McMahon Helicopter Services, Inc.


	*Brian McMahon* is a Vietnam veteran who has over 36 years of experience flying helicopters and has logged over 20,000 hours in the air. In the years following the war, Brian received his civilian commercial flight training and experience building flight time working for next to nothing at a local helicopter company just outside Detroit, Michigan. After years of flying helicopters for construction companies, and flying Dale Fisher for his specialized aerial art and commercial photography, Brian started a helicopter charter company for a corporate client where he was employed as their pilot. Several years and thousands of hours later, Brian decided to start his own helicopter charter service using a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter leased back from a local mortgage company. While flying Channel 2 News in between priority auto parts deliveries and aerial film production jobs. Brian McMahon founded McMahon Helicopter Services, Inc., (MHS) in August of 1980. By the mid-80’s, MHS had with a dozen pilots and 8 helicopters. Brian with his cinematographer partner Ken Sanborn started Aerial Films, Inc. to expand upon their increasing aerial film and television production work. While they made extensive use of Tyler and Continental camera mounts they had to build their own customized camera mounts for special projects because other mounts simply did not exist at the time.

	Ken and Brian were the first to bring the Canadian built WESCAM gyro-stabilized camera system into the United States to be used for feature films, TV commercials and live television coverage of major sports events. The older gyro-stabilized camera systems were very large and had to be side mounted and flown with doors-off. This put severe performance and maneuverability limitations on the helicopter.

	In the early 90’s, after covering Super Bowls, New York and Boston Marathons, major events for ABC, NBC, and CBS, countless commercials and film productions, Brian patented the first nose-mounted platform for the WESCAM. Soon after, Aerial Films (now GyroCam Systems, Inc.) began selling their own gyro-stabilized camera systems called GyroCam®. The GyroCam® was the first small, lightweight, long lens 5-axis gyro-stabilized video camera in the US, making it the perfect fit for news helicopters.

	Aerial Films, Inc. landed several of the first news helicopter programs including exclusive WNBC New York and sold a GyroCam® to KCBS in L.A. who used it on the famous OJ Simpson white Bronco car chase viewed around the world. The rock-steady footage of this car chase using a small nose-mounted GyroCam® sparked interest in news stations across the country revolutionizing the way people view news today. Now instead of the old shaky news footage, people get to see up-close and personal, high quality steady shots of news and sports events, which is now the industry standard.

	Competitors were quick to jump on the bandwagon producing similar systems and landing helicopter news contracts in every major News market. After managing and selling several exclusive news helicopter programs including WNBC Chopper 4 New York, Aerial Films diverted their attention to security applications and was later purchased by an Australian firm. Aerial Films, Inc. is now GyroCam Systems, Inc. McMahon Helicopter Services, Inc. owns and operates the Chopper 7 helicopter contract for WXYZ –TV Channel 7 Detroit, which, in 1995 was one of the first stations in the country and the first station in Detroit to have a full-time dedicated TV News helicopter program. McMahon provides not only the helicopter but also all of the equipment and the flight crew consisting of pilot-reporter Dennis Neubacher and GyroCam operator - systems engineer Brian Smith. WXYZ Channel 7 Detroit is still leading the pack being first in Detroit with the newest technology available including the first to broadcast in high-definition HDTV.

	In 2000 the Detroit auto industry was keeping McMahon Helicopter Services, Inc. extremely busy. McMahon Helicopters was experiencing up to 15 cargo charters and shipping up to 45,000 pounds of auto parts in a single day.

	Keeping family in the loop, Brian McMahon employs his son Nick McMahon who is Chief Pilot and has over 10 years of aviation experience including extensive charter and film production knowledge. Brian’s younger son Nate is also helicopter and fixed-wing rated and works at MHS during summer and holiday vacation breaks while attending college full time.

	Over the years McMahon Helicopter Services has completed thousands of door-to-door critical cargo deliveries for the big three Detroit automakers and suppliers, hundreds of film productions, transported hundreds of people and aided in natural disasters. Most recently McMahon traveled to Louisiana in September of 2005 to aid customers after Hurricane Katrina and later Hurricane Rita in Texas.

	From keeping frost off of tomato plants to towing 20,000 square foot banners across a city skyline, McMahon Helicopter Services has a lot of history, extensive experience and knowledge of operating almost every kind of helicopter in commercial service. McMahon Helicopters is a Bell Helicopter Customer Service Center, a Robinson Helicopter repair facility and we offer sales, management services and can provide service and repair of Sikorsky, Eurocopter and almost every other make and model of commercial helicopters. We look forward to working with you on your next project, whatever it may be.