
(04/09/2013) Innovative, swift, cost-efficient: Organizers and TV stations who wish to have their events produced in spectacular aerial shots now have an alternative to expensive helicopters - with the _eaglecopter by _wige MEDIA AG.
Spectacular aerial shots form a substantial and versatile part of the live broadcast of sports and other major events. The production of corresponding images is often associated with the use of helicopters with costs in the five-figure range and thus not feasible for many projects.
_wige MEDIA AG has developed the _eaglecopter in collaboration with the Austrian helicopter manufacturer Trixy Aviation. This flying machine with a total curb weight of 342 kg and a length of 5,800 mm is significantly lighter, swifter and features a better fuel efficiency than a conventional helicopter. The _eaglecopter comes with a fully integrated stabilized 3- or 5-axis camera system, including live uplink equipment. With the 5-axis stabilized camera system, the cost per minute are less than 50% compared to a conventional helicopter production of motion picture footage from the air, which costs around 64 EUR per flight minute. In addition, the copter can optionally be used as a repeater or relay station in order to expand the transmission of signals. The aircraft can be easily and inexpensively transported to the site with a trailer or pickup truck.
After being tested for the first time during the Ironman Austria in Klagenfurt at the end of June, the _eaglecopter lifted off last weekend at the ADAC GT Masters at Lausitzring. _wige has been commissioned with the TV production of the League of Super Sports Cars since 2007, and today also provides editing and TV marketing for the series. During the race in the Lausitz, the Cologne media company was also responsible for the coordination of the _eaglecopter and the uplink that transferred the signal of the copter to the OB truck. The aerial shots were then inserted directly into kabel eins' TV live broadcast, thus providing live images of the popular racing series from the sky for the first time ever.
The two-seater plane, which can fly up to an altitude of 3000 m, provides space for a pilot and a camera operator. It was exclusively designed by the Austrian company Trixy Aviation for _wige MEDIA AG. One of the biggest challenges in the development was to ensure the stability of the camera to get steady, shake-free images, while at the same time constructing a very light-weight camera mount. The camera head is now used for precise balancing of utmost ease and stability; it forms the focal point of the entire project.
_wige offers broadcasters and hosts the opportunity to produce aerial shots with minimal effort and low costs. The _eagle can be used at numerous major events, especially in sports, e.g. Triathlon competitions or winter and trend sport events. The lightweight helicopter will also provide the viewers with high quality shots from the sky at the upcoming ADAC GT Masters race at the Slovakia Ring.
Technical specifications of the _eaglecopter:
Length: 5800 mm (228 in)
Width: 2455 mm (97 in)
Height: 2881 mm (113 in)
Weight (empty): 342 kg (753 lbs.)
V/max: 195 km/h (105 kn)
V/cruise: 165 km / h (86 kn)
V/min: 30 km / h (16 kn)
Construction: carbon fiber
Maximum weight: 600kg (1323 lbs.)
Short interview with
is the developer of the _eaglecopter and is responsible for the business development of _wige BROADCAST gmbh. The 23-year-old is known in the technology sector as the inventor and developer of nano talk, the worlds smallest radio, used during the Tour de France.
Steiner was also involved in the development of the ski goggle camera for the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup 2013 in Schladming, Austria.
Q: Lukas, why did you invent the _eaglecopter?
A: I've been thinking for quite some about the future of TV productions. Today, most TV formats cannot afford live and aerial shots, as the budget often does not allow covering the increasing costs of a helicopter. So I began my search for an alternative, which is completely different, cost effective and above all - safe!
copyrighted by stern-press / I. V r s 2013 Q: What were the challenges (especially during Ironman?)
A: The biggest challenge was probably affixing, or better integrating, a fully stabilized camera system. Through a special and unique design, it is now possible to achieve a 360 degree view with a 27x zoom lens! The process cost us a few sleepless nights, so we now applied for a patent for this particular mount.
Q: What are _wige's future planes for the _eaglecopter?
A: Basically, the _eaglecopter the most important component of an emerging concept at _wige. We want to offer innovative and cost-efficient live productions in the future. In the upcoming months, two or three complementary products will significantly change the concept of live productions!
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
02/11/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE November 2, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
01/11/2025
Thunderbolt 3 Now Standard on Symphony MkII - Starting November 11 Beginning November 11, all new Apogee Symphony I/O MkII units will ship with Thunderbolt 3 as...
01/11/2025
How to Expand the Apogee Symphony Desktop with Cranborne 500ADAT Want to expand your Symphony Desktop beyond two inputs? Whether you're tracking a full drum...
01/11/2025
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has published the Financial Report for ...
01/11/2025
tvONE is proud to announce a strategic partnership with Matrox Video, combining CALICO PRO's high-performance video processing with the Matrox ConvertIP Ser...
01/11/2025
CJP Broadcast has joined the Grass Valley partner programme as both a Systems Integration Partner and AMPP Partner. The collaboration enhances CJP's ability...
01/11/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has earned a higher-rated DPP Comm...
01/11/2025
Michael Napodano Appointed New CEO Of Operative Media
Operative today announced the appointment of Mike Napodano as Chief Executive Officer, marking the next s...
01/11/2025
Film industry professionals flocked to Cine Gear Expo Atlanta 2025 at celebrated Trilith Studios in Fayetteville, Georgia, on October 3 and 4. Back for its 6th ...
01/11/2025
Photo courtesy of Peacock and Sky
Christopher Ross, BSC, began his cinematic obsession early. He cites reading Scorsese on Scorsese as a teenager with teaching...
01/11/2025
NEW YORK ITN and the sell-side advertising company Magnite have announced the launch of what they are billing as the industrys first Local Linear TV Private Mar...
31/10/2025
FanDuel Sports Network To Deliver Selected Live NBA, NHL Games to Major Streamin...
31/10/2025
NBC Jumps Out of the Gate in Extended Breeder's Cup Deal With Dual Drones, J...
31/10/2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
30 October 2025
It is with great sadness that we mourn the passing of Segomotso Keorapetse, an award- winning South African television d...
31/10/2025
IRVING, Texas As station groups move into an era that promises rapid tech, regulatory and economic changes, Nexstar Media Group said its board has extended chai...
31/10/2025
While some analysts have questioned the ongoing economic viability of broacast-TV late night shows amid ongoing declines in linear viewing, new data from Tubula...
31/10/2025
The contentious contract negotiations between The Walt Disney Co. and YouTube TV have resulted in a blackout of Disney-owned programming on the pay TV operator....
31/10/2025
CINCINNATI Video conversion and AV signal distribution specialist tvONE and Matrox Video have struck a strategic partnership, combining CALICO PRO's video p...
31/10/2025
NEW YORK The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today released a new industry guide that discusses the urgency of adopting new standards that will help advert...
31/10/2025
While some analysts have questioned the ongoing economic viability of late night shows on broadcast TV amid ongoing declines in linear viewing, new data from Tu...
31/10/2025
Berklee Celebrates the Inauguration of President Jim Lucchese In his inaugural address, Lucchese shared an optimistic vision for Berklee's future as a for...
31/10/2025
Back to All News
Family, Food, and Films: Netflix's Dining with the Kapoors...
31/10/2025
The review highlights DPA 4055 Kick Drum Microphone for its compact design, ease of placement, and authentic tone that captures the true character of the drum p...
31/10/2025
The RT Raidi na Gaeltachta Award 2025 will be presented to journalist P il n N Chiar in at the Oireachtas na Samhna in Belfast tomorrow, Saturday 1 November,...
31/10/2025
RT lyric fm is calling for choirs across Ireland to share their festive music-m...
31/10/2025
Three awards were presented to RT Raidi na Gaeltachta broadcasters at the Oire...
31/10/2025
RT continues its proud tradition of championing Ireland's vibrant arts and cultural landscape through its RT Supporting the Arts initiative. This November...
31/10/2025
RT selects Irish independent production company to produce Christian Worship on...
31/10/2025
Amidst Gyeongju, South Korea's ancient temples and modern skylines, Jensen H...
30/10/2025
Midwich has signed a UK and Ireland distribution deal with X2O Media, a worldwid...
30/10/2025
SVG Students To Watch: Sam Newitt, Kansas State UniversityThe South Dakota native thrives in many roles behind the scenes at K-StateHD.TVBy Brandon Costa, Direc...
30/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Swerve Sports' Christy Tanner Explores the Young FAST Channel&...
30/10/2025
SVG Campus Shot Callers: Andy Liebsch, Senior Director, Video Services, Kansas S...
30/10/2025
Diversified Names Paul Lidsky CEO, Expanding Leadership Role After Serving as Bo...
30/10/2025
NBA, Cosm Enter Long-Term Partnership for Shared Reality Production, Distributio...
30/10/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: FanConnect's Brett Crossley on Reimagining the Ga...
30/10/2025
FanDuel Sports Network to Deliver Select Live NBA, NHL Games to Major Streaming ...
30/10/2025
As the year comes to a close, we can feel the invigorating wind sweeping in for ...
30/10/2025
By Bailey Pennick
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festi...
30/10/2025
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
30/10/2025
SBS, NITV and Screen Australia announce 2025 Digital Originals Shortlist
29 October, 2025
Media releases
SBS, NITV and Screen Australia are excited to unve...
30/10/2025
Jon Rambeau, President of Integrated Mission Systems at L3Harris Technologies, speaks about industrial collaboration at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (A...
30/10/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., October 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) reports th...
30/10/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr said he has circulated a proposal for the agency to auction additional midband spectrum in the U...
30/10/2025
PLANO, Texas Technology solutions provider Diversified has named Paul Lidsky as CEO, tasked with guiding the company's next stage of growth, driving market ...
30/10/2025
CUPERTINO, Calif. Interra Systems today unveiled ORION stream recording support and seamless integration with BATON Media Player, a combination that lets broadc...
30/10/2025
WILMINGTON, Del. InterDigital today announced the acquisition of Deep Render, an artificial intelligence startup with a team of AI experts focused on video code...
30/10/2025
NEW YORK TAG Video Systems has earned a higher-rated Digital Product Passport (DPP) Committed to Sustainability badge and the Aclymate Climate Wise Silver Tier ...
30/10/2025
IRVING, Texas As station groups move into an era that promises rapid tech, regulatory and economic changes, the Nexstar Media Group, Inc. has announced that its...