Inside Helicopter That Won Over Kenyans With Safari Rally Coverage [VIDEO]

If Kenyans thought that one of their main highlights of the just-concluded World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally 2023 in Naivasha, Nakuru County was the rally cars, few will tell you about the helicopters that have been flying beside them.

WRC drivers, particularly those in Rally1, possess driving skills touted to be among the best in the world, but the real heroes are the helicopter pilots who fly the choppers in all manner of manoeuvres to get footage that is beamed to TV stations and internet live streams across the world.

In all the 19 Safari Rally stages across Nairobi, Nakuru and Naivasha, a blue-coloured helicopter under Tropic Air Kenya has become a headline of the entire event thanks to the incredible flying skills of the WRC pilots that few of their ordinary counterparts would dare attempt on a normal day, unless in the middle of an emergency.

The travel company on Sunday, June 25 released a video taking Kenyans through the features of the helicopter and how it can beam live footage to screens globally during the Safari Rally, and any other event in the annual WRC circuit.

Here is the video:

Ever wondered how the helicopter that has been a prominent feature in the #WRCSafariRally2023 works?

Watch here
????: @TropicAirKenya (Tiktok) pic.twitter.com/gTcqmggwQh — Marvin Chege (@marvin_chege10) June 25, 2023

WRC Helicopter Features

The aerial filming helicopter has a shotover consisting of a six-axis gyro-stabilised system mounted at the front of the aircraft. The system hosts a camera lens inside which can zoom up to 25 times.

A 25X optical zoom lens on the camera comes in handy when trying to see faces, that is, it can see a face up to 300 feet (91.44 metres) away when zoomed in during the day, or 260 feet (79.2 metres) at night.

The camera is controlled by an operator who sits at the back of the chopper and uses a control unit to operate the gyro. Right next to him (or her) is a unit weighing about 45 kilograms (kg).

"This is the unit that communicates to race control and transmits live broadcasting to millions of viewers all over the world and it also powers the gimbal and the control unit.

"In conjunction with the camera operator, we have the main pilot who sits on the right side and has his little screen there to see the action," Tropic Air explained.

A gimbal is also called a stabiliser and steadycam (also known as a steadicam,flycam & glidecam) and is a device that enables smooth video shooting by stabilizing a camera and isolating it from shock and vibration.

Steadycams and other devices allow a camera to move smoothly through a scene or while tracking a subject. The smooth motion in video enables easier focus on a subject and better clarity.

That improvement dramatically affects action in videos such as sports broadcasts, making the action easier to follow. Steadycams also can dramatically improve inherently shaky video taken from mobile devices, such as smartphones.

Combined, the technology coupled with High-Definition (HD) camera technology has resulted in footage of the Safari Rally for those unable to attend it physically to follow it from the comfort of their homes, and one such footage of Spanish rally driver Dani Sordo driving at top speed on Saturday, June 24 went viral across social media platforms.

It is worth it to note that the chopper was among over 20 of such which registered and were cleared by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to offer air services during the Safari Rally, with KCAA noting that a team of dedicated Air Traffic Control Officers would provide air traffic services and weather information in order to guide rally team helicopters, coordinate VIP movement and provide alerting services to aircraft that will be engaged in the rally.

“The over 20 registered aircraft will mainly be engaged in ferrying VIPs, journalists covering the rally and Medical Evacuation teams among others,” KCAA said in a statement on Thursday, June 22.

“In addition, the team will also be responsible for the coordination of Medical Evacuation (Medivac) flights and ensuring expeditious facilitation of aircraft in distress, in case of any eventuality."

The Safari Rally 2023 saw eight-time WRC world champion, Sebastien Ogier, reclaim his Safari Rally title which he last won in 2021, snatching it from teammate and reigning WRC champion, Kalle Rovanpera who won last year's (2022) Safari Rally, by 6.7 seconds.

Toyota Gazoo Racing secured a second consecutive 1-2-3-4 finish in the Safari Rally after Elfyn Evans completed the podium ahead of Takamoto Katsuta, continuing its historic run set in 2022 for the first time since 1993.

President William Ruto graced the awards ceremony in Naivasha in the company of other leaders like Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Nakuru governor Susan Kihika and Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba.

Before the rally kicked off, Ruto said the much-awaited 2023 WRC Safari Rally will promote tourism and create economic opportunities. The Head of State noted that the event attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually, creating job opportunities worth Ksh24.7 billion.

President William Ruto with the top three WRC drivers, all of team Toyota, during the Safari Rally awards ceremony on June 25, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO

Lawyer Ahmednassir Abdullahi opined that Governor Kihika should should up her game to support local businesses from next year's WRC, particularly in Nakuru County, adding that its residents have the potential of making good money by selling food, beverages and in hospitality during such rallies.

However, organisers of the Safari Rally outlawed hawking along the roads used by rally cars to prevent traffic jams and cases of insecurity, thus greatly disadvantaging small business owners. They also banned partying along the Moi South Lake road in Naivasha.