Boston Aerial Photography

by Philip Greenspun, updated September 2009

We have the following resources to serve your aerial photography needs:

three helicopters based at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, 12 nautical miles northwest of downtown Boston; these include the Robinson R44 and Bell Long Ranger (206L) models
five pilots with a combined total of more than 60 years of experience in flying photo missions and three of whom are experienced photographers themselves
a Rolodex with the names of the best aerial photographers in the Boston area, all of whom have flown with us before and know how to communicate effectively with the pilot
complete Canon EOS camera system with every lens from 14mm through 600mm and full-frame 13 megapixel EOS 5D digital bodies; many of our lenses include image-stabilizers
Kenyon KS-6 gyro, which adds additional stability, good for lower light still photography and acceptable for some light video cameras

We can operate from any of the 12,000 public airports in the United States, from public heliports such as those around Manhattan, or from your company's backyard or parking lot. We work regularly at sites throughout New England.

How to Book

If you need only a helicopter and pilot, call 781-274-6322 to reach the East Coast Aero Club front-desk dispatcher (staffed 7 am to 6 pm, seven days a week).

If you need an entire project accomplished, email Philip Greenspun, philg@mit.edu, to schedule. Please include the following details:

sites to be photographed
how many people to ride in the helicopter and weights
deadline
approximate number of hours (we go from site to site at 100 mph)

Prices

If you need only the helicopter, we have the following rates:

Robinson R44: $600 for the first hour and $450 for each additional hour

There is a one-hour minimum charge. The final charge is based on rotor spinning time, from engine start to engine stop. A 1.2-hour flight in the R44, for example, would be $600 for the first hour and 0.2*$450=$90 for the fraction, for a total of $690.

East Coast Aero Club has 32 aircraft, 25 employees, and our front desk staff can process payments by check, cash, debit or Visa/Mastercard.

For our own photography services, if the deadline is flexible, we charge only an additional $200.

Examples

All of the images on this page are examples of work that we have done in-house, just with our own pilots taking the photos. Here are a few more:

philg@mit.edu