60,000 requests, 2 responses: Tell me about the Good stuff at your station.
 

Dear Mark Bell,

I appreciate your desire to hear about the "good" stuff going on in our shops.  Unfortunately, [a frequent writer to this forum] does more than his share of self-congratulating.  How much you wanna bet he's among the first to respond to your request?  I'd lay odds on it, and it makes me want to wretch, in no small part because I work at his competitor and most of what he writes is utter b.s.

That said, I'll tell you, I would consider my ND a friend.  My shop has incredible photographers.  And generally, everyone in this shop likes and gets along with everyone else.  I can't imagine a place with LESS back-stabbing.

[name withheld by editor to keep the place as one with less back-stabbing.]
 
 

The other response: Might be titled:  TV is a nice business if you're portable.

The best News Director I've ever worked for was Don Browne at WTVJ-TV (NBC6) in Miami because he took an active interest in every newscast by  making a point of approaching each reporter and producer individually after each newscast to acknowledge and offer feedback on work. Most News Directors are nowhere to be found at the end of the day, but Don was often talking in-depth to a reporter or producer before or after a show.  After a particularly great program he made a point of gathering all the troops -- from interns to Senior Producers to offer praise.  When mistakes happened, 
yes he'd call a post-mortem meeting, but he'd ask questions rather than "shoot first."  I believe this type of leadership fosters a team atmosphere rather than a competitive one, as is often the case in newsrooms, where people who should be working together -- aren't.  And it's the former that makes for Good TV.  Don Browne has since received a well-deserved promotion proving good guys can finish first.
- Maria A. Bianco
   former Medical Producer, WTVJ-TV (NBC6), Miami
 

[response]
<< I love it! Nice story! Thanks! Why are you the "former" medical producer, if I may ask?>>
 

Of course, you may ask.  I loved that job, but my husband & I  relocated from Miami to North Carolina for his job.  I worked as a Medical Producer for Discovery Health while in NC, and now we've just relocated for his job again.  This time...to New Jersey, which is a good thing because I'm a native New Yorker & closer to family & friends now.  I immediately started freelancing in NYC, which brings to mind some "Bad TV" stories.  But, the bad experiences make you appreciate the good ones all the more, which is why I felt compelled to respond to your query.  The good experience at WTVJ-TV influenced my decision to continue to focus on medical & health as it had such an impact on people's lives and the feedback from the community was tremendous.  It reminds me why I got into this business.
 
 

The News Video Workshop, NPPA's annual TV photojournalism seminar, is set for March 18-23, 2001 at the University of Oklahoma. This intensive, "only one of its kind," workshop is taught by a faculty of top video professionals including current NPPA photographer of the year Doug Legore, NBC Today Show special correspondent Bob Dotson, NBC Dateline's John Larson, and a host of other nationally recognized broadcast photojournalists.

Participants spend up to 16 hours intense hours each day in formal and informal sessions with a faculty of over 30 award-winning videographers, reporters, editors and producers. The News Video Workshop, now in its 41st year, is known for helping photojournalists build and maintain a solid foundation of technical and storytelling skills. We turn shooters into photojournalists, teach producers/reporters how to write with sound and images and recharge veteran photojournalists' enthusiasm batteries. 0ver 350 video professionals attended last year!

Complete details are available on-line at:
www.nppa.@org/workshops/tvworkshop/  or from workshop co-director Sharon Levy Freed, 303-750-3255,  slevyfreed@earthlink.net .
 

        Rocker & Iverson, sing'n the same racist tune

        The scary thing about racism in pro sports is the many forms in which it manifests. Indeed, some instances are blatant; like John Rockers' tirade and the ensuing media circus last year.         
         Other forms of racism however, while just as ignorant, are more frightening because they happen under the guise of "artistic freedom." As if 1st Amendment protection makes the racist spewing his message any less vile. 
        Such is the case with the recent controversy involving Philadelphia 76ers guard-turned rapper Allen Iverson. Iverson's homophobic, misogynistic and violent rap lyrics gave me pause much more than Rocker's diarrhea of the mouth did.         
         With good reason Rocker was vilified for vocalizing his thoughts to a reporter from Sports Illustrated. But Rocker's Waterloo was a traditional magazine interview; equal parts leading questions and a frightening look inside the mind of an immature pro athlete.         
        The difference in Iverson's situation is that unlike Rocker's spontaneous rant to a reporter, one has to assume this guy sat down over a period of days or weeks and actually wrote the lyrics to a cut like "40 Bars." If you thought Rocker's NYC #7 train rap on gays, AIDS, and foreigners was ignorant, Iverson's creative expression of hatred puts that to shame.         
         Which is why for my money Iverson is just as big a racist as John Rocker. Under the persona of a hip, gansta-hoopsta Iverson's racist rap is much more sinister because he's looking to make a profit. His song lyrics are not spontaneous words delivered in response to a reporter's question, but rather the result of a calculated "creative" process. It's like Dan Patrick wrote in a recent article for ESPN Magazine, Iverson had to scratch his chin and ponder what words rhyme with "faggots."
         No, for me this thinly vailed racism and the media's lack of willingness to vilify Iverson with the same fervor they attacked Rocker is even more alarming and disheartening. If Rocker's racism was a crime of passion, Iverson's hatred is premeditated with the intent to profit.
         And you can forget the "I'm an artist" rap Iverson is now sing'n to media outlets and to NBA commish David Stern. As much as Iverson would like to think of himself as an artist, he's not. He's a basketball player. A wealthy athlete-slash-businessman attempting to prostitute his NBA notoriety by selling a few records because hey, racism, like sex, sells.
         I guess what I find most contemptuous is how the same bandwagon mentality within the national sports media hasn't picked up on Iverson's bigotry disguised as art routine. What gives?
         To me, this all begs the obvious question. Would last year's John Rocker feeding frenzy have not caused such a firestorm had he expressed his feelings set to music in a country song entitled, "I've got no friends in low places!"

The following stories have been taken off a mailing list from a helicopter pilot's newsletter. What's important is that any manufacturer who makes a device which needs to be diddled with, creating distraction for an overburdened helicopter pilot, ought to be sentenced to some scary and dangerous flight time themselves, as that's what their product is creating. (Dangers below, too.) On the other hand, there are wonderful hints in here regarding what's good and bad.

This space will be open next month for anybody, especially manufacturers who wish to tell their stories. Are the pilots doing something wrong? Are the stations cheap?  Why are there problems with cameras on flying machines? 
 

Message: 
>    Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2000 12:13:26 EDT
>    From: biermannjb@aol.com
> Subject: Re: Digest Number 96
> 
> In a message dated 10/9/2000 3:24:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
> NBPA@egroups.com writes:
> 
> << Alex Calder >> wrote about WESCAM>>
> 
Great to hear others say WESCAM "sucks."   We've used a Wescam for 3 years in NYC and it is a big old L E M O N !!.    Most of the repair techs who would show up, first words were "golly geeee, I never worked on one of deeese things before."

The support to date is horrible.    WPIX TV here in NYC went with FLIR UM3  (I think) and the new zoom ratio is 92:1 instead of 72:1.  We all know what more zoom length means to camera stability.  My best advice, stay away from WESCAM.  You're simply looking for trouble!

 JB
 

Message: 
   Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 12:54:48 EDT
   From: RPMChpr2@aol.com
Subject: Re: Digest Number 97

Ron Myer (pilot, Ch 2 Chicago)
Since everyone is chiming in about camera systems.  We have a Gyro Cam, and it worked great for the first year, then we sent it back for an upgrade, and it hasn't worked right since.  Their idea of service is take the thing off and send it back to the factory, and wait several weeks while they get around to it.
  The few times that they have sent an engineer out to service our unit, it got fixed quickly, and correctly.  But it seems like about every three months something goes wrong with it?  We will have to consider the Flir system the next time we need a camera.
 
 

Message: 
   Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2000 10:53:08 -0700
   From: "Smart, Bob" <bobs@katu.com>
Subject: RE: Digest Number 97

yes I do feel the FLIR is better than the westcam and the Gyron is better than the FLIR. I do here the Gyron is heavier so you will need a bigger helo to haul it. good luck with your choice. also as part of the vibration problem with bigger lenses, how many hours do most of these helos have on then. 

if the group does not mind maybe some could reply with the number of hours they have on there airframes and if they feel the higher time airframes maybe cause some extra vibration in the camera. 
bobs 
 

Message: 
   Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 01:08:54 -0700
   From: "Alex Calder" <alex@helispot.com>
Subject: RE: Digest Number 98

Re: 3 camera systems

You guys mentioned vibration.

I worked for the station here in L.A. that was the testbed for the Gyron. During the early development stages, they had some bad vibration in the tight shots, but that was resolved later with these round isolation rings that suspend the whole housing from the mount.  (I don't know if the others have this, so pardon me if this is common to all three systems.)  Later, with our finished production unit, we had one time that we were getting just a little bit of jitter that was uncommon for the unit.  They came out, replaced those suspension rings I mentioned, and viola, it was beautiful again.  I guess those metal rings do that typical metal thing and loose their flexibility over time.  They are easily replaced though, good thing.

OK, I'm regularly using all three of these platforms out here in L.A. regularly.  Here's my deal on all three, for what it's worth, from the camera op's perspective.

Our Wescam doesn't have any kind of trim/drift mode on it.  Basically, Wescam now is, from what I'm told, just like Wescam way back when - you want the shot to track to the left, you put in left stick.  Any movement of the helicopter, unfortunately, goes right into your arm and subsequently into the shot through the controls.  Yes, the sensitivity can be  turned way down, and some operators have a gentle touch, but still, it's a mess.

Also, before you launch, you have to use this "auto null" feature. Basically, before you introduce helicopter movement into the shot, you point the camera towards a building or something and hit the auto null button. After a few seconds, any drift in the shot from when it was powered up will
be corrected and hopefully the shot stops moving.  I say "hopefully" because many times the camera will indicate that the auto null operation completed, but the shot is still drifting on its own.  Thus the reason why we point the camera at something, tight.  We need to see if the shot is still moving.

The FLIR and the Gyron let you adjust the drift on the control panel via knobs.

One thing that we love about the Gyron is that the trim knobs have an abundant amount of effect at the high end of the scale.  This actually is a major point of enjoyment for the Gyron ops, because of this:  Take a typical FLIR situation.  Get over a story, find the scene.  Put the camera on it, then start figuring out which way you're holding the stick to keep the shot framed up.  Too much left stick?  Add some right trim.  Etc.  Well, depending on the orbit, the movement of the story if it's moving, other things too, you're always putting in a little trim change here or there to
alleviate any input required on the stick (or minimize it)..  Ok, this is good.  So, why not just use the trim knobs to command camera movement instead of the stick?  The shot would always be trimmed out, right?  Well, it works with the Gyron, but not well with the FLIR because there's not
enough effect with the FLIR drift knobs.

I've gotta tell ya, this was suuuuch a beautiful thing with the Gyron.  I never used the stick!!!  I'd find my story, and I'd use the trim knobs to keep the camera on the story.  Camera starting to drift a hair to the left? Goose in a little right trim knob and you're right there.  This was a big
deal!!!  Why?  Oh, times like this:  the microwave room wants you to switch mountain-tops on the GPS...   At any moment, I could take my hands off of the controls, and the camera would stay on the story while I made the quick change...  No, not forever, but for what felt like a lifetime compared to the others...  It really made for some smooth stuff.  And pursuits were a blast.  No stick needed.  We could be doing figure-8's and that camera just stayed right on the story.

Also, the trim settings don't hold very long!!!  With the Gyron, we'd be about 10 seconds away from our live hit.  I'd quickly zoom in (we've hovering), get my focus, zero out the drift, and zoom back out to a nice wide establish shot.  Reporter would say, "Well this is the area of blah blah blah and lets zoom to show you what's happening..."  Zoom in and when I'd take my hands off the controls, the drift would still be set and the shot wouldn't move...  It was gorgeous...   With the FLIR, NEVER!!!  The damn drift changes every second...  And forget about it with the Wescam.
You'll auto null it on the ramp, and five minutes later, you're wondering if you did it or not!!

OK, a couple more things.  Wescam and FLIR point 90 degrees down (FLIR does, I think Wescam does).  But they don't point very far up.  The logic, I'm sure, was that, "Hey, you'll never need to point to the sky.  The story is always on the ground."  Well, guess what?  It's a drag.  First off, FLIR will go through the 90-degree-down mode and gets stuck in this screwy 90-plus mode where if you try to get it out, it doesn't like it.  A station here in L.A. missed the money shot on a pursuit because the helicopter was forced to fly directly over the top due to other traffic.  The camera went past 90-degrees, got caught looking slightly backwards, then the camera operator tried to get it to recover and come out of it and it fought back... By the time the operator got it out of that terrible 90-plus area and saved the shot (literally 1 minute later), the suspect and exited his car and was caught.  Bummer.

The Gyron goes ALMOST straight down but not all the way, so you'll never get that.  And it goes quite a ways HIGHER than the others.  But wait, the story is on the ground - who cares?  Oh, that is a biggie too.  Common scenario - hovering, shooting a story.  Pilot hears a hot breaker on the scanner (L.A. equals PURSUIT) and noses it over to start heading that way.  Well, when the
ship was level, the ball was pointing at the story in front of the nose with no problem.  Now, the pilot puts the nose to the ground in an attempt to get it going, and the camera jams up against the top end-stop.  Funny, that extra play on the top of the scale is sooo important.

Also annoying is that horizon/roll jitter that is common with the FLIR.  I don't have much time with the new UM3, but I've seen the problem still there with it even with the little time I've used it...  Not there with the Gyron...

Almost never broke down either, the Gyron...   Wild.  One roll motor burned up when it got cold, and that showed us that the race for the roll axis was a little too narrow...  Widened it out, never did it again...  Love it.

Yes, it's a little more expensive...  Over $300,000....   Yes, it's heavier...  Over 100 pounds I believe...  but it's so nice.  My station here doesn't have it anymore because it apparently came with the last helicopter from an operator whose contract expired...   New helicopter, new camera, and they saved money...  And guess what, the aerials aren't half as good as they used to be...  We always got compliments from other stations (management, desk, whoever) raving about our stuff...

Another shop here tried it out, loved it...  but a manager told me that Gyron (a.k.a. Troll) was giving them a killer deal on the Wescam because they were buying Troll Cam's and other stuff as part of a bigger package... Damn, a deal too good to pass up.

Anyway, that's my take.  Sorry to ramble!!!  Any questions, feel free to ask.

I think I need to re-edit another demo reel!!  Better shown [than] described, huh!

Good luck gang...

------------------------------------
Alex Calder
alex@helispot.com

Helispot - The Spot for Helicopters
http://www.helispot.com
------------------------------------

Message: 
   Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 10:32:49 EDT
   From: mrtandem@aol.com
Subject: Re: Digest Number 98

We're still pretty primitive in Tucson--but then without any competition, we can afford to be--so I'm still using a shooter hanging out the door.   Granted, it may not be as safe as a mounted camera, but it DOES  seem to work  EVERY time and there isn't any down time.  Besides, the shooters I have  consider it an adventure and look forward to flying as a way to cool off 
during the hot su mmer months.  Guess sometimes simple can be better............although that will surely change when folks start  camplaining about low flying helicopters or we get some competition---until  then I'll just hang out here green with envy at all you guys with the neat 
toys.............Ray Caryl
 

Message: 
   Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 12:27:24 EDT
   From: biermannjb@aol.com
Subject: Re: Digest Number 98

Found a new Wescam guy, Mike O'Dee,  who claims the new Wescam system is far better than the one which we have.  Ours was one of the first made and I am waiting to see the specs and demos on the new.

Anyone interested in the data, let me know or call Mike  503 612 1900.  He appears to be open to getting things done and introducing their new product.

Message: 
   Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 07:56:49 EDT
   From: skywitness@aol.com
Subject: (no subject)

Photog in the back seat?  That may work well in Tuscon, but that's how we started here in New York.  Two words= rain hurts.  Way too cold in most cities anyway.  Besides, the shots we do in Midtown Manhattan (between blocks of 50+ story buildings) would be impossible with a hand-held.

We are still using a Flir UM 1.  Our sister ship (Metro Traffic) uses the smaller Wescam 320.  The Wescam is a good, all-purpose traffic/news camera- just fine for operators in medium or small markets.

The UM 1 is superior to the Wescam in almost every category.  Its got better stabilization, better drift/trim controls, better hand controller, and (most importantly) a much better picture.  The color and clarity are excellent.  I know that the UM series and the Wescam 720 use the same hardware (Sony T70 Cam with a Fujinon lens), but the Wescam is not nearly as sharp.  Wescam has never been able to explain this.

There is a UM 3 up in NY with WPIX.  While Flir boasts this new 96:1 zoom and better low-light capabilities, I haven't seen it.  Granted, PIX is using the camera almost exclusively for traffic, so the "big" zoom isn't necessary, but for those on a budget, I hear that a refurb'ed UM 2 is going for 1/3 the price of a new UM 3.  The UM 2 will easily do the job.  (One note though, the 
UM 3 is supposedly capable of being easily converted to digital, which is something new...)

If the station has the budget, suggest the service plan with either manufacturer.  If it breaks, its their problem, not yours.  Expensive, but it will save you a lot of headaches down the road.

I think I mentioned it on this board once before....experiences of camera operators with different systems vary from city to city, ship to ship, and camera to camera.  Overall, the best advice I can give is don't believe anything 'till you see it.  The sales folks at both Wescam and Flir will sell 
you their mother's underwear if they could.  Talk to camera operators, and technicians who work on the stuff. 

John D
WABC, New York

Message: 
   Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 15:26:20 -0000
   From: swiley@wral-tv.com
Subject: Camera systems

Steve Wiley (chief pilot, Raleigh NC)

When looking at purchasing a camera system it is far more complicated than whether to buy a Ford or a Chevy.

First I think you have to look at the financial health of the company you plan to purchase from, and you need to look 10 years down the road to see ifyou can get the support you need, you will also need to look at what the company does and how it makes money because ENG is a tiny finite market, so
whoever you choose needs to be diverse and capable and project  longevity.

Second, not everyone flies a jet/long ranger or an Astar so the mounting bracket becomes an issue, sure you can get a bracket made but when you do it will add $25-30,000.00 to the price, it is much easier when the  company that makes the gymbal has a variety of mounting brackets, because different
airframes and options demand different attachments, there is only one manufacturer that provides multiple types of attach brackets for multiple airframes, and that's Wescam.

Third, features...and you have to weigh this against cost, sure the Gyron might be the Bugatti of camera systems but it is expensive ( I think  75,000) and heavy and I think KCAL was the only station to ever use one. There are only a handful of Gyron's out there so I would be concerned living on the east coast about service. The FSI system while simple to operate has limited features, I didn't  like the UM-2's inability to shoot straight down, and the use of tank gyros, aquarium pumps (to purge the gymbal), a HUGE cable for the controller, and limited mounting options.  We have a Wescam 16-725 with a sony BVP-570, attached to a offset nosemount on a 407. The unit has been in service almost 2 years and we have around1500 hours on the gymbal and I have to say it has been outstanding, both in quality and reliability. We had a small problem initially with an encoder which the service rep fixed quickly and easily. I have found the tech reps knowledgeable, accessible and responsive, I have good relationship with the sales rep who still calls after 2 years! The pictures are crisp and clear with excellent low light capability's, unlike Alex Calders experience we can contol and adjust drift and roll in flight, additionally when  orbiting a target we use the Trackaid and it controls the gymbal and holds in on the target for you. The system has a vehicle slave system whereby regardless of aircraft attitude it will maintain the attitude that you set it for, it also has a memory for going directly to a target when you are shooting a bump shot and need to quickly go to the subject in your story. The system integration unit can be adjusted from anywhere in the world, all you need is a laptop computer to log into the SIU with. Wescam uses the same gyros that they use in cruise missiles and a dessecant cartridge purged with  nitrogen in a pressurized and environmentally sealed gymbal...hence no leaks.  They have multiple camera controllers, we use a small pistol grip in the cockpit and a larger laptop controller in the back with the shooter. Wescam will build whatever you ant, meaning different brands of cameras, different brands of lenses, so you can tailor your system to your shop. I know I sound like a Wescam salesman, but I'm not. I am however proud of the system and the ay it works and I  consistently get comments from our people about the quality and clarity of the images 
we get, our competition uses a UM-2 and there is a noticable difference in the quality of their images, ours being clearly superior both in stabilization and clarity and from higher altitudes.

This has been my experience with Wescam and I highly recommend their product over Gyron or FSI, I know some of you don't mirror my experience and that's unfortunate but there are a lot of very satisfied Wescam operators out there.

PS You can convert any gymbal to digital, all it takes is a digital camera head. The next big change will be High Definition and digital is not High Definition

Steve Wiley
919-821-8688

Message: 
   Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 08:50:32 -0500
   From: Keith McCutchen <kmccutchen@wishtv.com>
Subject: Re: Digest Number 100

It has been very interesting to watch the different replies when it comes to the "camera" system of choice.  I agree with the statements many of you have written especially concerning the complexity surrounding your choices.  My experience has been with Flir and I have had the UM-1, UM-2 and I am currently using the UM-3. I have been very happy with all aspects of the Flir product.

I think each of you can speak with certain authority on the camera you are using or have used.  I have also seen some facts misrepresented concerning the various products.  Let's make sure we know all the facts when we say "we do not like this quality because", or "that system does not have"!  As far as service reps and salesman, these are people trying to do their job and I think it is a shame to beat them up.  I do agree with the point that if you have not received the type of service you feel you should have, then it is time to speak up!

Please keep these discussions going as they are very good for our industry and for us as end users of these products.  The manufactures are monitoring this forum as well as we are and this is a way for them to learn what we like and dislike.  Who knows, maybe someone will see what our concerns are and create the system we all desire most.

Fly safe!
Keith McCutchen
WISH-TV
Vice Chairman NBPA

Message: 
   Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 22:30:44 -0700
   From: "David R. Busse" <DRBusse@linkline.com>
Subject: Wescam Schmescam

Steve Wiley wrote:

> I know some of you don't mirror my experience and that's unfortunate but there are a lot of very satisfied Wescam operators out there.
>

Unless there have been great engineering changes made in the Wescam product, I would sure like to know who those very satisfied Wescam operators are out there. Not me, with hundreds of flight hours on both the the model 24 and 16, side and nose-mounted in JetRangers and A-Stars respectively (as well as Flirs, Gyrons, Tyler mounts and many years of hand-held in a variety of
aircraft); not anyone I know of in Los Angeles media, not the LAPD or local DEA folks. These Wescam guys have littered the TV news landscape with unsatisfied users across the country and I would be highly skeptical of  claims by them or anyone else that a significant number of satisfied
customers exists. The Wescams we had were maintenance nightmares, the control systems were arcane at best and the switch to Flir didn't come soon enough...that was easily the opinion of myself (afternoon operator) and all concerned in my station's engineering and news departments.

I consider the Gyron to be the finest aerial camera system out there followed by the Flir, and until I "retired" from daily news flying last March, averaged about 4 flight hours a day on a very dependable UM-2 in an AS350BA. Perhaps we in the Los Angeles market have more significant
maintenance issues because of the relatively big flight hours we rack up (10-12 daily flight hours are not unusual on our news ship). 

When I was out of work two years ago during an 11-week-long labor dispute, I was fortunate enough to pick up several lucrative jobs as aerial coordinator and camera operator on some high-end corporate video shoots. The client came in dropping the "Wescam" name around. I put my money and professional reputation on the Gyron and did things that only it could do. The client was impressed and has not used the Wescam since.

Alex Calder may be this region's best aerial video cameraman and I respect his skill and opinion. He can do things with the Gyron that the Flir and Wescam cannot begin to approach.

David R. Busse
News Photographer
KABC-TV 

Message: 
   Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 13:13:01 EDT
   From: orpilotguy@aol.com
Subject: Camera systems

The current discussion about camera systems is very much to the point.  It is unfortunate that we can only choose from three vendors for systems.  The Gyron is incredible, but you need an AStar or 407 to carry it around.  Those of us stuck in overloaded JetRangers can only dream.

Wescam is long on promises and extremely short on performing.  I watched them come to our helicopter vendor recently and make all kinds of promises about their IR package.  The vendor was flying an OLD gas charged IR system from FLIR, doing animal surveys for state and federal fish & wildlife.  Wescam mounted their unit, sent it out on a job, and it failed totally.  As a 
result, the vendor lost all future contracts due to non-performance.  I had previously flown these contracts for them and the customer was always happy with the results the FLIR unit gave.

We run a UM1 with about 1800 hours on it.  After some significant intial "jitter" problems, (which FLIR fixed with design mods) the system is great.  We do eat roll gyros about every 500 hours, though.

Support is superb (although it should be since we are in FLIR's backyard).  My only complaint is they seldom have loaners available these days.  Wescam needs to set their ego aside and get with it.  When I was flying charter, we did lots of aerial video work.  The movie folks from L.A. would 
call to book an aircraft, and then say "oh, by the way, we will bring our own pilot to fly the Wescam, because you guys aren't approved by Wescam". Give me a break!  What is the big deal about flying with a ball hanging off the side of the aircraft.  They act like it is something sooooo hard.  Let me see most of the "approved" Wescam pilots take a 400 pound load on a 100 foot line on a JetRanger to 5000 feet and put it down through the trees without killing themselves!

When I became Chief Pilot for an operator, I would just tell the customer to call someone else, and not waste my time with "West Scam".  Their upper management needs to acknowledge that they have a huge reputation problem in the industry and start doing something about it.

Warren Petrie
Pilot/Reporter
KOIN 6 NEWS (CBS)
Portland, OR
 

Message: 
   Date: Sun, 15 Oct 2000 19:38:24 -0400
   From: "Robb Case" <imrobb@columbus.rr.com>
Subject: Re: Digest Number 102

  Warren,

  Here's a question for you and others.  What do roll gyros cost? Would you recommend purchasing a yearly maintenance agreement from the camera vendor? Or pay them by the hour to fix it?

  Also, for everyone ... we have looked at buying the smaller ball... the "RS" from FLIR instead of the UM2.  Lighter but can't double up on the zoom in. How often do you need the extended zoom?

Robb Case
WCMH-TV 4

Message: 
   Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 09:12:02 -0400
   From: Mark Bell <bell@world.std.com>
Subject: Re: Digest Number 103

As many of you know, I write for Television Broadcast magazine, and also write for a web publication at http://www.digitaljournalist.org, sponsored by HP, Canon, and a host of others. 

I would like to use the most recent thread about cameras (Wescam, Gyrocam, Flir, etc.) in the next month's web piece. To those on this very well "out there" news list, do you have any objections? Even though this is a semi-public forum and the information is in the open, I want to make sure there are no objections. If anyone prefers I NOT include  their names on their correspondence please let me know by responding to me directly. mailto:safety@engsafety.com
 

Message: 
   Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 11:19:47 -0400
   From: "Neal Lawson" <rotorhed@bellatlantic.net>
Subject: FLIR vs. WESCAM vs. Gyron...

I've been following the discussion on cameras for the past few weeks. Just read Warren Petrie's piece on the WESCAM and I endorse it 100%. I can vouch for the accuracy of the story since I was the pilot flying the fish and wildlife contract at the time. We had begun the contract with the old, reliable (almost bulletproof) FLIR unit. Mike O'Dee from WESCAM approached the customer and convinced them to give the WESCAM a try. We lost a week getting the unit mounted and working. O'Dee flew as the camera operator since our operator "wasn't qualified". It was a disaster. It took us over a month to complete a 2-week contract. The unit wouldn't track properly, the images were so fuzzy as to be useless, and, to top it off, O'Dee claimed that it was my fault because I wasn't flying the patterns right! Funny, I was flying good patterns with the FLIR unit...

In any case, the claims made by WESCAM were simply not borne out by actual operations. To be fair, this may well have been a case of the salesman overselling the product. I have talked to several operators who have been very happy with their WESCAM units. My experience has been primarily with FLIR and FLIR-derived (Gyrocam) equipment. I am currently using an old Gyrocam 36X (UM-1 clone) with a FLIR service contract, and have been quite satisfied, given the age of the unit.

It appears to me that each system has its own cheering section, and that there are good things (and bad) about each. I think that it all boils down to what works for a given operator. One suggestion: if you are having problems, document them; i.e., get it on tape! It helps to  convince both the vendor and station management that there actually is a problem. If it happens often enough and is not getting fixed, you may have some leverage for a new system. (OK, so maybe I'm dreaming!)

Fly safe,

Neal Lawson
Pilot/Reporter
WPXI-TV
Pittsburgh, PA
 

Message: 
   Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 12:00:57 EDT
   From: orpilotguy@aol.com
Subject: Re: Digest Number 102

Robb:

I would stay away from the RS ball.  I share hangar space with the UPN ship which uses it.  It has significant "jitter" in the image which FLIR is unable to eliminate.  The only way to go is the full size UM ball.

I think the gyros are around $15,000.

Fly safe

Warren Petrie
Pilot/Reporter
KOIN 6 NEWS
 

Message: 
   Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2000 12:54:28 EDT
   From: biermannjb@aol.com
Subject: Re: Digest Number 103

In a message dated 10/16/2000 3:23:06 AM Eastern Daylight Time,  NBPA@egroups.com writes:

<< How often do you need the extended zoom? >>

All the time.  In the words of Tim Allen """"  grunt , grunt... MORE POWER !!

Remember, altitude is your friend and a great zoom is your best friend 
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