HeliGraphix

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Film series
title HeliGraphix
Original title HeliGraphix
Country of production Germany
original language English
Publishing year 2003-2015
Rod
Director Tobias U. Wagner
script
Tobias U. Wagner u. a. (Idea)
production HeliGraphix
camera Christoph W. Paulus
Saskia D. Oehmichen
cut Tobias U. Wagner
occupation

Tobias U. Wagner
Christoph W. Paulus
Ali Ciftci
Johann Maier
Lukas Grunauer
Richy Meichelböck u. a.

HeliGraphix (lately often referred to as "Team HeliGraphix") is a film and stunt team that operates on all five continents and specializes in stunts and film recordings with RC helicopters and these in the form of non-commercial self - films mostly on popular video portals and on two direct-to-video DVDs released. The crew holds numerous records with the model helicopter , is a flight pioneer for extraordinary flight maneuvers, has received two international film awards for the short film World Scenic Flights, which it produced in- house, and its extraordinary stunt and short films regularly attract national and international media coverage in the specialist and daily press themselves. In 2014, HeliGraphix was also seen for the first time in international infotainment and live show television formats. By 2014 there were about 110 episodes to be seen.

Content

In HeliGraphix short films, stunt actions with remote-controlled model helicopters are discussed. Sometimes there is a kind of framework story with different crew members, which often has a humorous undertone. The stunts can be subdivided into two categories: On the one hand, actions are shown with the models, often taking advantage of technical innovations of the RC helicopter model flight or using in-house constructions, which are at the limit of flying and at the edge of physical possibilities. On the other hand, the protagonists sometimes take deliberately calculated risks and sometimes do pioneering work for certain flight maneuvers.

Several times a year, HeliGraphix releases mostly intensive and long-term prepared RC helicopter stunt films; over 100 such clips have been published to date. With the exception of the World Scenic Flights, the videos often have a comedic undertone and are always published with comments and announcements in English, as HeliGraphix has a large fan base outside of German-speaking countries. In addition, the team publishes a traditional "Christmas Fun" short film every year, in which helicopter stunts are related to Christmas, or at least winter or winter sports.

The majority of all stunt productions are first pre-tested on domestic airfields and developed until they are almost technically mature and a success also appears possible elsewhere under sufficiently good conditions. Then the often international filming location is visited and the stunt is then carried out under real conditions, with appropriate permits, if necessary, obtained beforehand. Since the conditions are not always ideal, ultimately successful projects occasionally result in notable failures.

The HeliGraphix campaigns are regularly published and followed up in specialist journals around the world. The reporting does not only focus on the actions and their viewing values ​​themselves, but also analyzes the (flight) physical characteristics in the context of the stunts, so that the special circumstances and difficulties of the flight maneuvers are highlighted. In addition, the campaigns attracted a lot of attention outside of Europe and in some cases led to positive media coverage in the respective countries in which HeliGraphix was currently shooting.

Reference film World Scenic Flights

→ see main article World Scenic Flights

The film "World Scenic Flights" within the HeliGraphix series does not have a film plot in the conventional sense, but is defined by aerobatic maneuvers with a RC model helicopter at locations with a high recognition value , which are cultural, national, structural, historical or scenic Have meaning.

A total of 150,000 km was covered on around 30 long-haul flights to reach the 33 filming locations for the World Scenic Flights. The resulting short film has been shown at several international film festivals and has won two film awards.

World record: First manned RC helicopter flight (HULC stunt)

Successful record attempt in 2014 with enormous media coverage: HeliGraphix stuntwoman Oehmichen is held in the air by two RC helicopters in the "HULC stunt"

With the reference project HULC ( H eavy U ltra- L ifter C rane), HeliGraphix has written a piece of aviation history and set a world record that is unique to date. The basic aim of the project was to lift a person into the air with remote-controlled standard model helicopters and to keep them in suspension for several seconds. The most favorable configuration appeared to be the use of exactly two aircraft, as more than two flight models would have meant a risk that was difficult to calculate and the flight corridors for the individual aircraft would have been too limited. In order to be able to carry a total load of approx. 60 kg with only two machines and at the same time to be able to use standard model building products as far as possible, development work and test flights were carried out for a good four months, based on theoretical calculations. In the end, the only custom-made components were an electric motor optimized for the required operating point, including the associated control electronics. This equipment was able to provide a constant output of 10 kW (14 PS) and was operated with a rather unusual voltage of approx. 70 volts, which is typical of model construction, which was generated by 16 lithium polymer batteries connected in series. The battery capacity limited the flight time to a maximum of around 50 seconds, which roughly corresponded to the time that the person hanging on the rings was able to hold their own weight. During the development phase, tests were initially carried out on a smaller scale, i.e. with smaller model helicopters and lower weights. Only then were the newly built machines increasingly loaded and examined for their limits.

Finally, experiments with approx. 30 kg iron weights per machine led to the desired success and were already a record at this point, as it has not been possible so far with an RC helicopter of the 700 class (approx. 1.60 meters rotor diameter and 6 kg take-off weight) was to take such heavy loads into the air. Ultimately, only flying as synchronously as possible had to be rehearsed. In January 2014 the stunt succeeded several times, so that stuntwoman Oehmichen became the first person to be transported through the air in RC helicopters and finally wrote aviation history. The total weight that the two flight models had to pull as part of the stunt was around 56 kg. On later flights, a male person whose weight was 60 kg was also lifted. The action attracted a lot of attention and attracted massive national and international media coverage.

Since the performance of the RC helicopters used was so extraordinary, the authenticity of the flight was questioned by a number of scene pilots and some experts, who suspected the photos as photomontages and the video as a video trick. Thanks to the extensive documentation material, including in the HeliGraphix social media channels, as well as the public repetition of the service provided, etc. a. for a film team of the global Discovery Channel ( Discovery Communications ), but undoubtedly proved the authenticity. According to Discovery, this broadcast alone, which is planned for the end of 2014 to mid-2015, will reach around 75 million TV viewers.

Director, stuntman and founding member Tobias U. Wagner with his film helicopter as part of the film shoot for the World Scenic Flights at the location of Belvedere Palace in Vienna
Stunt 2014: An RC helicopter accelerates a stuntman on a bobby car to a top speed of 75 km / h on the Salzburgring . The limiting factor was the driving stability, not the performance of the helicopter
One of the film helicopters in front of the Mexican Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán
One of the film helicopters in front of the Indian Taj Mahal
Tobias U. Wagner demonstrates various flight maneuvers in front of the Egyptian pyramids of Giza
One of the film helicopters at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Changdeokgung
HeliGraphix on the way to the filming location in Giza . Here the logistical circumstances of the film project World Scenic Flights become somewhat clear
The world's first rocket-powered RC helicopter
A worldwide unique action: Operation of a model helicopter from a flying airplane
Explosive stunt with two RC helicopters held on short lines: helicopter tug of war

Organization, actors and crew

The HeliGraphix actors and the film team all come from the RC model helicopter scene .

HeliGraphix splits internally into the HeliGraphix and HeliGraphix Media divisions . While HeliGraphix (especially more recently referred to as "Team HeliGraphix") operates on a purely non-commercial basis and is responsible for worldwide RC helicopter campaigns, RC films, RC model helicopter demonstrations and tests of model (parts) and accessories in specialist magazines HeliGraphix Media mainly films for technical applications. Both divisions benefit from each other in that the skills, experience, knowledge and, in some cases, equipment acquired can be used across departments. As a visible result, the HeliGraphix short films have also become increasingly complex and professional in production over time.

HeliGraphix has permanent and changing members and is now in the fourth generation of the crew, whereby the members make no distinction between pilots, protagonists, technology and camera managers, as the areas of responsibility sometimes overlap and the tasks often rotate within the team. The members are made up of natural scientists, technicians, mechanical engineers, geographers and electronics engineers, so that the planning and execution of stunts, flight experiments and self-made flight tests can fall back on a broad spectrum of skills. In addition, HeliGraphix often uses local or experienced travel advisors (so-called "local consultants") for projects abroad, who can provide information on geographical, meteorological or country-specific conditions and thus support the logistical planning of the respective campaign.

Permanent members

The current generation (2015) of permanent members consists of the following members:

More crew members

chronology

HeliGraphix was founded in 2000 by Heinrich Wagner and Tobias U. Wagner (no relationship), originally to carry out film recordings, but developed in 2003 in the direction of demanding, non-commercial flight actions and stunts. A fundamental relationship to the MTV production Jackass shows the similar logo of HeliGraphix, a skull with crossed rotor blades, the Jolly rotor. In contrast to Jackass, HeliGraphix only operates in the helicopter sector and has thus created an independent media format through the constant use of RC model helicopters, while Jackass only integrated two model helicopter stunts into its productions sporadically and only many years after the founding of HeliGraphix.

Tobias U. Wagner has been flying model helicopters for years and has become known in the scene for performing unusual flight tasks (especially record attempts) and for describing and further developing 3D flight maneuvers . Due to his know-how in the field of model helicopters, Wagner is also a regular author of specialist articles in the relevant specialist press, where he shares his flight experience with the reader.

On this basis, HeliGraphix, with changing crew members, has meanwhile released over 100 video clips of stunt actions since 2003, which were published free of charge on its own website or in relevant internet video portals such as YouTube . In the model flight scene this attracted considerable, sometimes critical, attention and also led to repeated reports.

HeliGraphix is ​​the record holder or first executor for the stunts with model helicopters and actions listed below :

  • 2002: First ceiling landing in the world
  • 2004: Highest g-load of an RC helicopter: over 50 g
  • 2004: First wall start in the world
  • 2005: First wall landing in the world
  • 2005: First rocket-propelled RC model helicopter
  • 2007/2008: Touring 33 locations in 29 countries by model helicopter - resulting in:
  • 2008: Short film World Scenic Flights
  • 2012: First RC helicopter controlled from a flying plane
  • 2014: First passenger transport with two RC helicopters

DVD publications

  • 2006: DVD Remote Madness
  • 2009: DVD Empire of Madness

Awards

HeliGraphix received World Scenic Flights for the reference film, which was screened and nominated at several film festivals

SILA FEST 2009 (Silver Lake Film Festival) den

  • Blue Danube Award Special Approach

as well as on the

MEXICO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2010 den

  • Bronze Palm Award

Literature / national and international reporting / media evaluation (selection)

  • Passauer Neue Presse, issue 79 of April 4, 2009, p. 19, "Around the world with the model helicopter"
  • Yearbook 2009, Chronicle for the Passauer Land, 2010, Donau-Wald-Presse-GmbH, Passau, ISBN 978-3-940782-04-5
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter magazine, issue 10/2007, "With the R / C helicopter around the world in 72 days - Episode 1", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter magazine, issue 11/2007, "With the R / C helicopter around the world in 72 days - Episode 2", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter magazine, issue 12/2007, "With the R / C helicopter around the world in 72 days - Episode 3", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter magazine, issue 01/2008, "With the R / C helicopter around the world in 72 days - Episode 4", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter magazine, issue 02/2008, "With the R / C helicopter around the world in 72 days - Episode 5", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter magazine, issue 05/2008, "With the R / C helicopter around the world in 72 days - the grand finale", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • ROTOR - the leading helicopter trade magazine, issue 12/2009, "Film Award for World Scenic Flights", Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, Rotor appears in the entire German-speaking area
  • Hindi News Rajasthan Patrika ( http://www.rajasthanpatrika.com ) from October 11, 2007, article "With the helicopter around the world" (article title freely translated from Hindi into English)
  • Danik Bhaskar Hindi News ( http://www.bhaskar.com/ ), India's largest daily newspaper for India and Nepal, from October 11, 2007, article "Made in Germany helicopter in Jaipur India" (article title from Indian (Hindi) free translated into English)
  • Danik Bhaskar Hindi News ( http://www.bhaskar.com/ ), India's largest daily newspaper for India and Nepal, from October 12, 2007, article "Made in Germany helicopter with Rotor in Jaipur India" (article title from Indian (Hindi ) freely translated into English)
  • RPR1 radio show "My Adventure" from December 14, 2008 (300,000 listeners)
  • RPR1 radio show "My Adventure" from July 12, 2009 (300,000 listeners)
  • MFI - Modellflug International, edition 2/2009, p. 40, Modellsport Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden, MFI appears nationwide in Germany
  • FMT - Flugmodell und Technik, Edition 2/2009, p. 111 ff., Verlag für Technik und Handwerk GmbH, Baden-Baden, FMT appears nationwide in Germany
  • RC-Heli-Action, edition 8/2011, p. 20, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Mission Turkey: Das Ferrari-Boot-Rennen" (RC helicopter as a racing boat drive)
  • RC-Heli-Action, edition 9/2011, p. 90, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Mission Turkey: Heli-Tug-of-War and Outboard-Action"
  • RC-3DHeli-Action, edition 10/2011, p. 20, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Mission Turkey: Ayran-Mehrfachloop"
  • RC-Heli-Action, edition 9/2011, p. 90, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Mission Turkey: Heli-Tug-of-War and Outboard-Action"
  • RC-Heli-Action, issue 6/2012, p. 20, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Tandem flight"
  • Cars & Details, issue 10/2012, p. 74, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Mission Scotland: Sky-Car"
  • RC-RotorWorld, issue 3/2013, p. 55, ADH Publishing, Totternhoe (Bedfordshire), United Kingdom, "Mission Scotland: Drag-Autorotation"
  • RC-Heli-Action, issue 2/2014, p. 69, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Heavy Ultra Lifter Crane" (1st manned RC flight)
  • Stern.de, accessed on March 4, 2014, [2] Short video report "Model helicopters let women take off".
  • Discovery Channel Canada, broadcast "Daily Planet" 3/2014 [3] from 0:20 min to 4:20 m, Canada via HULC stunt.
  • various reports in online media: 20 Minuten , Bigsquit , C-Net , DPF , Die Welt , DIY Drones , Ebaums World , Flick News , Gizmodo , Infinity Hobby , Like A Boss , Microsiervos , Microsoft Network , Neatorama , Newsonia , RC-Mania , RC-Racing.TV , Right This Minute , Tech Spot , The Awesomer , The Blaze , UAS Vision
  • RC-Heli-Action, issue 3/2014, pp. 10-14, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Heavy Ultra Lifter Crane" (1st manned RC flight)
  • RC-Heli-Action, issue 4/2014, p. 70ff, Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg, article "Heavy Ultra Lifter Crane" (backstage during the first man-carrying RC flight)
  • RC-RotorWorld, issue 5/2014 (issue # 97), pp. 24–30, ADH Publishing, Totternhoe (Bedfordshire), United Kingdom, "Mission Scotland: Drag-Autorotation"
  • Rotorblatt issue 2/1014 (pp. 14–15), year Top Special Verlag, Hamburg
  • Helico Revue, RC & Full size Helicopter Magazine, issue 03-04 / 2014 (No. 110), p. 23

Web links

Individual references / comments

  1. ↑ The exception here is the reference film World Scenic Flights , which deviates from the otherwise usual stunt sketch concept from HeliGraphix and does not show any protagonists
  2. ↑ Model helicopters are not toys. Depending on the operating mode and model equipment, up to 2400 rpm can be applied to the rotor head, so that a centrifugal force is generated that can easily correspond to 400kg. If this centrifugal force is discharged in the form of a rotor blade hit on a human body part, serious injuries are possible. There are descriptions of accidents in the context of the operation of a model helicopter that result in serious and even fatal injuries - see for example http://www.20min.ch/panorama/news/story/Modell-Helikopter-toetet-seinen-Piloten-20044080
  3. ↑ see also the HeliGraphix website
  4. ↑ List of media available on the HeliGraphix website at http://www.heligraphix.com/ARCHIV/report_Rotorartikel.htm ; Rotor (Modellsport-Verlag GmbH, Baden-Baden) appears in the entire German-speaking area (Germany, Austria, Benelux, Switzerland), RC-Heli-Action (Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg) appears in the entire German-speaking area as well as Italy and Denmark, Trucks & Details (Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg) appears in the entire German-speaking region, Modell-Aviator (Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg) appears in the entire German-speaking region, Cars & Details (Wellhausen & Marquardt-Verlag, Hamburg) appears in entire German-speaking area; RC-RotorWorld (ADH Publishing, Totternhoe (Bedfordshire), United Kingdom) appears in English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, USA, Australia etc. but also in Asia (Singapore and Philippines)
  5. ↑ India and Nepal's largest daily newspaper, Danik Bhaskar Hindi News ( http://www.bhaskar.com/ ) reported on October 11th and 12th, 2007 about flight campaigns as part of the World Scenic Flights around the Taj Mahal . In the follow-up to the world record of transporting a person with RC helicopters (HULC stunt), Pro Sieben and the Discovery Channel Canada reported in detail about the unusual flight action
  6. ↑ HULC = Heavy Ultra Lifter Cranes
  7. ↑ see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77uK19KxMuI
  8. ↑ see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-PigXQWChs
  9. ↑ This includes the body weight of stuntwoman Oehmichen, her clothing, the ropes and rings and 3 onboard cameras
  10. ↑ see 2nd HULC video with a 60 kg male person at 04:31 min. On Youtube [1]
  11. ↑ this is how the campaign on Welt.de and Stern.de was treated in a short clip. The Pro Sieben broadcast Taff reported on the stunt in a 90-second daily clip. 8 specialist journals, including one from Japan, reported accordingly. The Canadian Discovery Channel TV broadcaster reported in a 6-minute special about the background and history of the stunt
  12. ↑ see Facebook, google plus and youtube
  13. ↑ The Discovery Channel is broadcast in 155 countries in 33 languages
  14. ↑ the self-made products are not available on the market after the stunt, but are made exclusively for the respective film production
  15. ↑ see Jackass 3,5: "Jackass Paintball Helicopter" and see Jackass 3D: "Jackass Helicockter"
  16. ↑ Tobias Wagner regularly has his own column in the trade magazine ROTOR and can be found there about 3D flight maneuvers or stunts with the model helicopter, tests new technical developments or new releases and also gives technical tips for the ongoing flight operations of such a helicopter. In addition, his articles and reports are also printed in the trade journal RC-HELI ACTION
  17. ↑ see footnote 4
  18. ↑ SILA FEST (The International Festival of Ecology and Tourism Film, Serbia) was founded in 2008 and has been awarding prizes for films in the field of tourism and ecology since 2009. Tourism is interpreted very broadly and also opens up to tourism or sightseeing-related topics. The organizers see tourism more and more in relation to ecological issues, so that both categories can be addressed individually or in combination at this festival. Both national and international contributions are permitted. SILAFEST has the ITCO (International Organization of Tourist Press) license and in 2009 was able to assess around 100 submitted films. Spread over six days, the festival registered 3,000 visitors in 2009. In 2009 World Scenic Flights received the “THE BLUE DANUBE Special Approach to Tourist Film” film award
  19. ↑ The Mexico International Film Festival takes place every spring in Rosarito (Mexico). National and international entries competing in the categories Documentation, Short Film, Foreign Film, Animated Film, Music Video, Student Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best TV Pilot Film and “Best of Mexico” are permitted. The World Scenic Flights prevailed against 50 other films in the "Short Film" category and, like the film Keinohrhasen, are among the 2010 Mexico International Film Festival winners