Ultimate Hell Week - The Professionals
One of the toughest reality TV shows around has returned to screens in Ireland. Ultimate Hell Week sees eighteen recruits put through an intense selection course that’s been put together by former members of Ireland’s Special Forces. This time, it’s the turn of the professionals. And taking on this daunting course are some of Ireland’s most well-known faces from the world of sport and entertainment.
Over five days, they will endure rigorous physical and mental tests. Pushed well out of their comfort zone, each recruit will have to complete cold-water events, height tests, claustrophobic challenges and interrogation, alongside demanding trials of strength, stamina and determination.
GB Helicopters was brought in to help carry out the cold-water events and height tests. Producing the incredible footage of the stunts, was drone operator Lec Park.
First up was the ‘Heli Jump’. We performed this stunt recently for Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and on numerous Bear Grylls productions.
Flying low and fast over the waters near Cork, two recruits sit nervously in the back. Accompanying them in the cabin is their course instructor and a camera operator. Ensuring there’s unrestricted movement in the back, both the rear and co-pilot seats have been removed, as have the doors on one side. The camera operator now has the freedom to perfectly capture the raw emotions of each recruit in anticipation of their jump into the cold waters.
The second stunt we carried out is one of our favourites, the ‘Long Line’. Officially termed ‘Human External Cargo’, this stunt involves one or two people being suspended on a long line underneath the helicopter. It is another stunt we’ve done frequently with Bear Grylls. It’s also how we made Harry Styles fly in the music video for his hit single Sign of the Times. No CGI required.
For Ultimate Hell Week, this was performed around the spectacular coastline and cliffs of Mizen Head. We began by flying along the coast before sweeping up to a clifftop, one the recruits had just climbed up. Coming to a hover overhead, two of the recruits were carefully secured to the line below. Once safely attached, we lifted them over the edge of the cliff and out towards the ocean. The incredible vistas making this stunt all the more spectacular. The recruits were then dropped off further down the coast, ready for their next challenge.
For those of you in Ireland, you can watch the whole series on RTE Player.
To find out how these thrilling scenes could be part of your next production, get in touch on 0800 030 4105 or at ops@gbconcierge.co.uk.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins
Once again we find ourselves hovering over the waters just off the Isle of Raasay. This time, Ore Oduba is onboard, carefully perched on the skid of our hovering helicopter. Facing the instructor inside the aircraft, he’s given his instructions on how to perform the dive into the sea...backwards...from 20 ft. He crosses his arms over his chest, and lets himself fall blindly backwards towards the water below. This is no Strictly Come Dancing.
He is one of the 12 new recruits for the latest series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
One by one each contestant is picked up from the island and taken to the drop point. They are flown in low and fast before quickly coming to a hover, simulating a rapid military insertion. They climb out of the helicopter and onto the skid, before psyching themselves up and blindly dropping into the sea.
The stunt would be carried out in our AS355N twin-squirrel helicopter, flown by GB Helicopters Director and Chief Pilot Will Banks.
As with all our stunt work, special permissions from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were required. We always work closely with the CAA when carrying out aerial stunt work, and our continued experience and skill in performing stunts for film and TV productions helped us gain this permission.
The third series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins started on Channel 4 on 29th August 2021 and is on at 9PM on Sundays. If you want to catch up on the action, you can do so on All 4.
Helicopter ER
Helicopter ER takes you inside the hi-tech cabin of Helimed 98 & 99 of the high-speed, high-stakes world of a rapid response air emergency service. The programme follows the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, who cover 4 million acres and a population of approximately 5 million as they respond to real and extreme emergencies throughout Yorkshire. This gives everyone watching an insight into the amazing air ambulance team, the outstanding doctors and the paramedics that save lives on a daily basis.
Our Airbus AS355 twin-squirrel helicopter, carried out the filming using our GSS C516 camera system. Due to the unpredictable time of day an emergency can happen, we film both day and night shoots. Filming takes place with the Red Epic Dragon during the day and the ARRI Alexa Mini or Sony P1 at night, all fitted with a 30-300 Canon lens.
Following in close proximity to the air ambulance as it lands and takes off from various sites around Yorkshire, including helipads at hospitals, is a key part of the filming for Helicopter ER. The CAA have granted us a long-term certificate for low-level flying permission, which is perfect for productions as it enables us to get closer to the action.
Created by AirTv, Helicopter ER is broadcast on the Discovery Networks channel, Really. The latest series, 6, aired back in January 2021 and is available to watch on the Discovery+ website.
