Specialist Helicopters is a film and broadcast aerial unit — helicopter aerial cinematography, stunts and aerial coordination for feature films, television, documentary and live sport, in Australia and on productions worldwide. The credits run from Anyone But You and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F to the World Rally Championship and SailGP, for studios and broadcasters including Netflix, Warner Bros, Amazon and the BBC.
Two people anchor the unit: chief camera and stunt pilot David Adamson, who flies the shot, and aerial producer and head of safety & compliance Jen Bewes, who makes it legal, safe and deliverable. Together, they draw on a global network of aircraft and aircrew, enabling Specialist Helicopters to scale to complex multi-aircraft productions anywhere in the world. Every pilot is personally selected and checked by David in his capacity as a Flight Examiner, ensuring every production benefits from the same standard of flying, professionalism and creative understanding.
Flying for film and broadcast demands far more than simply keeping a subject in frame. Every movement of the helicopter influences the shot, so David approaches each sequence from the director’s perspective first, then flies the aircraft to support it.
That means constantly thinking ahead of the camera. Anticipating where the action is going, positioning the helicopter before the shot demands it, preserving clean sightlines as terrain, buildings and trees come between the camera and the subject, keeping the aircraft in the best natural light, and ensuring nothing from the helicopter itself distracts from the image.
The aircraft becomes part of the camera system — not simply the platform carrying it.
Working closely with directors, DOPs and camera crews, David translates creative intent into precise, repeatable flight. Whether matching the pace of a racing car, holding formation with another aircraft or repeating a complex move take after take, every input on the controls is made with the final image in mind.
That approach has been refined since 1986 across more than 23,000 flight hours on feature films, television, documentaries, live broadcast and motorsport in over 40 countries — and licensed to fly in nine — with a nil-accident record. The aviation credentials earn trust; the reason productions return is because they know the person on the controls understands not just how to fly the helicopter, but what the camera needs to see next.
The most ambitious aerial sequences rarely fail because of flying. They fail when no one can find a way to satisfy the creative vision, the regulators, the insurers and everyone else who needs to say “yes”.
Jen’s role is to create the confidence that gets everyone to “yes”.
Working alongside productions from the earliest planning stages, she translates creative ambition into operational reality: developing risk management strategies, securing complex regulatory approvals, coordinating logistics, sourcing specialist aviation assets—including helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and drones where required—and bringing together the many moving parts that allow productions to proceed with confidence. Rather than asking productions to compromise their vision, she works to understand what they’re trying to achieve, then builds the safest practical pathway to make it happen.
That approach has led to world-first operational approvals, regulatory changes and specialist permissions that have enabled productions others considered impractical or impossible. Awarded Fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society for her contribution to aviation safety and innovation, Jen combines deep aviation expertise with a former executive career leading creative and digital teams in media and advertising. She understands both the language of production and the discipline of aviation—ensuring safety, logistics and creative ambition are developed together, never treated as competing priorities.
Trusted where the
shot can’t go wrong
We are based in Sydney and work Australia-wide — Sydney, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth and Adelaide — as well as across the Asia-Pacific and worldwide, with David Adamson licensed across nine countries.
Film literacy combined with operational depth — we fly the helicopter as part of the camera system, hold the only CASA-approved helicopter stunt platform in Australia, and bring a nil-accident safety record built over 18+ years.
We are a CASA AOC holder — Part 141, Part 133 and Part 138 — covering aerial work, charter and flight training.
Tell us the shot, the schedule and the location — we'll build the aerial unit, stunt and coordination plan around it.