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Working Man’s Gyro Mount


Review & Photos by Lyn Burks Have you ever tried to shoot hand­


held video from a helicopter? Pretty shaky, huh? Or, have you ever priced the cost of


renting a Tyler camera mount, or a heli­ copter with a nose­mounted, gyro­sta­ bilized camera? Pretty pricey, huh? Not that these are bad products;


quite to the contrary, they are amazing products. But for the average travel­ ling videographer or helicopter opera­ tor, these solutions may be impractical or out of reach from a budget stand­ point.


SOLUTION: The ATM X8 Three Axis, Advanced Travel Mount The June 2013 issue of Rotorcraft Pro


had a written, photo, and video feature on the Fairfax County Virginia Police Department Aviation Unit. This was a two­day project in which we did some air­to­air video of their Bell 429s in action. On this project, I took with me an


ATM X8 Three Axis, Advanced Travel Mount provided by Aerial Exposures International (AEI) out of New Jersey. The company’s very social and affable owner, Arnie Itzkowitz, manufactures these mounts from scratch from his shop, using his own patented design and gyros from Kenyon Labs.


AEI is perfectly happy to sell you a


mount, or rent you one by the week. I chose the rental route and the process was seamless. Arnie shipped two Pelican cases to my location, one had the battery and inverter, and the other stored the mount. Assembly was very intuitive. With no previous experience I had the mount put together, plugged in and running in about five minutes. The base and stabilization legs are


the perfect size for setting inside the aircraft. They are large enough to make for a solid platform, but not so big that you cannot put it inside even small heli­ copters or airplanes. The great thing about this mount is that it is a “portable” camera stabilizer and does not attach to a helicopter, so it does not need an STC or 337 per FAR 91.21. I had my Panasonic HMC 150 video


camera on top of the mount with a two­pound soft weight attached to the top. It took me about ten minutes of use to get the feel of the mount when moving the camera. The key to using the mount is to realize that “less is more.” The more you try to physically move the camera with your hands, the harder it is. When panning the camera,


40 August 2013


smooth slow pans work best. Tilt is easily set by sliding the camera fore and aft on the mount, letting the weight of the camera tilt inside the mount. The absolute smoothest shots will


result when you either move the air­ craft around the camera, or have the subject move within the shot. Trying to manhandle the camera results in a wresting match between the operator and the gyros —­ and the gyros always win. Once you understand the “less is more” concept and practice for a bit, you will be filming Hollywood­style aer­ ial shots on a Hoboken budget! Until now, professional camera stabi­


lization from a moving platform has only been achieved through the use of very expensive stabilized mounts that are usually rented. Developed for AEI’s own professional aerial photography business, the Aerial Exposures Gyro Stabilized Mount & Platform is the most affordable stabilized video or film platform that produces professional quality, stabilized imagery. They believe their patented Gyro Stabilized Platform is a breakthrough product in the areas of performance and price. This product will enable those of us without Hollywood­sized budgets to obtain stable, high quality video. Why rent a camera mount for $3,500­$8,000 per week when you can afford to buy it – or rent it for a fraction of the cost? This mount is perfect for the small


R44, Bell 206, or AS 350 operator to purchase and add to its list of services, thereby broadening potential revenue. I spoke to an operator in Florida who purchased one two years ago, and they consistently rent it (along with their R44) a couple of times per month. According to that operator, it has paid for itself two­times over. It also works very well for the videog­


rapher like myself, who may need a mount two or three times per year at dif­ ferent locations around the country. I just pick up the phone and call Arnie, tell him where I need the mount, and when I arrive on location, voila – there it is! Check out the Advanced Travel


Mount by visiting: www.aerialexposure.com


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