Ultralight Trike Delta in Cambodia: Ultralight an affordable way to get aerial photos in Cambodia from above the sky but close to the object

I wanted to get some aerial photos from at least some of the Angkor temples and was playing with the idea of hiring the helicopter. The small 2 seater helcopter flying the temples is some 220 US$ for 12 minutes ( 2 PAX ) - but hs no open window. Open window, removed door, the helicopter would be around 1000 US$ for one hour. That price is OK, but what if you want to invest just a little less and still get an hour close to the temples for pictures from above ...

My Tuk Tuk driver Hong Kimseng gave me the solution without knowing I needed one. Some 3 days ago his homework was to find each day another area to visit. He has very limited knowledge of the area and even less knowledge of nature. Hence my challenge to him should be at the same time a learning opportunity for him.

His choice was to go way up into the mountains to visit the national park. On the way there I saw a small ultralight delta flying. We stopped and went to the landing and take off area of the Ultralight Trike Delta. The pilot soon came to talk to us ...

Ultralight Trike Delta

Photo above shows the Ultralight Trike Delta used

End of Story: Minutes later I found myself making my first Ultralight Trike Delta flight as passenger for a short ( 40 US$ ) test flight to learn to master the photo specific problems of ultralight photography. Flying ultralight means flying outdoor, in a small chair, a harness, headset, helmet and your camera in hand for shooting. Eddie, my pilot, gave all clear, precise, safety conscious, yet most simple instruction. All preparation lasted but a few minutes, then takeoff and up we go. My stomach as well. But stomach under control! No permission to actually trow up. I am used these days to have a full very early breakfast in my hotel and then work until all daily job done, usually without break for lunch. My breakfast definitely was far too heavy!

Talking about birds view - soon after take off we saw a beautiful small falcon, the falcon also so us but apparently had no fear of us and passed by quiet near - may be 10 meters or less. Just as small persons can achieve great goals in life, small birds also can/could crash large airplanes or ultralights.

After a few minutes test flying and a few dozen test photos, we returned, arranged a meeting for dinner at my place to discuss all details for next days full hour flight with a full scale aerial photo session with the Ultralight Trike Delta.

Soon you may find some of the aerial photos in the photo gallery.

If you ever have an opportunity to fly an ultralight, go for it, its simple, easy and safe. Take an easy breakfast or better nothing at all. Enjoy the flight and may be start with a short flight first - maximum an hour is just fine for the first long flight. A test flight 10-15 minutes excellent to get to know the flight procedure and if you want to shoot pictures to make your first experience and possible adjustment in your photo procedure. Far above, open air, there is no room for filter change or lens change.

Tips for aerial photography using an Ultralight Trike Delta

Aerial view of a temple

1. The flight helmet comes with a full face visor to protect you face from wind but also to protect the microphone from wind noise. Photography with a visor is impossible = remove visor to get closer to your DSLR for full frame control.
2. If you are right handed and typically use the right eye for your DSLR - you most likely only can shoot pictures to your left side down. Hence arrange your flight plan accordingly to light to have best light when shooting all pics left downward.
3. Make sure you have tested the time for best light and ask your pilot for ideal time of departure to enjoy best clarity of air.
4. Remove all objects from your pocket and shirt.
5. Be aware that wind during flight withour visor may eventually cause your eyes to water and to blur your vision. Most of the time I had no problem with wind in my eyes, except for a few minutes during the one hour flight.
6. Get your camera close to your eyes and make sure you use the best possible camera / zoom settings to get parts of the ultralight OUT of your photos.
7. The angle of view changes fast when flying. It is best to shoot series of photos as soon as you approach best angle - a fraction of second later may be too late for a single shot. My Sony Alpha 900 with a CarlZeiss 16-80 mm gives some 5 pics per second, that was just fine for me.

Finally: Never expect to shoot thousand pics an hour. An hour si a long time but most of the time may be spent in wrong angles to shoot photos or flying between objects of photography. Know what you want to shoot and focus on the objects. Be ready for the few sceneries you want and limit a photo session to an hour. Better repeat a few one hour sessions rather than having a multi hour session. View your photos and learn from errors to make corrections before next flight.

The best season of the year in Cambodia actually would be during rainy season. For the simple but most important reason that all nature is green and lush during rainy season and thus more beautiful than now mid dry season where much of nature is brown and dusty.

Love and Bliss

hans