in New York (we had to go from Newark to JFK airport) and on planes.
This morning I felt like hit by a bulldozer and was too weak to stand upright. I had no choice but to swallow a number of pills and to stay in bed. Meanwhile Saskia tried to figure out what might be the best landmark to visit with the heli given the current circumstances. We knew there was a former slave island with a big French fort not far away from the coast. There are not many other monuments that Senegal has to offer – virtually none in the Dakar area.
However, we learned about a mysterious red lake which is said to lie in Senegal. We don't know if it's true and if the water is really red. But if the lake does exist, we'll find it and fly there - that's for sure! We'll get back to you tomorrow, stay tuned!
Labels: Africa, Canada, Dakar, illness, Senegal, taxi out of control
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Canada - Cool Country!
Yes, it definitely is. The people seem to be quite relaxed, and all those we met were exceptionally friendly and helpful. Canada is the second largest country in the world although its population of 33 million is quite modest in comparison.
The state capital is Ottawa, not Toronto. However, with 5 million inhabitants the multicultural city and provincial capital of Ontario is the country's most important and best-known metropolis. It is a clean place, crime rates are reported to be low. World-famous landmark is the CN-Tower; with 553 m it is currently the tallest building on the planet (but will be surpassed soon by a skyscraper in Dubai). This said, also the Canadians are "cheating"; it seems that the competition of which country has got the highest construction is increasingly morphing into who can put the largest TV antenna onto a tower. ;-)
Canada was originally explored by the British and the French starting in the late 15th century. However, France finally ceded nearly all of its colonies in 1763. The process towards total independence from the UK was a long one; the last ties have been cut only recently in the Canada Act of 1982! The country today is a federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories; form of government is a parliamentary democracy and at the same time a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Official languages at federal level are English and French; this means quite some efforts as all documents, signs, etc. have to be bilingual.
It is quite a contrast when coming to Canada from Chile via Mexico – it was sweating whenever you moved, and a day later you walk out of the airport and it's piles of snow wherever you look. A strange and cool experience at the same time, and certainly only possible in today's Global Village.
Anyway, we collected our rental car and drove straight to Niagara Falls about 120 km south of Toronto – the name refers to both the city of "Niagara Falls" and the waterfalls themselves. They are (or let's better say: They used to be!) the most powerful waterfalls in North America. The height is "only" about 50 m, but the Falls are very wide. One distinguishes the Canadian Horseshoe Falls (the name owes to their shape) and the much smaller American Falls. And yes, this means the border between Canada and the USA goes right through the Falls (actually through one of the islands that separates the two parts). About 90% of the total water flow goes through the Horseshoe Falls; their crest is about 800 m long while that of the American Falls is considerably shorter, measuring a little over 300 m.
As you'd expect it is the Niagara River that dives down into the depth. The Falls were formed at the end of the last ice age when glaciers receded and the water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path to the Atlantic.
Today the Falls are an important source for hydroelectric power; an unbelievable 4.4 GW are generated by a number of power plants. It is hard to believe, but up to 75% (!) of the Niagara River's water flow is diverted via a system of huge tunnels to the generators. Such things always have significant consequences for the environment; the one you can directly observe is that at night and especially during wintertime when there aren't that many tourists the Falls are "turned off".
Heeeehhh?! What does that mean?! Turn off a waterfall of the size of the world-renowned Niagara Falls – this cannot be possible, can it? Well, it's possible; the water going over the crest is a mere fraction of what the river brings along, and what you get to see today (it's still impressive!) is mainly there to keep the tourists happy. Consequently, during the nighttime the water flow is usually halved and there are already plans to build another tunnel and power plant!
Talking about tourists, the Falls are visited by over 20 million people a year! This most incredible figure tells you it will be pretty hard to pull off a model helicopter stunt during the summer season. Even in winter there's still busloads of visitors coming in. Because of this ever-growing number of tourists it is no wonder that hotels, casinos, etc. are just mushrooming. Nearly all you can see in the above picture has been constructed in the past few years – and this, too, comes at a price! The buildings changed the airflow around the Falls; the mist shooting up into the sky as high as 100 m is now increasingly blown towards the street and the visitor's platforms on the Canadian side. Especially in winter the street can be like glass.
The mist is the biggest problem for flights over the Niagara Falls. If it is blown towards you, you'll be wet to the pants in no time. Filming is impossible as the lens is covered with water in a split second. And conditions can change fast as we learned … The shot below shows the same spot one day after our flights – no way to fly under these conditions!
We inspected the location the first day and found – as Marc Endres had suggest before – that either you fly from greater distance with the Falls merely in the background or you really fly over the Falls, but then from one of the platforms upstream to avoid the mist. Problem here is that you merely see the water disappear over the crest, and that's it – no Niagara Falls in the picture. So what now?
The second day we were lucky with the weather – and especially with the wind! The mist was blown downstream most of the time so we dared to start right next to the Falls. Impressive view, still part of the Falls was barely visible through a cloud of mist.
The temperature was below freezing point; not good for battery packs, camera equipment and especially not for the pilot. I did not really want to fly with gloves and thus took them off for the flights. The humidity and constant breeze really make your fingers numb within a minute or two. Not so nice, especially when doing some aerobatics over a waterfall of this size!
Canada was definitely worth the visit even though standing in the cold for a prolong time got us a sore throat and Saskia even caught a more severe cold. But we're currently on the way to West Africa – it's a long flight with a quick stopover in New York. Unpleasant, because it means you have to go through U.S. immigration even though you're basically just in transit. But never mind, we look forward to Africa and will report from there. So once again stay tuned for the latest news from the forefront of R/C helicopter flying!
Labels: Canada, cold, Horseshoe Falls, mist, Niagara Falls, Ontario, snow
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Chile – Rebellious State
To many people Chile sounds like quite an exotic place – and in a number of ways this is true! It is situated in the very west of South America and unlike any other country in the world it is more or less a mere strip of land; it reaches about 4,300 km from north to south but is less than 200 km wide on average. It is bordered by the Pacific in the west and the Andes in the east. The logical conclusion is that Chile must comprise all types of climate and landscape, from coastal to high mountain regions.
In Northern Chile you will find summits with over 6000 m, many of them of volcanic origin. If you move towards the coast you'll end up in the mighty and quite famous Atacama Desert. It is one of the driest regions of the earth with rainfalls only once every couple of years. For a long time in the past it was famous for its resources of saltpeter ("Chile saltpeter"!), a chemical needed for the production of black powder, explosives and fertilizer. Today it is its vast and easily accessible resources of copper that people are after. And the dryness has another advantage: The air is very clear and clam thus making this area a perfect place for oberservatories – in fact, some of the largest telescopes of the world are to be found in the Chilean mountains.
Okay, let's move further down to the south, what do we have here? The climate is more or less Mediterranean, agriculture works out nicely and therefore it is no surprise most of the 16 million Chilean people live here. Don't forget Chile isn't wide! So all cities and settlements that are not situated directly at the coast are likely to be surrounded by mountains – the capital Santiago with over 5 million inhabitants is no exception.
There aren't many people living in the harsh South – lots of rain, storms, etc. and many islands at the coast. The southernmost point of the continent is the notorious, infamous Cape Horn. Prior to the opening of the Panama Canal all ships had to sail through these Arctic waters. By the way, Chile claims a good portion of Antarctica!
The political history of the country is very diverse; the most recent and hopefully last cruel chapter ended just 1990 with the retirement of long-term dictator Augusto Pinochet. Right now the country's economy grows at fast pace, partly due to the high copper price on the world market. Let's hope things continue this way!
For all those of you who have followed this blog regularly it is clear that Chile, too, must have been one of the many Spanish colonies, although for a number of reasons – like the difficult terrain especially in the country's South – there were countless wars over time. Official language is Spanish, but the pronunciation is so different from regular Spanish that some claim it's an own language.
Interesting! But what's there suitable for the World Scenic Flights? Well, the most obvious and stunning place certainly is the Easter Island (Rapa Nui) – its history is a thriller and features more than one collapse of its civilization. Known around the world are the mighty stone statues called moai. We'd certainly have liked to go there and come back with most incredible reports for you, but unfortunately the flight to this place was definitely not within our budget – it is a real killer.
Okay, then what's the next best solution? Given the short amount of time at our disposal we had to look for a good spot in the vicinity of Santiago. The capital is situated in a bowl of 50 km diameter surrounded by high mountains; this just adds to the usual smog problem of big cities since the wind cannot blow away part of the air pollution. Compared to other cities of the same size Santiago doesn't offer much. The skyline is humble, there are no real sights – most tours would take you to wine-growing or skiing areas in the Andes. No good for us, so what else do we have?
There are two hills in Santiago; the bigger one has been transformed into sort of a recreation area. A cable car of the Francisco/USA type takes you to a platform on top. Like at the Great Wall in China it was a nightmare to queue up with a 90-size helicopter and all our baggage. Even more so because police and our taxi driver had warned us there were many thieves who would just snatch your cameras or other luggage.
Once on top you have a good view over the city – but with lots of trees in the foreground and security guys all over the place. In lack of any better ideas we took a gondola from one part of the hill to the next one; before descending to the station we saw a serpentine road on the back side of the hill – there seemed to be a lot less trees, probably because it was the northern side on which the sun burns down all day long. Was it hot? Yep, something around 30 °C. Certainly better than freezing, but not comfortable either.
After a while we actually found the winding road and walked till we'd discovered a place with a good view over the town. It wasn't as good as downtown with at least a few skyscrapers in the financial district, but certainly there was something to it. Have a look at the picture! Quite cool and it reminds you of the Mojave Desert in California/USA, just much more populated.
The people were really nice. During the flight cars stopped, everybody got out and wanted to have a look at the helicopter. Some guys were so enthusiastic they wanted to have a go with it themselves; well, as everybody knows that'd have ended in a disaster so we just did another flight for them because we hadn't taken any still shots yet anyway.
The AFD panorama didn't work out well this time; too strong contrasts leaving you with a black picture in the shadow areas or with clearly overexposed shots in sunlit spots (remember you must not change any properties while shooting the complete panoramic scene including sky and ground!). We tried the whole range of possible camera settings, but no way; it was worse than at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
But anyway, Chile was a great stop and the last one in South America. Next is Canada – Niagara Falls, what else!
Labels: Chile, city panorama, desert, gondola, heat, Santiago
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Back to Mexico - and all problems
We have just returned to Mexico-City; we are more or less in transit since we'll continue to Canada tomorrow. South American airlines do not belong to the Star Alliance network so we had had to book them separately; from now on it's Star Alliance again.
Anyway, this time it was a NIGHTMARE to get into the country. We spent more than an hour discussing at the customs. Problems here, problems there ... and the funny thing nobody seemed to care about: We already HAVE been to Mexico a few days ago, and we do not intend to fly this time - it's just transit and we have plenty of documents proving this!
We finally made it ... which leaves us with the next problem: Our transport box is significantly damaged and needs to be overhauled (we haven't checked the heli yet)! Really, what is the problem with airlines in South America? Everybody has tons of baggage and it seems to be sort of a fun game between the baggage guys of who can smash things onto the ground the hardest. Or throw them right out of the cargo bay, who knows. The staff was friendly, no complaints - but that's not enough if you want to be a reputable airline offering good service!
We'll talk about the Chile adventure soon - just give us a little time to finish the latest ROTOR article, repair our stuff and maybe sleep for a change. We're looking forward to posting the next stories!
BTW, special thanks go to Marc Endres, not just for his spirited work regarding the German version of this blog, but also for providing us with a wealth of information regarding Canada.
Thanks also for the comment regarding the Panama Canal - we posted an answer right after it.
Then thanks a lot for the many emails - it is too much to handle at the moment; we respond to all incoming mail, but it may take a while! The questions are often similar so it would be really better to leave them as a comment!!
To those of you who have asked about new HeliGraphix releases via SKS Video Productions in the USA - Scott Stauffer is a great guy, and he will get back to you with details! Apart from this, please watch the HeliGraphix website!
That's it for now, hear you soon!
Labels: customs problem, damage, Mexico
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Welcome to Rio de Janeiro/BRAZIL!
We have to say that Rio de Janeiro is one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited. A unique mixture of mountains, bays, beaches (Copacabana!) and the city itself with a lot of green environment hides its 12 million citizens perfectly well. And no, it is not the capital of Brazil even though that's what most people think! Instead, this is the much smaller city of Brasilia (2.2 million inhabitants). But don't panic if you, too, shouted out loud Rio was the capital. It used to be – for almost 200 years until 1960.
Prior to our visit we received many warnings; it is fact that Rio is one of the most dangerous places on the planet. It is no joke at all some thugs will kill you for a new pair of sneakers. My cousin's friend was murdered in Brazil some years ago when as a mere reflex she was trying to protect her backpack against theft. It's the same rules as everywhere: Avoid hot areas, behave normal and don't make yourself an obvious target by running around like a stupid tourist.
The Federal Republic of Brazil has a complex history and became independent from Portugal in 1825. Right, it wasn't Spain this time! As a matter of fact Spain and Portugal had a contract how South America would be divided between them once the terrain was conquered. Total population of Brazil today is about 190 million; this makes it effectively the fifth largest state of the world (same goes for its total area, although major parts are more or less inaccessible tropical rainforest).
It is a shame what Copa Airlines do with your baggage. Our specially designed helicopter transport box was wet and looked quite damaged when it came lying on the belt in the baggage claim area. This meant repair work was necessary; very nice, Portuguese-speaking Rio de Janeiro is the perfect place for finding a DIY store … What's more it increasingly turns out our schedule is very tight, making traveling exhausting. You never get the chance to feel at home anywhere. Once you start getting an overview of your surroundings it's already time to board the next plane. We barely find the time to wash our clothes or get a haircut every now and then.
Ah! The guys have to do more things than just rush from country to country, explore the environment, deal with authorities, film and take pictures, do AFD panoramas, write, write, write, transfer and process data, do backups, send them home, etc. – they have to eat, sleep and deal with everyday issues as well! How right you are!
"Rio de Janeiro" got its name form a Portuguese explorer – it means "River of January"; guess why! What famous landmarks do we find here? Well, there is the statue of Christ on top of the 700 m high Cocorvado mountain; it is 30 m high plus an 8 m tall base. Apart from strong winds, serious security and crowds of visitors there are two major problems associated with it. Firstly, if you want to see it from the front (for sure you will) rather than from its back then you have to stand on the visitor's platform which is just over 100 m long; bad angle! From the ground or the nearest other hill it is a mere speck in the sky. And then, there is still the second problem: Since we are on the southern hemisphere the sun rises in the east and moves over the north to the west where it finally goes down. Unfortunately this means that Christ is mostly lit from the side or even from the back – which would leave you with a black silhouette on the video!
Okay, what else do we have? All over Rio you will find granite rock of very distinct shape. One of them is world-famous, and not only since the showdown between James Bond and Jaws in Moonraker in 1979. It is the Sugar Loaf Mountain; no other "hill" (it's only 394 m! :-) ) has a shape as cool as this one. And now comes the best: It is situated on a peninsula which means you can film it from across the bay! Perfect lighting, a nice harbor panorama with houses and ships – what else could you wish for?!
When looking back these were the first truly relaxed flights of the whole WSF project. The only thing which spoilt the scene a little was the strong wind; I wanted to loop around the Sugar Loaf Mountain but had to do it flying with the wind. At full pitch the 90-size Three Dee MP XL-E (and this heli really has plenty of excess power!) barely made it back against the wind once it was in the loop. So on top I had to do sort of half a flip and then push it against the wind with full negative pitch. It looks a little funny in the video as there – of course – you don't see any trace of the wind.
We think that when the WSF video is out some of you will want to reread part of these lines. All the readers of this blog and of ROTOR magazine have a wide and really interesting background of why what was shot how. It is very cool to experience how something as big and of the nature of the WSF is created, isn't it?!
We were lucky with the weather – the day of our flying was the only one without rain and overcast skies. Nonetheless we shot a very cool AFD panorama the next day! Actually we found a heli pad and got permission to take the pictures from there. It is on top of a hill, high above the city and vis-à-vis of the Christ statue. Just 300 m away was another visitor's platform (that's where the picture on top was taken the day before); theoretically we could have flown from there as well. It's just that the full-size heli came in every 7 minutes to pick up new people, and if there is one thing you must never do, then it is to interfere with full-size aircraft. But like said before, the weather wasn't as good as the day before anyway and we saw plenty of armed security in the vicinity.
All in all, Rio de Janeiro was a cool stop – we'll be cherishing the memory of it and can only recommend it to you!
Labels: Brazil, Copacabana, crime, full-size aircraft, Rio de Janeiro, Sugar Loaf Mountain, WSF tasks
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