Welcome to Earth


Actor Will Smith came to Guatemala with another film crew. That assignment started on Christmas Eve, Sharpe says. The Black Wolf crew didn’t know who was coming in, just that it was an A-list celebrity.


“We want to fly a celebrity,” a production crew member told the Black Wolf crew. “They will land in Guatemala in their jet,” and they will need helicopter transportation.


In this case, they wanted a larger helicopter – an Agusta 109 twin- engine with a twin pilot, to be exact. Sharpe had to line up the helicopter. He found one owned by a private citizen, but it wasn’t a charter aircraft. So he negotiated to use the helicopter. Then the real work began to ensure they had pilots and insurance. “I am


now learning about helicopter insurance,” he says.


They ended up going to Antigua, where Smith was staying. They were filming the Disney+/ National Geographic streaming show “Welcome to Earth,” which premiered in December 2021. Three production companies were involved alongside the film crew and helicopter crew.


The Black Wolf team had to be prepared to transport, rescue, and provide medical assistance. They also needed to map where the helicopter was flying and where drones were flying, since drones were a part of production. The helicopter crew may also be on-location filming, which means not talking for an entire day to be “quiet on the set.”


74


Nov/Dec 2023


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