PPVan Nuys, CA—A global aerial cinematography company for movies, television and commercials, Pursuit Aviation announced it “has taken innovation within the industry to a new level with JETCAM.”
The company mounted a ShotOver camera system on an aerobatic jet aircraft to capture stabilized images when traveling at speeds of more than 400 mph. The first commercial use of JETCAM was in the 2018 feature film First Man. Moreover, a video of JETCAM in action can be seen at https://vimeo.com/312858001.
Pursuit Aviation worked in conjunction with ShotOver to develop this first-of-its-kind setup. The ShotOver F1, a 6-axis gyro-stabilized camera system, was tested and modified to develop the F1 Rush. The F1 Rush allows the operator to capture stabilized images at high speeds as well as high G forces. The company put together a team of skilled mechanics, custom fabricators, camera technicians and pilots to achieve the goal of shooting high-speed aircraft in their natural environment.
JETCAM
Previously, Pursuit Aviation used JETCAM to film the world speed record of 531.27 mph set by Steve Hinton in 2017. In addition, it filmed the formation flights of the USAF military fighters alongside historic warbirds at the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation annual training event. Also, Great Big Story, a global media company owned by CNN Worldwide, released a documentary about the world speed record attempt, featuring footage filmed by Pursuit Aviation.
“Our team has worked on this project for more than three years. To finally see JETCAM in action firsthand is extremely rewarding,” said Eric Williamson, spokesperson for Pursuit Aviation. “We believe the unique capability to mount a camera on the jet to capture stabilized images at very high speeds opens up new possibilities for filmmakers to achieve their vision and provide audiences with never before seen shots.”
In related news, Pursuit Aviation recently started working with XM2, a multi-platform aerial cinematography and photography company. This partnership arms Pursuit Aviation with the latest VFX and drone technologies.
Pursuit Aviation
Pursuit Aviation is a team of highly trained stunt pilots, aerial coordinators and aerial cinematographers with countless feature and television credits. The company also prides itself on its excellent safety record. It offers turnkey production, aerial and technical services from concept to completion. 
In addition, Pursuit Aviation is home to one of the largest aircraft fleets in the aerial cinematography industry. This includes many rare vintage warbirds from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Pursuit Aviation’s available fleet also includes two camera helicopters; four picture helicopters; seaplanes; corporate jets; and more than 35 warbird aircraft.
The warbirds include the P-51 Mustang; F-86 Sabre; P-38 Lightning; F8F Bearcat; F4U Corsair; P47 Thunderbolt; Supermarine Spitfires; F7F Tigercat; P40 Warhawk as well as an A1 Skyraider.
