The alarm sounded before dawn, long before the city's glass towers could catch first light. Outside my window, Dubai felt paused between night and day: the desert's cool breath drifting in from the outskirts, the faint hiss of sprinklers on manicured grass, the distant call to prayer threading through the quiet. I had booked a Dubai helicopter ride morning flight, lured by the promise that the city's boldest shapes make the most sense when the sun is new and the sky is clear.
At the helipad, the world narrowed to essentials: a safety briefing, a snug headset, the pilot's calm smile, the soft chemical tang of aviation fuel. The rotor blades gathered themselves into a blur, and the ground eased away with surprising gentleness. There's a particular intimacy to that first lift-no runway, no long preamble-just a vertical shrug into the sky, as if you've stepped onto an invisible elevator and pressed “wonder.”
Then the horizon unfolded. Dubai helicopter ride coastal landmarks The Persian Gulf lay like a sheet of hammered silver, taking the rising sun in careful sips. Dubai helicopter upscale sightseeing . The coastline-a meticulous seam between sand and sea-guided our path. Ahead, the Burj Al Arab's sail seemed to billow, poised and theatrical against the light. Farther out, the Palm Jumeirah finally revealed the logic that the ground obscures: fronds etched into the water with cartographer's precision, Atlantis set like a coral-pink clasp at the crown. I've seen photographs of the Palm, of course, but seeing it from above on a clear morning feels like reading a secret in someone's handwriting, personal and undeniable.
The pilot's voice, warm in the headset, became a thread stitching together sights and stories: when these towers were built, where the old trade routes ran, how the city keeps racing toward the horizon. We tilted slightly and slid south, the Dubai Marina rising beneath us like a steel forest rooted in water. Sunlight moved across the glass facades in long, liquid strokes. Dubai helicopter city overview Down below, early risers jogged the promenade, their shadows still longer than their strides. On Sheikh Zayed Road, cars glinted like a string of sequins, and the whole highway caught the angle of dawn, reduced to a bright ribbon flicked through the city.
The morning does something special here. Before the day's heat climbs and the sky softens into a pale blur, the air is clean and the details are sharp. Shadows stretch, giving architecture a second dimension, a quiet commentary in charcoal. The Burj Khalifa, impossibly tall, worked like a sundial for the city, casting a spear of shade over neighborhoods that seem to orbit its base. From this height, the fountains below looked like lace whipped out by a deft hand, water sketching momentary designs before gravity gathered them back.
We curved inland, and Dubai's story unfolded in layers. The Creek ran like an old scar of silver through the city's modern musculature. Wooden abras nudged across the water with the same patience they've always had, while beyond them rose the polished shoulders of new districts. Dubai helicopter ride special occasion Near the mosques, the early light picked out domes and minarets, a geometry of faith among so many other geometries of ambition. It is strange, and moving, how well those languages coexist from above: prayer and profit, heritage and haste.
On the horizon, the desert lay in a lavish hush, dunes folded into one another like silk thrown across a sofa. The color shifted minute by minute-from a cool pink to apricot to the saturated gold that Dubai spends the rest of the day wearing. The city, unabashed in its futurism, still seems to be listening to the desert's older music. From the helicopter, you can see both scales at once: the grid and the drift, the sharp edge and the softened line. Maybe that's the best reason to take to the air-to hold opposites in a single glance and feel them reconcile.
I had been nervous beforehand, half-expecting turbulence or a jostling, bus-like ride, but the morning air behaved like a glassy lake. The helicopter skimmed along the layers of atmosphere with poise, and conversation felt easy. The pilot pointed toward the World Islands, scattered like a half-remembered map of Earth, and I caught myself laughing at the audacity of it all: to draw a world upon the sea simply because the original felt too far away.
On our return pass, we hovered for a moment over the long curve of Jumeirah Beach. The break of small waves scribbled pale lines on the sand, and the city stood behind it like a mirage that had decided to become permanent. I thought of the people already at work behind those windows, elevators pausing on high floors, coffee machines murmuring, keyboards tapping, all the everyday mechanics of a life that builds things bigger than any one life. From up here, every ambition looked both scaled down and more understandable. The helicopter turned, the skids traced a neat comma in the air, and the helipad opened below as a full stop we weren't quite ready for.
Touching down felt like waking. The rotor wash tugged at my clothes, carrying traces of salt and sun and something metallic, and then the blades slowed and the sky exhaled. Back on the ground, the city resumed its tempo, traffic gathering, light intensifying, the day flexing into its heat. But the perspective stayed with me. A Dubai helicopter ride morning flight isn't just a thrill or a photo opportunity; it's a way of reading the city's signature in its own hand. You see the audacity of the lines and the patience of the curves. You glimpse how sand becomes skyline and how water becomes a canvas. You remember, briefly and vividly, that where we stand is only one version of the truth-and that sometimes the truest view is the one that lifts you just far enough away to see how it all fits.
About Burj Al Arab
Luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
For other uses, see Burj (disambiguation).
This article is about Burj Al Arab Jumeirah. For other uses, see Borg El Arab (disambiguation).
Burj Al Arab برج العرب
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab in 2007
Interactive map of the Burj Al Arab برج العرب area
The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, lit.'Arab Tower'), commonly known as Burj Al Arab, is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[8] Developed and managed by Jumeirah, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height is made up of non-occupiable space.[9][10][11] Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island that is 280 m (920 ft) from Jumeirah Beach and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. The shape of the structure is designed to resemble the sail of a dhow.[12] It has a helipad near the roof, at a height of 210 m (689 ft) above ground.
Site
[edit]
The beachfront area where Jumeirah Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach.[13] The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land, 280 m (920 ft) offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The former hotel was demolished during the construction of the Burj Al Arab.[14] The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tanks, known locally as Kazzans, on the site.[13]
History
[edit]
The Burj Al Arab was designed by the British multidisciplinary consultancy Atkins, led by architect Tom Wright of WKA. He came up with the iconic design and signature translucent fiberglass facade that serves as a shield from the desert sun during the day and as a screen for illumination at night.[15] The design and construction were managed by Canadian engineer Rick Gregory, and construction managed by David Kirby also of WS Atkins. The Burj Al Arab's interior is by British-Chinese designer Khuan Chew. Construction of the island began in 1994 and involved up to 2,000 construction workers during peak construction. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The setting of a high rise building on saturated soil and the novelty of the project required groundbreaking dynamic analysis and design to take into consideration soil-structure interaction, effect of water, high winds, and helipad among other loads, to help finalize the design and take the project into construction.[16][failed verification]
The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts, now renamed Concor and Al Habtoor Engineering. The interior designs were led and created by Khuan Chew and John Carolan of KCA international and delivered by UAE based Depa Group.[17]
The building opened on 1 December 1999.[1] The New Year's Eve fireworks celebration originated in 2000 with the inauguration of the United Arab Emirates.
The hotel's helipad was designed by Irish architect Rebecca Gernon.[18] The helipad is at the building's 28th floor, and the helipad been used as a car race track, a boxing ring, has hosted a tennis match, and the jumping off point for the highest kite surfing jump in history.[19]
In 2017, the hotel hosted the wedding of Daniel Kinahan, head of the Kinahan Organized Crime Group.[20] The wedding was attended by several prominent drug traffickers, such as Ridouan Taghi, Edin Gačanin, 'Ricardo (El Rico) Riquelme Vega, and Raffaele Imperiale.[20]
Features
[edit]
An AgustaWestland A109E Power landing on the Burj Al Arab's helipad
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40-metre-long (130 ft) concrete piles into the sand by drilling method.[21]
Engineers created a ground surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 yd3) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.[21]
Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.[22]
Given the height of the building, the Burj Al Arab is the world's fifth tallest hotel after Gevora Hotel, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, Four Seasons Place Kuala Lumpur and Rose and Rayhaan by Rotana. But if buildings with mixed use were stripped off the list, the Burj Al Arab would be the world's third tallest hotel. The structure of the Rose Rayhaan, also in Dubai, is 333 metres (1,093 ft) tall,[23] 12 m (39 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab, which is 321 metres (1,053 ft) tall.[23]The Burj Al Arab's helipad, located 210 meters above ground, has been the site of several high-profile events, including a tennis match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi, and stunts by Red Bull athletes.[citation needed]
Rooms and suites
[edit]
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. The hotel has 199 exclusive suites each allocated eight dedicated staff members and a 24-hour butler service.[24] The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft).[25]
The Royal Suite, billed at US$24,000 per night, is listed at number 12 on World's 15 most expensive hotel suites compiled by CNN Go in 2012.[26]
The Burj Al Arab is very popular with the Chinese market, which made up 25 percent of all bookings at the hotel in 2011 and 2012.[27]
Restaurants
[edit]
Al MuntahaAl Mahara
There are six restaurants in the hotel, including:
Al Muntaha ("The Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator.[citation needed]
Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 L (260,000 US gal) of water. The wall of the tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.[citation needed]
Rating
[edit]
While the hotel has sometimes been described as "the world's only 'seven-star' hotel", the hotel management claims never to have done so themselves. The term appeared due to a British journalist who had visited the hotel on a tour before it was officially opened. The journalist described Burj al Arab as "more than anything she has ever seen" and therefore referred to it as a seven-star hotel.[28] A Jumeirah Group spokesperson said "There's not a lot we can do to stop it. We're not encouraging the use of the term. We've never used it in our advertising."[29]
Reception
[edit]
Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be."[25] The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel's decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance."[25] Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab ... The result is a baroque effect".[25]
In popular culture
[edit]
The last chapter of the espionage novel Performance Anomalies[30][31] takes place at the top of the Burj Al Arab,[32] where the spy protagonist Cono 7Q discovers that through deadly betrayal his spy nemesis Katerina has maneuvered herself into the top echelon of the government of Kazakhstan. The hotel can also be seen in Syriana and also some Bollywood movies.[which?]
Richard Hammond included the building in his television series Richard Hammond's Engineering Connections.
The Jumeirah Burj Al Arab serves as the cover image for the 2009 album Ocean Eyes by Owl City.
The Burj Al Arab was the site of the last task of the fifth episode of the first season of the Chinese edition of The Amazing Race, where teams had to clean up a room to the hotel's standards.[33][34]
The building is featured in Matthew Reilly's novel The Six Sacred Stones, where a kamikaze pilot crashes a plane into the hotel, destroying it in an attempt to kill the protagonist, Jack West Jr.
The building was the location of the main challenge of the ninth episode of the Canadian-American animated television series Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race,[35] where contestants were tasked to either return a serve from a tennis robot on the hotel's helipad, or squeegee an entire column of the hotel's windows.
See also
[edit]
Hotels portal
W Barcelona (Hotel Vela) – skyscraper of similar appearance in Barcelona, Spain (sail)
Oman TiT – residential skyscraper of similar appearance in Taipei, Taiwan (sail)
Elite Plaza – a similar-shaped skyscraper in Yerevan, Armenia
JW Marriott Panama (Panama City) – similar structure
Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth – similar structure in Portsmouth, UK
Vasco da Gama Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Lisbon, Portugal (sail)
Sail Tower – a skyscraper of similar appearance in Haifa, Israel (sail)
List of tallest buildings in the United Arab Emirates
List of buildings in Dubai
List of tallest buildings in Dubai
References
[edit]
^ ab
"Media Fact File of Burj Al Arab" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 August 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
^Swibel, Matthew (15 March 2014). "Forbes.com: Arabian Knight". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
^ abcd"Burj Al Arab Hotel – The Skyscraper Center". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
^"Emporis building ID 107803". Emporis. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020.
^"Burj Al Arab". SkyscraperPage.
^Burj Al Arab at Structurae
^"Stay at Burj Al Arab". Jumeirah. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
^Eytan, Declan. "Milan: Inside the World's Only Certified 7 Star Hotel". Forbes. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
^"Vanity Height: the Use-less Space in Today's Tallest". CTBUH. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^"Study: Skyscrapers Topped by Wasted Space". World Property Channel. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^Solon, Olivia (6 September 2013). "Report names and shames vanity skyscrapers with unnecessary spires". Wired. Archived from the original on 15 November 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^"Burj Al Arab". www.atkinsglobal.com. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
^ abKrane, Jim City of Mud: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism, page 103, St. Martin's Press (15 September 2009)
^"Dubai's Chicago Beach Hotel". Dubai As It Used To Be. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^Chalhoub, Michel Soto (1993). "Structural Design and Deep Foundation Soil-Structure Interaction of Burj-Al-Arab - A Comparison of Two Alternatives". Parsons Engineering.
^Pantin, Travis (17 February 2009). "Depa announces strong growth". The National. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
^"From the inside out". Construction Week Online Middle East. March 2011.
^"Global Gateway". CNN. 1 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
^ abCaesar, Ed (20 October 2025). "The Cocaine Kingpin Living Large in Dubai". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X.
^ ab"Burj Al Arab". EgyptEng.com engineering directory. 2000. Archived from the original on 17 January 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2007.
^"VIDEO: Burj Al Arab's 15th anniversary 'dream'". HotelierME. 28 November 2014.
^ ab"The world's 17 tallest hotels – for the ultimate room with a view". The Telegraph. 11 February 2016. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
^"Burj Al Arab". www.jumeirah.com. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
^ abcdDamluji, Salma Samar, The Architecture of the U.A.E.. Reading, UK: 2006.
^Arnold, Helen "World's 15 most expensive hotel suites" Archived 2 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine CNN Go. 25 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012
^"Jumeirah gets ravenous for China". TTGmice. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
^Parr, Christopher. "Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai: Inside The 7 Star Luxury Hotel". Business Insider. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
^Bundhun, Rebecca (14 July 2009). "Hotel star ratings standards long overdue". The National. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
^"Performance Anomalies". Goodreads. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
^Lee, Victor Robert (20 December 2012). Performance Anomalies. USA: Perimeter Six. ISBN 978-1-938409-22-6.
^Lee, Victor Robert (15 January 2013). Performance Anomalies: A Novel. Perimeter Six Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-938409-20-2.
^"Burj Al Arab hotel stars in Chinese reality TV show". Arabian Business. 18 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^"卓美亚集团与「极速前进」首次合作" [Jumeirah Group collaborates with The Amazing Race for the first time]. Neeu (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
^"Press Release". corusent.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
Further reading
[edit]
Rose, Steve (28 November 2005). "Architecture: Sand and freedom". The Guardian.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Burj Al Arab (category)
Official website
Records
Preceded by
Dubai World Trade Center
Tallest building in Dubai
1999 – 2000
Succeeded by
Emirates Office Tower
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Jumeirah Group
Facilities
Burj Al Arab
The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management
Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Jumeirah Carlton Tower
Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel
Madinat Jumeirah
Palais Quartier
Wild Wadi Water Park
Related
Dubai Holding
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Timeline of the world's tallest hotels
Hotel New Netherland (71m, 1893)
Hotel Manhattan (76m, 1896)
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel (111.9m, 1924)
Waldorf Astoria Hotel (191m, 1931)
Hotel Ukraina, Moscow (198m, 1953)
Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel (220m, 1973)
Westin Renaissance Center Detroit (221.5m, 1977)
Westin Stamford Hotel (226m, 1986)
Baiyoke Tower II (304m, 1997)
Burj Al Arab (321m, 1999)
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai at Shimao International Plaza (333m, 2006)
Rose Tower (333m, 2009)
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355m, 2012)
Gevora Hotel (356m, 2017)
Ciel Tower (377m, 2025)
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Burj Khalifa (828 m)
Marina 101 (425 m)
Princess Tower (414 m)
23 Marina (392.8 m)
Elite Residence (381 m)
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Address Boulevard (370 m)
Almas Tower (360 m)
Gevora Hotel (356 m)
Il Primo Dubai (356 m)
JW Marriott Marquis Dubai (355 m)
Emirates Office Tower (355 m)
The Marina Torch (352 m)
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Uptown Tower (340 m)
DAMAC Residenze (335 m)
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Burj Al Arab (321 m)
HHHR Tower (318 m)
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Address Downtown (302 m)
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Shangri-La Hotel (200 m)
150-200 m
Al Salam Tecom Tower (195 m)
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Al Sahab Tower 1 (187 m)
Dubai World Trade Centre (184 m)
Armada Tower 2 (167 m)
Four Points by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai (167 m)
Sky Gardens (160 m)
Al Attar Business Tower (158 m)
World Trade Centre Residence (158 m)
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The Residences
See also: Future Dubai skyscrapers and List of tallest buildings in Dubai
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About Aerial photography
Taking images of the ground from the air
An aerial photograph using a drone of Westerheversand Lighthouse, GermanyAerial view of a swimming pool complexAn aerial photograph taken using a drone of the Vistula, a river in PolandAn aerial view of the city of Pori, FinlandAir photo of a military target used to evaluate the effect of bombing
Aerial photography (or airborne imagery) is the taking of photographs from an aircraft or other airborne platforms.[1] When taking motion pictures, it is also known as aerial videography.
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or "drones"), balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, pigeons, kites, or using action cameras while skydiving or wingsuiting. Handheld cameras may be manually operated by the photographer, while mounted cameras are usually remotely operated or triggered automatically.
Hraunfossar, Iceland captured by a drone-camera[2]
Aerial photography typically refers specifically to bird's-eye view images that focus on landscapes and surface objects, and should not be confused with air-to-air photography, where one or more aircraft are used as chase planes that "chase" and photograph other aircraft in flight. Elevated photography can also produce bird's-eye images closely resembling aerial photography (despite not actually being aerial shots) when telephotoing from high vantage structures, suspended on cables (e.g. Skycam) or on top of very tall poles that are either handheld (e.g. monopods and selfie sticks), fixed firmly to the ground (e.g. surveillance cameras and crane shots) or mounted above vehicles.
History
[edit]
See also: Aerial reconnaissance § History
This section duplicates the scope of other articles, specifically Aerial reconnaissance#History. Please discuss this issue and help introduce a summary style to the section by replacing the section with a link and a summary or by splitting the content into a new article.(October 2020)
Early
[edit]
Honoré Daumier, "Nadar élevant la Photographie à la hauteur de l'Art" (Nadar elevating Photography to Art), published in Le Boulevard, May 25, 1862
Aerial photography was first practiced by the French photographer and balloonist Gaspard-Félix Tournachon, known as "Nadar", in 1858 over Paris, France.[3] However, the photographs he produced no longer exist and therefore the earliest surviving aerial photograph is titled 'Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It.' Taken by James Wallace Black and Samuel Archer King on October 13, 1860, it depicts Boston from a height of 630m.[4][5]
Equipment Used to Make High-Altitude Photographs (1924)Aerial view by Cecil Shadbolt, showing Stonebridge Road, Stamford Hill, and Seven Sisters Curve, part of the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway, taken from 2,000 feet (610 m) on 29 May 1882 – the earliest extant aerial photograph taken in the British Isles
Kite aerial photography was pioneered by British meteorologist E.D. Archibald in 1882. He used an explosive charge on a timer to take photographs from the air.[6] The same year, Cecil Shadbolt devised a method of taking photographs from the basket of a gas balloon, including shots looking vertically downwards.[7][8] One of his images, taken from 2,000 feet (610 m) over Stamford Hill, is the earliest extant aerial photograph taken in the British Isles.[7] A print of the same image, An Instantaneous Map Photograph taken from the Car of a Balloon, 2,000 feet high, was shown at the 1882 Photographic Society exhibition.[8]
Frenchman Arthur Batut began using kites for photography in 1888, and wrote a book on his methods in 1890.[9][10] Samuel Franklin Cody developed his advanced 'Man-lifter War Kite' and succeeded in interesting the British War Office with its capabilities.
Antique postcard from Grand Rapids, Michigan, using kite photo technique (c. 1911)
In 1908, Albert Samama Chikly filmed the first ever aerial views using a balloon between Hammam-Lif and Grombalia.[11] The first use of a motion picture camera mounted to a heavier-than-air aircraft took place on April 24, 1909, over Rome in the 3:28 silent film short, Wilbur Wright und seine Flugmaschine.
World War I
[edit]
Giza pyramid complex, photographed from Eduard Spelterini's balloon on November 21, 1904
The use of aerial photography rapidly matured during the war, as reconnaissance aircraft were equipped with cameras to record enemy movements and defenses. At the start of the conflict, the usefulness of aerial photography was not fully appreciated, with reconnaissance being accomplished with map sketching from the air.
Germany adopted the first aerial camera, a Görz, in 1913. The French began the war with several squadrons of Blériot observation aircraft equipped with cameras for reconnaissance. The French Army developed procedures for getting prints into the hands of field commanders in record time.
Frederick Charles Victor Laws started aerial photography experiments in 1912 with No.1 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (later No. 1 Squadron RAF), taking photographs from the British dirigible Beta. He discovered that vertical photos taken with a 60% overlap could be used to create a stereoscopic effect when viewed in a stereoscope, thus creating a perception of depth that could aid in cartography and in intelligence derived from aerial images. The Royal Flying Corps recon pilots began to use cameras for recording their observations in 1914 and by the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in 1915, the entire system of German trenches was being photographed.[12] In 1916, the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy made vertical camera axis aerial photos above Italy for map-making.
The first purpose-built and practical aerial camera was invented by Captain John Moore-Brabazon in 1915 with the help of the Thornton-Pickard company, greatly enhancing the efficiency of aerial photography. The camera was inserted into the floor of the aircraft and could be triggered by the pilot at intervals. Moore-Brabazon also pioneered the incorporation of stereoscopic techniques into aerial photography, allowing the height of objects on the landscape to be discerned by comparing photographs taken at different angles.[13][14]
By the end of the war, aerial cameras had dramatically increased in size and focal power and were used increasingly frequently as they proved their pivotal military worth; by 1918, both sides were photographing the entire front twice a day and had taken over half a million photos since the beginning of the conflict. In January 1918, General Allenby used five Australian pilots from No. 1 Squadron AFC to photograph a 624 square miles (1,620 km2) area in Palestine as an aid to correcting and improving maps of the Turkish front. This was a pioneering use of aerial photography as an aid for cartography. Lieutenants Leonard Taplin, Allan Runciman Brown, H. L. Fraser, Edward Patrick Kenny, and L. W. Rogers photographed a block of land stretching from the Turkish front lines 32 miles (51 km) deep into their rear areas. Beginning 5 January, they flew with a fighter escort to ward off enemy fighters. Using Royal Aircraft Factory BE.12 and Martinsyde airplanes, they not only overcame enemy air attacks, but also had to contend with 65 mph (105 km/h) winds, antiaircraft fire, and malfunctioning equipment to complete their task.[15]
Commercial
[edit]
New York City in 1932, aerial photograph of Fairchild Aerial Surveys IncMilton Kent with his aerial camera, June 1953, Milton Kent Studio, Sydney
The first commercial aerial photography company in the UK was Aerofilms Ltd, founded by World War I veterans Francis Wills and Claude Graham White in 1919. The company soon expanded into a business with major contracts in Africa and Asia as well as in the UK. Operations began from the Stag Lane Aerodrome at Edgware, using the aircraft of the London Flying School. Subsequently, the Aircraft Manufacturing Company (later the De Havilland Aircraft Company), hired an Airco DH.9 along with pilot entrepreneur Alan Cobham.[16]
From 1921, Aerofilms carried out vertical photography for survey and mapping purposes. During the 1930s, the company pioneered the science of photogrammetry (mapping from aerial photographs), with the Ordnance Survey amongst the company's clients.[17] In 1920, the Australian Milton Kent started using a half-plate oblique aero camera purchased from Carl Zeiss AG in his aerial photographic business.[18]
Another successful pioneer of the commercial use of aerial photography was the American Sherman Fairchild who started with his own aircraft firm Fairchild Aircraft to develop and build specialized aircraft for high altitude aerial survey missions.[19] One Fairchild aerial survey aircraft in 1935 carried a unit that combined two synchronized cameras. Utilizing two units of ten lenses each with a ten-inch lens, the aircraft took photos from 23,000 feet. Each photo covered two hundred and twenty-five square miles. One of its first government contracts was an aerial survey of New Mexico to study soil erosion.[20] A year later, Fairchild introduced a better high altitude camera with a nine-lens in one unit that could take a photo covering 600 square miles with each exposure from 30,000 feet.[21]
World War II
[edit]
Sidney Cotton's Lockheed 12A, in which he made a high-speed reconnaissance flight in 1940
In 1939, Sidney Cotton and Flying Officer Maurice Longbottom of the RAF were among the first to suggest that airborne reconnaissance may be a task better suited to fast, small aircraft which would use their speed and high service ceiling to avoid detection and interception. Although this seems obvious now, with modern reconnaissance tasks performed by fast, high flying aircraft, at the time it was radical thinking.[citation needed]
They proposed the use of Spitfires with their armament and radios removed and replaced with extra fuel and cameras. This led to the development of the Spitfire PR variants. Spitfires proved to be extremely successful in their reconnaissance role and there were many variants built specifically for that purpose. They served initially with what later became No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (PRU). In 1928, the RAF developed an electric heating system for the aerial camera. This allowed reconnaissance aircraft to take pictures from very high altitudes without the camera parts freezing.[22] Based at RAF Medmenham, the collection and interpretation of such photographs became a considerable enterprise.[23]
Cotton's aerial photographs were far ahead of their time. Together with other members of the 1 PRU, he pioneered the techniques of high-altitude, high-speed stereoscopic photography that were instrumental in revealing the locations of many crucial military and intelligence targets. According to R.V. Jones, photographs were used to establish the size and the characteristic launching mechanisms for both the V-1 flying bomb and the V-2 rocket. Cotton also worked on ideas such as a prototype specialist reconnaissance aircraft and further refinements of photographic equipment. At the peak, the British flew over 100 reconnaissance flights a day, yielding 50,000 images per day to interpret. Similar efforts were taken by other countries.[citation needed]
While stationed on an aircraft carrier in Imperial Japan, FS Hussain, a pilot in the Royal Indian Air Force, was tasked with photographing the aftermath of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.[24] Unaware of the risks of exposure to radiation, it led to his death in 1969 at the age of 44.[25]
Uses
[edit]
Vertical aerial photography is used in cartography[26] (particularly in photogrammetric surveys, which are often the basis for topographic maps[27][28]), land-use planning,[26] aerial archaeology.[26] Oblique aerial photography is used for movie production, environmental studies,[29] power line inspection,[30] surveillance, construction progress, commercial advertising, conveyancing, and artistic projects. An example of how aerial photography is used in the field of archaeology is the mapping project done at the site Angkor Borei in Cambodia from 1995 to 1996. Using aerial photography, archaeologists were able to identify archaeological features, including 112 water features (reservoirs, artificially constructed pools and natural ponds) within the walled site of Angkor Borei.[31] In the United States, aerial photographs are used in many Phase I Environmental Site Assessments for property analysis.
Aircraft
[edit]
In the United States, except when necessary for take-off and landing, full-sized manned aircraft are prohibited from flying at altitudes under 1000 feet over congested areas and not closer than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle or structure over non-congested areas. Certain exceptions are allowed for helicopters, powered parachutes and weight-shift-control aircraft.[32]
Radio-controlled
[edit]
Advancements in drone technology have allowed aerial photographs to be taken by quadcopter drones, such as this DJI Mavic Pro.
Advances in radio controlled models have made it possible for model aircraft to conduct low-altitude aerial photography. This had benefited real-estate advertising, where commercial and residential properties are the photographic subject. In 2014, the US Federal Aviation Administration banned the use of drones for photographs in real estate advertisements.[33] The ban has been lifted and commercial aerial photography using drones of UAS is regulated under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018.[34][35] Commercial pilots have to complete the requirements for a Part 107 license,[36] while amateur and non-commercial use is restricted by the FAA.[37]
Small scale model aircraft offer increased photographic access to these previously restricted areas. Miniature vehicles do not replace full-size aircraft, as full-size aircraft are capable of longer flight times, higher altitudes, and greater equipment payloads. They are, however, useful in any situation in which a full-scale aircraft would be dangerous to operate. Examples would include the inspection of transformers atop power transmission lines and slow, low-level flight over agricultural fields, both of which can be accomplished by a large-scale radio-controlled helicopter. Professional-grade, gyroscopically stabilized camera platforms are available for use under such a model; a large model helicopter with a 26cc gasoline engine can hoist a payload of approximately seven kilograms (15 pounds). One example is the radio controlled Nitrohawk helicopter developed by Robert Channon between 1988 and 1998.[38] In addition to gyroscopically stabilized footage, the use of RC copters as reliable aerial photography tools increased with the integration of FPV (first-person-view) technology. Many radio-controlled aircraft, in particular drones, are now capable of utilizing Wi-Fi to stream live video from the aircraft's camera back to the pilot's or pilot in command's (PIC) ground station.[39]
Regulations
[edit]
See also: Regulation of unmanned aerial vehicles
Australia
[edit]
In Australia, Civil Aviation Safety Regulation Part 101 (CASR Part 101)[40] allows for commercial use of unmanned and remotely piloted aircraft. Under these regulations, unmanned remotely piloted aircraft for commercial are referred to as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), whereas radio-controlled aircraft for recreational purposes are referred to as model aircraft. Under CASR Part 101, businesses/persons operating remotely piloted aircraft commercially are required to hold an operator certificate, just like manned aircraft operators. Pilots of remotely piloted aircraft operating commercially are also required to be licensed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).[41] While a small RPAS and model aircraft may actually be identical, unlike model aircraft, a RPAS may enter controlled airspace with approval, and operate close to an aerodrome.
Due to a number of illegal operators in Australia, making false claims of being approved, CASA maintains and publishes a list of approved remote operator's certificate (ReOC) holders.[42] However, CASA has modified the regulations and from September 29, 2016, drones under 2 kg (4.4 lb) may be operated for commercial purposes.[43]
United States
[edit]
2006 FAA regulations grounding all commercial RC model flights have been upgraded to require formal FAA certification before permission is granted to fly at any altitude in the US.
On June 25, 2014, the FAA, in ruling 14 CFR Part 91 [Docket No. FAA–2014–0396] "Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft", banned the commercial use of unmanned aircraft over U.S. airspace.[44] On September 26, 2014, the FAA began granting the right to use drones in aerial filmmaking. Operators are required to be licensed pilots and must keep the drone in view at all times. Drones cannot be used to film in areas where people might be put at risk.[45]
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 established, in Section 336, a special rule for model aircraft. In Section 336, Congress confirmed the FAA's long-standing position that model aircraft are aircraft. Under the terms of the Act, a model aircraft is defined as "an unmanned aircraft" that is "(1) capable of sustained flight in the atmosphere; (2) flown within visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft; and (3) flown for hobby or recreational purposes."[46]
Because anything capable of being viewed from a public space is considered outside the realm of privacy in the United States, aerial photography may legally document features and occurrences on private property.[47]
The FAA can pursue enforcement action against persons operating model aircraft who endanger the safety of the national airspace system: Public Law 112–95, section 336(b).[33]
On June 21, 2016, the FAA released its summary of small unmanned aircraft rules (Part 107). The rules established guidelines for small UAS operators including operating only during the daytime, a 400 ft (120 m). ceiling and pilots must keep the UAS in visual range.[48]
On April 7, 2017, the FAA announced special security instructions under 14 CFR § 99.7. Effective April 14, 2017, all UAS flights within 400 feet of the lateral boundaries of U.S. military installations are prohibited unless a special permit is secured from the base and/or the FAA.[49]
United Kingdom
[edit]
Aerial photography in the UK has tight regulations as to where a drone is able to fly.[50]
Aerial Photography on Light aircraft under 20 kg (44 lb). Basic Rules for non commercial flying Of a SUA (Small Unmanned Aircraft).
Article 241 Endangering safety of any person or property states that a person must not recklessly or negligently cause or permit an aircraft to endanger any person or property.
Article 94 mentions the following about small unmanned aircraft:
A person must not cause or permit any article or animal (whether or not attached to a parachute) to be dropped from a small unmanned aircraft so as to endanger persons or property.
The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft may only fly the aircraft if reasonably satisfied that the flight can safely be made.
The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft must maintain direct, unaided visual contact with the aircraft sufficient to monitor its flight path in relation to other aircraft, persons, vehicles, vessels and structures for the purpose of avoiding collisions. (500 m (1,600 ft))
The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft which has a mass of more than 7 kg (15 lb) excluding its fuel but including any articles or equipment installed in or attached to the aircraft at the commencement of its flight, must not fly the aircraft:
In Class A, C, D or E airspace unless the permission of the appropriate air traffic control unit has been obtained;
Within an aerodrome traffic zone during the notified hours of watch of the air traffic control unit (if any) at that aerodrome unless the permission of any such air traffic control unit has been obtained;
At a height of more than 400 feet above the surface
The person in charge of a small unmanned aircraft must not fly the aircraft for the purposes of commercial operations except in accordance with a permission granted by the CAA.
Article 95 has the following to say about small unmanned surveillance aircraft:
You Must not fly your aircraft over or within 150 metres of any congested Area.
Over or within 150 m (490 ft) of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons.
Within 50 m (160 ft) of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.
Within 50 m of any person, during take-off or landing, a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not be flown within 30 m (98 ft) of any person. This does not apply to the person in charge of the small unmanned surveillance aircraft or a person under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft.
Model aircraft with a mass of more than 20 kg are termed 'Large Model Aircraft' – within the UK, large model aircraft may only be flown in accordance with an exemption from the ANO, which must be issued by the CAA.
Types
[edit]
Oblique
[edit]
Oblique Aerial Photo
Photographs taken at an angle are called oblique photographs. If they are taken from a low angle relative to the earth's surface, they are called low oblique and photographs taken from a high angle are called high or steep oblique.[51]
An aerial photographer prepares continuous oblique shooting in a Cessna 206
Vertical (Nadir)
[edit]
Vertical Orientation Aerial Photo
Vertical photographs are taken straight down.[52] They are mainly used in photogrammetry and image interpretation. Pictures that will be used in photogrammetry are traditionally taken with special large format cameras with calibrated and documented geometric properties.
A vertical still from a kite aerial thermal video of part of a former brickworks site captured at night. http://www.armadale.org.uk/aerialthermography.htm
Combined
[edit]
Aerial photographs are often combined. Depending on their purpose, it can be done in several ways, of which a few are listed below.
Panoramas can be made by stitching several photographs taken in different angles from one spot (e.g. with a hand held camera) or from different spots at the same angle (e.g. from a plane).
Stereo photography techniques allow for the creation of 3D-images from several photographs of the same area taken from different spots.
In pictometry, five rigidly mounted cameras provide one vertical and four low oblique pictures that can be used together.
In some digital cameras, for aerial photogrammetry images from several imaging elements, sometimes with separate lenses, are geometrically corrected and combined to one image in the camera.
Orthophotomap
[edit]
Vertical photographs are often used to create orthophotos, alternatively known as orthophotomaps, photographs which have been geometrically "corrected" so as to be usable as a map. In other words, an orthophoto is a simulation of a photograph taken from an infinite distance, looking straight down to nadir. Perspective must obviously be removed, but variations in terrain should also be corrected for. Multiple geometric transformations are applied to the image, depending on the perspective and terrain corrections required on a particular part of the image.
Orthophotos are commonly used in geographic information systems, such as are used by mapping agencies (e.g. Ordnance Survey) to create maps. Once the images have been aligned, or "registered", with known real-world coordinates, they can be widely deployed.
Large sets of orthophotos, typically derived from multiple sources and divided into "tiles" (each typically 256 x 256 pixels in size), are widely used in online map systems such as Google Maps. OpenStreetMap offers the use of similar orthophotos for deriving new map data. Google Earth overlays orthophotos or satellite imagery onto a digital elevation model to simulate 3D landscapes.
Leaf-off or leaf-on
[edit]
Aerial photography may be labeled as either "leaf-off" or on "leaf-on" to indicate whether deciduous foliage is in the photograph. Leaf-off photographs show less foliage or no foliage at all, and are used to see the ground and things on the ground more closely. Leaf-on photographs are used to measure crop health and yield. For forestry purposes, some species of trees are easier to distinguish from other kinds of trees with leaf-off photography, while other species are easier to distinguish with leaf-on photography.[53]
Video
[edit]
The Cliffs of Moher, filmed with a drone (2014)
With advancements in video technology, aerial video is becoming more popular. Orthogonal video is shot from aircraft mapping pipelines, crop fields, and other points of interest. Using GPS, video may be embedded with meta data and later synced with a video mapping program.
This "Spatial Multimedia" is the timely union of digital media including still photography, motion video, stereo, panoramic imagery sets, immersive media constructs, audio, and other data with location and date-time information from the GPS and other location designs.
Aerial videos are emerging Spatial Multimedia which can be used for scene understanding and object tracking. The input video is captured by low flying aerial platforms and typically consists of strong parallax from non-ground-plane structures. The integration of digital video, global positioning systems (GPS) and automated image processing will improve the accuracy and cost-effectiveness of data collection and reduction. Several different aerial platforms are under investigation for the data collection.
In film production, it is common to use a unmanned aerial vehicle with a mounted cine camera.[54] For example, the AERIGON cinema drone is used for low aerial shots in big blockbuster movies.[55]
Wikipedia category for articles on aerial photographers
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^Short, Nicholas (2010-04-28). "Elements of Aerial Photography". Remote Sensing Tutorial Page 10-1. NASA. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
^What is the difference between leaf-on and leaf-off imagery?, MapaSyst, Extension Foundation, August 21, 2019
^Mademlis, Ioannis; Nikolaidis, Nikos; Tefas, Anastasios; Pitas, Ioannis; Tilman, Wagner; Messina, Alberto (2019). "Autonomous UAV cinematography: A tutorial and a formalized shot-type taxonomy". ACM Computing Surveys. 52 (5). New York, NY: ACM: 1–33. doi:10.1145/3347713. S2CID 202676119.
^"AERIGON cinema drone (UAV) pioneering in film production". Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
Further reading
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Price, Alfred (2003). Targeting the Reich: Allied Photographic Reconnaissance over Europe, 1939–1945. [S.l.]: Military Book Club. N.B.: First published 2003 by Greenhill Books, London. ISBN 0-7394-3496-9
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aerial photography.
Look up aerial photography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Aerial Photography: An Overview on YouTube, from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
We booked this as a surprise for my son's birthday and we nailed it - he loved the thrill of the helicopter ride itself, but also the spectacular views from above. The pilot was very friendly and knowledgeable. We learned so much more about Abu Dhabi than we would have ever done from walking around - and the views from above of the Mosque and of the palaces are unmatched.It is MUST experience in Abu Dhabi.
I recently had the pleasure of taking a helicopter ride with your company, and I wanted to take a moment to share my experience.
From start to finish, everything was exceptionally well-organized. The views during the ride were absolutely breathtaking, and the pilot's professionalism and knowledge added so much to the overall experience. It was clear that safety was a top priority, which made me feel comfortable and secure throughout the flight.
The only suggestion I have for improvement would be [less timing of the ride] However, this did not detract from what was an otherwise fantastic experience.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and I would highly recommend it to others. Thank you for providing such a memorable experience!
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates
Helicopter Ride and Tours Dubai, Al Warsan Building - near Media Rotana, Ground Floor - Al Thanyah First - Barsha Heights - Dubai - United Arab Emirates