Los Angeles Aerial Project – Work completed on a recent project above Los Angeles. Coordinated with the assistance of SoCal ATC this project was completed in June 2023 for the state of California.
Flying over Los Angeles is always an exciting prospect. A chance to work in some of the busiest airspace in the country. We lifted off from Burbank Airport in a Bell Jetranger 206 (The Jetty), doors off, climbing through helicopter corridors carved beneath LAX’s Bravo airspace. Every orbit and altitude change was coordinated with ATC to keep us clear of heavy jet traffic while capturing the city’s most iconic views.
We threaded low over the Hollywood Hills, sweeping past Griffith Observatory and the Hollywood Sign, before circling Downtown LA at golden hour. At times, we climbed to 4,000 feet, breaking above the marine layer to watch the city emerge through a glowing haze. By dusk, the streets below pulsed with light, freeways glowing like rivers of fire.
Each shot was a balance of planning and experimentation with light: the pilot holding precise orbits, controllers creating a safe window, and every moment timed to the shifting light. From the air, LA reveals its true scale—a cinematic sprawl of canyons, coast, and endless city grids, all captured in the that magic period between sunset and nightfall.
Behind the scenes on a second flight over downtown Los Angeles as clouds and haze drift in from the Pacific Ocean.