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News and Events 2007
Great North Run
September 2007
For the fourth consecutive year, the BBC used Skylink to relay the live motorbike camera links at the Great North Run.
The only change to the set-up of previous years was that two of the four bikes were fitted with the Deep Time Interleaving modules that have been used so successfully on all of the cycling races this year.
With no hitches in the air or on the ground, the headlines were grabbed by Paula Radcliffe who, on her return to competitive racing after two years, was cheered home in second place.
September 2007
For the fourth consecutive year, the BBC used Skylink to relay the live motorbike camera links at the Great North Run.
The only change to the set-up of previous years was that two of the four bikes were fitted with the Deep Time Interleaving modules that have been used so successfully on all of the cycling races this year.
With no hitches in the air or on the ground, the headlines were grabbed by Paula Radcliffe who, on her return to competitive racing after two years, was cheered home in second place.
Tour of Ireland
August 2007
Less than 24 hours after the Vattenfall Cyclassics had finished, the Skylink aircraft and crew were already stationed in Cork ready for the Tour of Ireland.
The five day tour covered 914km starting in Kilkenny and eventually concluding in Dublin and for each kilometre Skylink relayed the live feeds from the three motorbike cameras and the "heli-telly".
On each of the five stages the live pictures were relayed to the finish area directly, eliminating the additional costs of terrestrial or satellite mid-points.
On the fourth stage, the low cloud base restricted the "heli-telly" to just a few hundred feet, but at 25,000ft the Skylink PC-12 followed the race above the clouds delivering robust coverage throughout.
August 2007
Less than 24 hours after the Vattenfall Cyclassics had finished, the Skylink aircraft and crew were already stationed in Cork ready for the Tour of Ireland.
The five day tour covered 914km starting in Kilkenny and eventually concluding in Dublin and for each kilometre Skylink relayed the live feeds from the three motorbike cameras and the "heli-telly".
On each of the five stages the live pictures were relayed to the finish area directly, eliminating the additional costs of terrestrial or satellite mid-points.
On the fourth stage, the low cloud base restricted the "heli-telly" to just a few hundred feet, but at 25,000ft the Skylink PC-12 followed the race above the clouds delivering robust coverage throughout.
Vattenfall Cyclassics, Hamburg
August 2007
It was the first time that Skylink had been hired by DutchView and everything in the air went smoothly, the only crash being down on the ground where the leading group tangled together just 2km from the finish.
Various mechanical and electrical drawings were exchanged with DutchView in the week before the race, and this careful preparation proved worthwhile as the Skylink PC-12 installation, ground tests and flight tests were all completed without a hitch the day before the race.
August 2007
It was the first time that Skylink had been hired by DutchView and everything in the air went smoothly, the only crash being down on the ground where the leading group tangled together just 2km from the finish.
Various mechanical and electrical drawings were exchanged with DutchView in the week before the race, and this careful preparation proved worthwhile as the Skylink PC-12 installation, ground tests and flight tests were all completed without a hitch the day before the race.
Tour of Austria
July 2007
The 8 stages of the 59th Tour of Austria was at its peak on the fourth day, with the riders tackling the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain.
The race does not reach the top of the mountain which is at 3,797 m/12,457 ft. However, even at 2,000m altitude there was plenty of snow and ice for the riders to contend with.
Circling at 26,000ft the Skylink PC-12 was able to relay the live pictures direct to the finish area throughout the bad weather and the high climbs.
July 2007
The 8 stages of the 59th Tour of Austria was at its peak on the fourth day, with the riders tackling the Grossglockner, Austria's highest mountain.
The race does not reach the top of the mountain which is at 3,797 m/12,457 ft. However, even at 2,000m altitude there was plenty of snow and ice for the riders to contend with.
Circling at 26,000ft the Skylink PC-12 was able to relay the live pictures direct to the finish area throughout the bad weather and the high climbs.
Tour de Suisse
June 2007
Stage 6 of the 71st Tour de Suisse will be remembered for an incredible storm that led to the abandonment of the race after just six kilometres.
Huge chunks of hail and ice fell from the skies, breaking team car windshields, bruising riders and even smashing some carbon frames. The riders took cover for a while in a tunnel while emergency discussions about the best course of action were taken by race director Armin Meier and others.
However, throughout these appalling weather conditions, Skylink delivered unbroken live video pictures. The Skylink PC-12 climbed to 28,000ft to clear the storm, and from this high altitude continued to relay live pictures when the race resumed later in the afternoon.
June 2007
Stage 6 of the 71st Tour de Suisse will be remembered for an incredible storm that led to the abandonment of the race after just six kilometres.
Huge chunks of hail and ice fell from the skies, breaking team car windshields, bruising riders and even smashing some carbon frames. The riders took cover for a while in a tunnel while emergency discussions about the best course of action were taken by race director Armin Meier and others.
However, throughout these appalling weather conditions, Skylink delivered unbroken live video pictures. The Skylink PC-12 climbed to 28,000ft to clear the storm, and from this high altitude continued to relay live pictures when the race resumed later in the afternoon.
Tour de Romandie
May 2007
‘The best ever coverage’. High praise for this year's coverage of the Tour de Romandie especially as many of the stages were competed in heavy rain and even fog.
The commendations for Skylink and the overall OB set-up were just reward for extensive winter testing of a new video link set-up designed specifically for cycling, marathons and other outdoor races.
For the first time, new transmitter modules were connected to the ASI output of the existing motorbike uplink transmitters.
These new modules apply a deep time interleaving process to the video transport stream (in addition to standard FEC algorithms). This additional buffering (approx 300msec) delivers unbroken video images even under trees because the buffered video is used during the temporary loss of signal when the transmitter is blocked.
Deep Time Interleaving Modules (14.4 KB)
These ultra robust video links coupled with the all-weather availability and long duration of the Skylink platform create an ultra reliable airborne relay package that is hard to beat.
For more information on the set-up, the Skylink aircraft or the broadcaster comments please email info@skylink.aero.
May 2007
‘The best ever coverage’. High praise for this year's coverage of the Tour de Romandie especially as many of the stages were competed in heavy rain and even fog.
The commendations for Skylink and the overall OB set-up were just reward for extensive winter testing of a new video link set-up designed specifically for cycling, marathons and other outdoor races.
For the first time, new transmitter modules were connected to the ASI output of the existing motorbike uplink transmitters.
These new modules apply a deep time interleaving process to the video transport stream (in addition to standard FEC algorithms). This additional buffering (approx 300msec) delivers unbroken video images even under trees because the buffered video is used during the temporary loss of signal when the transmitter is blocked.
Deep Time Interleaving Modules (14.4 KB)
These ultra robust video links coupled with the all-weather availability and long duration of the Skylink platform create an ultra reliable airborne relay package that is hard to beat.
For more information on the set-up, the Skylink aircraft or the broadcaster comments please email info@skylink.aero.
London Marathon
April 2007
A record 36,396 people started the 2007 Flora London Marathon making it the biggest ever in its 27-year history.
Once again Skylink flew above London relaying the four motorbike video links direct to the final ground receive site.
Martin Lel from Kenya regained the men's title whilst the women's race was won by Chunxiu Zhou.
Zhou became the first Chinese athlete to win the London Marathon and will clearly be one to look out for at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
April 2007
A record 36,396 people started the 2007 Flora London Marathon making it the biggest ever in its 27-year history.
Once again Skylink flew above London relaying the four motorbike video links direct to the final ground receive site.
Martin Lel from Kenya regained the men's title whilst the women's race was won by Chunxiu Zhou.
Zhou became the first Chinese athlete to win the London Marathon and will clearly be one to look out for at the Olympic Games in Beijing.
TGV Breaks Speed Record
April 2007
On the 3rd April 2007 the TGV smashed the world speed record for wheeled trains by reaching 574.8 km/h and Skylink relayed multiple live video feeds from on-board the train throughout the record breaking trip.
Starting at Lorraine, the TGV travelled 150km to Champagne-Ardenne, reaching its maximum speed at a distance of 70km from the start, near the town of Villers-in-Argonne.
Flying at 19,000ft Skylink relayed a total of four RF uplinks to the ground receive site at Champagne-Ardenne: three were transmitted directly from the TGV and a fourth from an airborne camera that filmed the TGV breaking the record.
The Skylink platform, fitted with video link equipment from Visual TV and carrying two of their engineers, was airborne for over 5hrs and delivered robust pictures from the start of the record attempt, through to its successful conclusion.
For further information please visit tdf website.
April 2007
On the 3rd April 2007 the TGV smashed the world speed record for wheeled trains by reaching 574.8 km/h and Skylink relayed multiple live video feeds from on-board the train throughout the record breaking trip.
Starting at Lorraine, the TGV travelled 150km to Champagne-Ardenne, reaching its maximum speed at a distance of 70km from the start, near the town of Villers-in-Argonne.
Flying at 19,000ft Skylink relayed a total of four RF uplinks to the ground receive site at Champagne-Ardenne: three were transmitted directly from the TGV and a fourth from an airborne camera that filmed the TGV breaking the record.
The Skylink platform, fitted with video link equipment from Visual TV and carrying two of their engineers, was airborne for over 5hrs and delivered robust pictures from the start of the record attempt, through to its successful conclusion.
For further information please visit tdf website.
TGV Speed Record
Februrary 2007
The TGV is the world's fastest wheeled train, reaching speeds of over 550km/hr on test runs (only 320km/hr when in commercial use!).
In April the TGV will attempt to break its own speed record, and to add to the challenge, a live broadcast will be attempted from the TGV whilst the record is broken.
To relay live video from a platform travelling significantly faster than any F1 car, over 150km of track, is in itself ground breaking.
Skylink was selected by French production company Auditoire to relay four uninterrupted live video links from the TGV to the Outside Broadcast centre located over 150km from the train's start point.
With just a few days notice the Skylink air management crew worked round the clock to secure the flight permissions from the French military that control the airspace throughout most of the route.
With all of the permissions in place the first test flight was successfully completed on the 28th February 2007.
It was the first time that Visual TV had worked with Skylink but the whole installation was completed in just one day. The next day, the test flight began at 9:45am and the pictures were relayed perfectly from the first switch on, to switch off some 5½ hours later. C The test was a resounding success and the team are looking forward to working together again for the live show in April.
Februrary 2007
The TGV is the world's fastest wheeled train, reaching speeds of over 550km/hr on test runs (only 320km/hr when in commercial use!).
In April the TGV will attempt to break its own speed record, and to add to the challenge, a live broadcast will be attempted from the TGV whilst the record is broken.
To relay live video from a platform travelling significantly faster than any F1 car, over 150km of track, is in itself ground breaking.
Skylink was selected by French production company Auditoire to relay four uninterrupted live video links from the TGV to the Outside Broadcast centre located over 150km from the train's start point.
With just a few days notice the Skylink air management crew worked round the clock to secure the flight permissions from the French military that control the airspace throughout most of the route.
With all of the permissions in place the first test flight was successfully completed on the 28th February 2007.
It was the first time that Visual TV had worked with Skylink but the whole installation was completed in just one day. The next day, the test flight began at 9:45am and the pictures were relayed perfectly from the first switch on, to switch off some 5½ hours later. C The test was a resounding success and the team are looking forward to working together again for the live show in April.
News and Events 2006
Red Bull Air Race – Perth
November 2006
Flying at over 400kph just a few metres above Perth's River Swan, the final leg of the World Series was played out in front of 300,000 spectators. Although the event was won by Peter Besenyei, finishing in third position was enough for American pilot Kirby Chambliss to win the 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series.
Since the opening race in Abu Dhabi in March, over 6 million spectators have watched the Air Race worldwide, and in delivering robust live video feeds from the 2 cockpit cameras fitted to all 11 competitor aircraft, Skylink has been an integral part of delivering the TV coverage that has been broadcast by over 100 TV stations in over 100 countries.
November 2006
Flying at over 400kph just a few metres above Perth's River Swan, the final leg of the World Series was played out in front of 300,000 spectators. Although the event was won by Peter Besenyei, finishing in third position was enough for American pilot Kirby Chambliss to win the 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series.
Since the opening race in Abu Dhabi in March, over 6 million spectators have watched the Air Race worldwide, and in delivering robust live video feeds from the 2 cockpit cameras fitted to all 11 competitor aircraft, Skylink has been an integral part of delivering the TV coverage that has been broadcast by over 100 TV stations in over 100 countries.
Great North Run, England
October 2006
For the third consecutive year, the BBC used Skylink to deliver the live motorbike camera links at the 2006 Great North Run.
The set-up on the bikes and the plane was completed in just a few hours, and with all four links relayed robustly from the start, the flight test lasted less than one hour. This means the BBC were able to concentrate on content issues rather than video relay engineering issues, and offered financial benefits in having the aircraft in the air for such a short time.
Once the elite race had finished, Skylink was asked to acquire and track a low power camera link carried by one of the runners. With no GPS, the helicopters had not been able to locate the runner, but with its auto-tracking antenna, Skylink acquired the signal within a couple of minutes and continued to relay the link despite the transmitter RF power being much less than 1Watt.
October 2006
For the third consecutive year, the BBC used Skylink to deliver the live motorbike camera links at the 2006 Great North Run.
The set-up on the bikes and the plane was completed in just a few hours, and with all four links relayed robustly from the start, the flight test lasted less than one hour. This means the BBC were able to concentrate on content issues rather than video relay engineering issues, and offered financial benefits in having the aircraft in the air for such a short time.
Once the elite race had finished, Skylink was asked to acquire and track a low power camera link carried by one of the runners. With no GPS, the helicopters had not been able to locate the runner, but with its auto-tracking antenna, Skylink acquired the signal within a couple of minutes and continued to relay the link despite the transmitter RF power being much less than 1Watt.
Red Bull Air Race – San Francisco
October 2006
American Kirby Chambliss has won the penultimate leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in San Francisco and remains the odds-on favourite to become this year's world champion. Under clear blue skies, and in front of 400,000 spectators, the Arizona native maintained his excellent qualifying performance winning in a total time of 02:39.83.
October 2006
American Kirby Chambliss has won the penultimate leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series in San Francisco and remains the odds-on favourite to become this year's world champion. Under clear blue skies, and in front of 400,000 spectators, the Arizona native maintained his excellent qualifying performance winning in a total time of 02:39.83.
UCI World Championships, Salzburg
September 2006
6 links and 2 World Champions was the story of this year's UCI World Road Race Championships in Salzburg.
On the ground Dutch teenager Marianne Vos won the women's road title easing passed German Trixi Worrack and Briton Nicole Cooke during a bunch finish. The men's title was settled just 50m from the finish line with Olympic champion Paolo Bettini snatching victory from the wheels of Italian Erik Zabel.
In the air, the Skylink aircraft relayed 6 video links throughout the championships: 4x moto and 2x hele. All the links were relayed to the finish area so no satellite mid-point hops were required. Relaying the Wescam pictures via the Skylink aircraft enabled the helicopters to roam more freely around the course, getting closer to the action or providing the spectacular beauty shots.
September 2006
6 links and 2 World Champions was the story of this year's UCI World Road Race Championships in Salzburg.
On the ground Dutch teenager Marianne Vos won the women's road title easing passed German Trixi Worrack and Briton Nicole Cooke during a bunch finish. The men's title was settled just 50m from the finish line with Olympic champion Paolo Bettini snatching victory from the wheels of Italian Erik Zabel.
In the air, the Skylink aircraft relayed 6 video links throughout the championships: 4x moto and 2x hele. All the links were relayed to the finish area so no satellite mid-point hops were required. Relaying the Wescam pictures via the Skylink aircraft enabled the helicopters to roam more freely around the course, getting closer to the action or providing the spectacular beauty shots.
Lausanne Triathlon
September 2006
In Lausanne Switzerland, Aussie Emma Snowsill made triathlon history by becoming the first woman to win three world championship titles.
In a blistering time of 2:04:03 on a very tough course, Snowsill managed to triumph over her closest rival Vanessa Fernandes from Portugal by a staggering 45 seconds.
The elite men's race was won by Brit Tim Don in a time of 1:51:32.
September 2006
In Lausanne Switzerland, Aussie Emma Snowsill made triathlon history by becoming the first woman to win three world championship titles.
In a blistering time of 2:04:03 on a very tough course, Snowsill managed to triumph over her closest rival Vanessa Fernandes from Portugal by a staggering 45 seconds.
The elite men's race was won by Brit Tim Don in a time of 1:51:32.
Red Bull Air Race – Budapest
August 2006
Over one million spectators packed the banks of the River Danube to watch the latest round of the World Series.
It was a good day for the Brits with Steve Jones taking first place, and fellow Brit Paul Bonhomme less than one second behind in second place. There was disappointment for local favourite Peter Besenyei who hit an Air Gate in the opening round and in manoeuvring the plane to dislodge a section of material caught in his wing, he was forced to deviate from the course and was subsequently disqualified.
August 2006
Over one million spectators packed the banks of the River Danube to watch the latest round of the World Series.
It was a good day for the Brits with Steve Jones taking first place, and fellow Brit Paul Bonhomme less than one second behind in second place. There was disappointment for local favourite Peter Besenyei who hit an Air Gate in the opening round and in manoeuvring the plane to dislodge a section of material caught in his wing, he was forced to deviate from the course and was subsequently disqualified.
Hainleite
August 2006
Jens Voigt and Skylink continued down similar paths as both repeated their performance at the Deutschland Tour that was completed just 48 hours earlier.
German Jens Voigt won the event in a time of 4:22:27.
Both Voigt and Skylink will hope to continue their successes at the UCI World Championships in Salzburg next month.
August 2006
Jens Voigt and Skylink continued down similar paths as both repeated their performance at the Deutschland Tour that was completed just 48 hours earlier.
German Jens Voigt won the event in a time of 4:22:27.
Both Voigt and Skylink will hope to continue their successes at the UCI World Championships in Salzburg next month.
Deutschland Tour
August 2006
Nearly 5 million spectators enjoyed the 2006 Deutschland Tour.
Re-launched in 1999, it is the only German stage race on the UCI ProTour calendar and provides the riders with the perfect opportunity to take their revenge after the Tour de France.
Local hero Jens Voigt took advantage of the local support securing the event after winning 3 of the 9 day stages.
August 2006
Nearly 5 million spectators enjoyed the 2006 Deutschland Tour.
Re-launched in 1999, it is the only German stage race on the UCI ProTour calendar and provides the riders with the perfect opportunity to take their revenge after the Tour de France.
Local hero Jens Voigt took advantage of the local support securing the event after winning 3 of the 9 day stages.
Red Bull Air Race World Series – Istanbul
July 2006
1.5 million spectators turned out to watch Kirby Chambliss win the fifth leg of the 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series. Staged in the European/Asian metropole of Istanbul the American pilot confirmed his place as series favourite by winning for the third time this season.
For the first time in this series the pilots were ask to negotiate chicanes as well as the usual 'air gates' and as usual Skylink was there to capture all the action.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
July 2006
1.5 million spectators turned out to watch Kirby Chambliss win the fifth leg of the 2006 Red Bull Air Race World Series. Staged in the European/Asian metropole of Istanbul the American pilot confirmed his place as series favourite by winning for the third time this season.
For the first time in this series the pilots were ask to negotiate chicanes as well as the usual 'air gates' and as usual Skylink was there to capture all the action.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
Tour of Austria
July 2006
28 year old Tom Danielson became the first American to win the Austria Tour, wearing the yellow jersey for several days during the earlier stages of the race.
Later this year Austria will host the 2006 UCI World Championships and it was important that the quality of the Austria Tour broadcast was high and provided the UCI members visiting the event with confidence. Fortunately everything worked fine, and Skylink delivered robust live pictures on each of the live transmission days.
July 2006
28 year old Tom Danielson became the first American to win the Austria Tour, wearing the yellow jersey for several days during the earlier stages of the race.
Later this year Austria will host the 2006 UCI World Championships and it was important that the quality of the Austria Tour broadcast was high and provided the UCI members visiting the event with confidence. Fortunately everything worked fine, and Skylink delivered robust live pictures on each of the live transmission days.
Tour de Suisse
June 2006
The weather continued to play its part in the 70th Tour de Suisse, with the final sections of most stages being hit with fierce thunder storms. When they arrived, the thunder clouds formed at altitudes in excess of the PC-12's maximum flying altitude of 30,000ft. The Skylink crew had no alternative but to fly through the clouds experiencing severe icing and turbulence, but all the systems continued to operate and live pictures were provided throughout all nine stages. Battling against the slippery cobbles in Bern, the race was won by Jan Ullrich.
June 2006
The weather continued to play its part in the 70th Tour de Suisse, with the final sections of most stages being hit with fierce thunder storms. When they arrived, the thunder clouds formed at altitudes in excess of the PC-12's maximum flying altitude of 30,000ft. The Skylink crew had no alternative but to fly through the clouds experiencing severe icing and turbulence, but all the systems continued to operate and live pictures were provided throughout all nine stages. Battling against the slippery cobbles in Bern, the race was won by Jan Ullrich.
Red Bull Air Race World Series – Berlin
May 2006
The third leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series took part at Berlin's historic Tempelhof Airport. Over 600,000 spectators watched American Kirby Chambliss win with a total time of 02:53.70. There was also great support for local boy Klaus Schrodt who managed a fourth place spot. The growing interest in the Red Bull competition was underlined with twice the anticipated number of spectators turning out fot the event.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
May 2006
The third leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series took part at Berlin's historic Tempelhof Airport. Over 600,000 spectators watched American Kirby Chambliss win with a total time of 02:53.70. There was also great support for local boy Klaus Schrodt who managed a fourth place spot. The growing interest in the Red Bull competition was underlined with twice the anticipated number of spectators turning out fot the event.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
Red Bull Air Race World Series – Barcelona
May 2006
Pilots raced at speeds of over 400kph to thrill the crowds on Barcelona's Bogatell Beach. In fact over 1 million spectators turned out to to see Peter Besenyei beat ten other world class pilots in the second leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
May 2006
Pilots raced at speeds of over 400kph to thrill the crowds on Barcelona's Bogatell Beach. In fact over 1 million spectators turned out to to see Peter Besenyei beat ten other world class pilots in the second leg of the Red Bull Air Race World Series.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
Tour de Romandie
April 2006
It was the 60th Tour de Romandie and the 4th consecutive year that Skylink was hired by TPC to deliver the live mobile pictures for all five stages of the race. On board the PC-12 the 60th tour was very much like the 59th with the mountainous terrain causing strong winds up to 100Knots. To minimise the turbulence for the crew and on-board operator, the PC-12 often climbed to 28,000ft whilst continuing to relay the uplinks to the finish area directly. The race itself was as unpredictable as the weather, with Australian Cadel Evans clinching an unlikely victory at the end of the final stage.
April 2006
It was the 60th Tour de Romandie and the 4th consecutive year that Skylink was hired by TPC to deliver the live mobile pictures for all five stages of the race. On board the PC-12 the 60th tour was very much like the 59th with the mountainous terrain causing strong winds up to 100Knots. To minimise the turbulence for the crew and on-board operator, the PC-12 often climbed to 28,000ft whilst continuing to relay the uplinks to the finish area directly. The race itself was as unpredictable as the weather, with Australian Cadel Evans clinching an unlikely victory at the end of the final stage.
London Marathon
April 2006
The BBC once again chose Skylink to provide video relay coverage of the Flora London Marathon. The ability of Skylink to ‘deliver all of the pictures all of the time’ is of growing importance to the BBC as it enanbles them to deliver content to their interactive service. In the case of the London Marathon this gave the viewers the freedom to select which race they wanted to follow.
After what was described as a ‘flawless’ operation, the PC-12 was de-rigged and returned to Zurich in time to cover the Tour de Romandie.
Download 2006 London marathon case study (116 KB)
April 2006
The BBC once again chose Skylink to provide video relay coverage of the Flora London Marathon. The ability of Skylink to ‘deliver all of the pictures all of the time’ is of growing importance to the BBC as it enanbles them to deliver content to their interactive service. In the case of the London Marathon this gave the viewers the freedom to select which race they wanted to follow.
After what was described as a ‘flawless’ operation, the PC-12 was de-rigged and returned to Zurich in time to cover the Tour de Romandie.
Download 2006 London marathon case study (116 KB)
Red Bull Air Race World Series – Abu Dhabi
April 2006
The Red Bull Air Race World Series took off at the famous ’Corniche‘ stretch in Abu Dhabi. 300,000 spectators, the biggest ever crowd for an outside sport event held in the Middle East, watched as American Kirby Chambliss beat 10 other world class pilots to win the first competition of the season.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
April 2006
The Red Bull Air Race World Series took off at the famous ’Corniche‘ stretch in Abu Dhabi. 300,000 spectators, the biggest ever crowd for an outside sport event held in the Middle East, watched as American Kirby Chambliss beat 10 other world class pilots to win the first competition of the season.
Check out the latest from the Red Bull Air race World Series.
News and Events 2005
Lausanne Marathon
October 2005
The heavy rain that has graced so many races in 2005 continued into October, soaking the record number of people competing in this year's Lausanne Marathon. Flying above the clouds, the Skylink PC-12 used a pre-defined set of weigh points to stay on course and operated perfectly throughout the race.
October 2005
The heavy rain that has graced so many races in 2005 continued into October, soaking the record number of people competing in this year's Lausanne Marathon. Flying above the clouds, the Skylink PC-12 used a pre-defined set of weigh points to stay on course and operated perfectly throughout the race.
Red Bull Air Race World Series
October 2005
American Mike Mangold secured the inaugural Red Bull Air Race World Championship title on Saturday 8th October when he won a thrilling San Francisco Air Race for his fifth victory of the season. In front of several hundred thousand fans and against a backdrop of Alcatraz Island, pre-race favourite Mangold finished just 2.71 seconds ahead of compatriot Kirby Chambliss.
The Air Race World Series is set to continue its growth next year, with 10 events already announced for the 2006 season.
October 2005
American Mike Mangold secured the inaugural Red Bull Air Race World Championship title on Saturday 8th October when he won a thrilling San Francisco Air Race for his fifth victory of the season. In front of several hundred thousand fans and against a backdrop of Alcatraz Island, pre-race favourite Mangold finished just 2.71 seconds ahead of compatriot Kirby Chambliss.
The Air Race World Series is set to continue its growth next year, with 10 events already announced for the 2006 season.
Zurich Metzgete
October 2005
The 92nd Zurich Metzgete was won by the current Olympic champion, Italy's Paolo Bettini. The cold temperatures and constant rain made this year's 6 hour race an even bigger challenge than previous years, and only 49 of the 165 starters were able to finish. Fortunately, the Skylink PC-12 was able to stay the course and covered the whole event without refuelling.
October 2005
The 92nd Zurich Metzgete was won by the current Olympic champion, Italy's Paolo Bettini. The cold temperatures and constant rain made this year's 6 hour race an even bigger challenge than previous years, and only 49 of the 165 starters were able to finish. Fortunately, the Skylink PC-12 was able to stay the course and covered the whole event without refuelling.
Great North Run, Newcastle
September 2005
Using the same set-up as used on the London Marathon earlier in the year, Skylink was hired by the BBC to relay all four of the motorbike cameras at the Great North Run half-marathon. The race was won by Zersenay Tadesse in a world's best time of 59 minutes and 5 seconds. Another world's best was set by Skylink, relaying all four digital video links at 9Mbps. This higher data rate produced excellent picture quality without compromising link robustness.
September 2005
Using the same set-up as used on the London Marathon earlier in the year, Skylink was hired by the BBC to relay all four of the motorbike cameras at the Great North Run half-marathon. The race was won by Zersenay Tadesse in a world's best time of 59 minutes and 5 seconds. Another world's best was set by Skylink, relaying all four digital video links at 9Mbps. This higher data rate produced excellent picture quality without compromising link robustness.
IBC 2005: Skylink Scoops ‘STAR’ Award From TV Technology Europe
September 2005
Skylink enjoyed another successful year at IBC, with many visitors from broadcasters who had endured poor live coverage of their events as a result of the bad weather experienced by much of Europe throughout the summer. Slowly the industry is realising the true benefits of having an all weather platform that can guarantee delivering the live links, whatever the weather.
The editors from TV Technology Europe were quick to appreciate the benefits of such a system, and Skylink was delighted to receive one of their ‘STAR’ awards. The ‘STAR’ Award (Superior Technology Award Recipient) is designed to celebrate and showcase the pre-eminent technological innovations available to the broadcast industry. TV Technology Europe's editor reviewed a variety of products from the 1000+ stands at the exhibition, selecting just 15 winners based on their technology and contribution to the industry.
On receiving the award, Stephen Watson , one of the design engineers behind the Skylink technology commented, "It is extremely satisfying for Skylink to be recognised in this way, and is a reflection of the technical ability and commitment of all the engineers and aircrew that have made Skylink such a success since our launch at IBC just two years ago".
September 2005
Skylink enjoyed another successful year at IBC, with many visitors from broadcasters who had endured poor live coverage of their events as a result of the bad weather experienced by much of Europe throughout the summer. Slowly the industry is realising the true benefits of having an all weather platform that can guarantee delivering the live links, whatever the weather.
The editors from TV Technology Europe were quick to appreciate the benefits of such a system, and Skylink was delighted to receive one of their ‘STAR’ awards. The ‘STAR’ Award (Superior Technology Award Recipient) is designed to celebrate and showcase the pre-eminent technological innovations available to the broadcast industry. TV Technology Europe's editor reviewed a variety of products from the 1000+ stands at the exhibition, selecting just 15 winners based on their technology and contribution to the industry.
On receiving the award, Stephen Watson , one of the design engineers behind the Skylink technology commented, "It is extremely satisfying for Skylink to be recognised in this way, and is a reflection of the technical ability and commitment of all the engineers and aircrew that have made Skylink such a success since our launch at IBC just two years ago".
Red Bull Air Race World Series
August 2005
An amazing 1.2 million people turned out on the banks of the river Danube to watch the Budapest leg of the Air Race World Series. Packed in front of Hungary's parliament building, most had turned out on their national holiday to support their local hero Peter Besenyei. However it was American Mike Mangold that dominated the event to claim his third win of the 2005 World Series.
August 2005
An amazing 1.2 million people turned out on the banks of the river Danube to watch the Budapest leg of the Air Race World Series. Packed in front of Hungary's parliament building, most had turned out on their national holiday to support their local hero Peter Besenyei. However it was American Mike Mangold that dominated the event to claim his third win of the 2005 World Series.
Deutschland Tour
August 2005
This year's Deutschland Tour did not escape the heavy rains and storms that caused severe flooding throughout central Europe. The weather was so bad that on 5 of the 9 days, it would not have been possible to fly relay helicopters. However, the race was broadcast live on all 9 days as a direct result of Skylink's all weather capability. From the first stage in Altenburg to the ninth and final stage in Bonn, Skylink relayed all 5 uplinks robustly and reliably, enforcing its position as the only genuine all-weather airborne video relay service in the World.
August 2005
This year's Deutschland Tour did not escape the heavy rains and storms that caused severe flooding throughout central Europe. The weather was so bad that on 5 of the 9 days, it would not have been possible to fly relay helicopters. However, the race was broadcast live on all 9 days as a direct result of Skylink's all weather capability. From the first stage in Altenburg to the ninth and final stage in Bonn, Skylink relayed all 5 uplinks robustly and reliably, enforcing its position as the only genuine all-weather airborne video relay service in the World.
TEAG Hainleite
August 2005
The 80th edition of the one-day classic ‘Rund um die Hainleite’ was won by Bert Grabsch, but not before the main field had been delayed by 23 minutes after being held up at a railway crossing. This caused the race to be spread over a large area, with the motorbike cameras separated by many kilometres. However, at 25,000ft the Skylink PC-12 was able to maintain a central position and relay the uplinks from the peloton as well as the lead group throughout the race.
August 2005
The 80th edition of the one-day classic ‘Rund um die Hainleite’ was won by Bert Grabsch, but not before the main field had been delayed by 23 minutes after being held up at a railway crossing. This caused the race to be spread over a large area, with the motorbike cameras separated by many kilometres. However, at 25,000ft the Skylink PC-12 was able to maintain a central position and relay the uplinks from the peloton as well as the lead group throughout the race.
Red Bull Air Race World Series
August 2005
60,000 spectators crammed into the stunning Longleat Estate to watch the fifth leg of the Air Race World Series. The local support spurred British pilot Steve Jones into a near-perfect first run that left him in second place going into the second and final round. However, the 747 captain had to settle for sixth spot with American Mike Mangold returning to winning ways following his unexpected fifth placing in Ireland last month.
August 2005
60,000 spectators crammed into the stunning Longleat Estate to watch the fifth leg of the Air Race World Series. The local support spurred British pilot Steve Jones into a near-perfect first run that left him in second place going into the second and final round. However, the 747 captain had to settle for sixth spot with American Mike Mangold returning to winning ways following his unexpected fifth placing in Ireland last month.
Red Bull Air Race World Series
July 2005
The fourth stop of the Air Race World Series was at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, Ireland. Heavy downpours and strong winds failed to dampen the spirits of the 65,000 spectators, and when the weather did (briefly) improve, the pilots were able to get airborne and entertain the crowd with spectacular aerobatics and manoeuvres. It was Hungarian ace Peter Besenyei that coped best with the difficult winds to win his second race of the 2005 World Series.
July 2005
The fourth stop of the Air Race World Series was at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, Ireland. Heavy downpours and strong winds failed to dampen the spirits of the 65,000 spectators, and when the weather did (briefly) improve, the pilots were able to get airborne and entertain the crowd with spectacular aerobatics and manoeuvres. It was Hungarian ace Peter Besenyei that coped best with the difficult winds to win his second race of the 2005 World Series.
Tour of Austria
July 2005
Although the sun shone brightly for most of the race stages, heavy snow fell on the second day leaving the race organisers no choice but to stop the race early. However, despite the bad weather the Skylink PC-12 remained airborne for the whole race relaying the uplinks to a ground receive site some 70km away. This unique all weather capability enabled the broadcaster, ORF, to show the race live without break-up or interruption. This level of link robustness and reliability is just not available with any other airborne relay system.
Download 2005 Austrian Tour case study (73 KB)
July 2005
Although the sun shone brightly for most of the race stages, heavy snow fell on the second day leaving the race organisers no choice but to stop the race early. However, despite the bad weather the Skylink PC-12 remained airborne for the whole race relaying the uplinks to a ground receive site some 70km away. This unique all weather capability enabled the broadcaster, ORF, to show the race live without break-up or interruption. This level of link robustness and reliability is just not available with any other airborne relay system.
Download 2005 Austrian Tour case study (73 KB)
Red Bull Air Race World Series
June 2005
Just two weeks after competing in Rotterdam, the Red Bull Air Race World Series continued with the race taking place at Zeltweg in the heart of Austria. The 140,000 spectators that braved the thunderstorms were not disappointed as they watched the race-favourite Mike Mangold storm to victory, and claim his second race win of the series. Once again the on-board images provided by Skylink were reliably received on the ground and were broadcast around the globe.
June 2005
Just two weeks after competing in Rotterdam, the Red Bull Air Race World Series continued with the race taking place at Zeltweg in the heart of Austria. The 140,000 spectators that braved the thunderstorms were not disappointed as they watched the race-favourite Mike Mangold storm to victory, and claim his second race win of the series. Once again the on-board images provided by Skylink were reliably received on the ground and were broadcast around the globe.
Tour de Suisse
June 2005
"The quality of the Tour de Suisse transmission has again been improved". Positive feedback from the race's producer Sergio Gerosa following Skylink's performance during the 9 stage cycle race, which was won by Aitor Gonzalez from Spain.
This was the third consecutive year that Skylink has relayed the live video links for this prestigious event and each year, more links are relayed by the Skylink aircraft. For this 69th Tour de Suisse, the PC-12 relayed images not only from the motorbike cameras, but also the helecams allowing them to fly at low altitudes capturing the best possible images of the race, spectators and spectacular scenery.
June 2005
"The quality of the Tour de Suisse transmission has again been improved". Positive feedback from the race's producer Sergio Gerosa following Skylink's performance during the 9 stage cycle race, which was won by Aitor Gonzalez from Spain.
This was the third consecutive year that Skylink has relayed the live video links for this prestigious event and each year, more links are relayed by the Skylink aircraft. For this 69th Tour de Suisse, the PC-12 relayed images not only from the motorbike cameras, but also the helecams allowing them to fly at low altitudes capturing the best possible images of the race, spectators and spectacular scenery.
Red Bull Air Race World Series
June 2005
On June 12th the second race in the Red Bull Air Race World Series took place in the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 300,000 spectators were expected - over 700,000 people actually turned up to watch the spectacle. As before in Abu Dhabi, Skylink were responsible for all of the on-board cameras that went on to make up over 50% of the broadcast footage. The co-ordination of the air-space prior to and during the race went without a hitch - except for Kirby Chambliss who touched a gate, incurring a 3-second penalty. It was Kirby's compatriot Mike Mangold who had clean runs and went on to win and collect 10 points.
June 2005
On June 12th the second race in the Red Bull Air Race World Series took place in the port of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 300,000 spectators were expected - over 700,000 people actually turned up to watch the spectacle. As before in Abu Dhabi, Skylink were responsible for all of the on-board cameras that went on to make up over 50% of the broadcast footage. The co-ordination of the air-space prior to and during the race went without a hitch - except for Kirby Chambliss who touched a gate, incurring a 3-second penalty. It was Kirby's compatriot Mike Mangold who had clean runs and went on to win and collect 10 points.
Tour de Romandie
April 2005
The pack of riders emerges from a tunnel in the hilly Des Sagnettes region in western Switzerland during the second stage of the Tour de Romandie ProTour cycling race, to and from Fleurier. There was a real mix of weather during the race, with the Skylink PC-12 at times exposed to wind speeds up to 100 Knots. This made life a little uncomfortable for the airborne operator, but the experienced pilots were able to keep on course and relay all 5 video links reliably to the ground receive site. Skylink enabled savings to be made in the event's production costs as the pictures could be relayed to the finish area without the need for satellite mid-point links.
April 2005
The pack of riders emerges from a tunnel in the hilly Des Sagnettes region in western Switzerland during the second stage of the Tour de Romandie ProTour cycling race, to and from Fleurier. There was a real mix of weather during the race, with the Skylink PC-12 at times exposed to wind speeds up to 100 Knots. This made life a little uncomfortable for the airborne operator, but the experienced pilots were able to keep on course and relay all 5 video links reliably to the ground receive site. Skylink enabled savings to be made in the event's production costs as the pictures could be relayed to the finish area without the need for satellite mid-point links.
London Marathon
April 2005
"The best live coverage ever!". High acclaim for the BBC's coverage of the 25th London Marathon. Following on from last year's two uplink test, Skylink relayed all four motorbike uplinks via the one aircraft flying at 20,000ft above the city. Without the need to refuel, all four motorbike feeds could be offered without interruption to the viewers at home via the BBC's interactive service. The four motorbikes had the freedom to go anywhere along the course, but with 2-input diversity on the aircraft the pictures were robust even in the most built up areas.
April 2005
"The best live coverage ever!". High acclaim for the BBC's coverage of the 25th London Marathon. Following on from last year's two uplink test, Skylink relayed all four motorbike uplinks via the one aircraft flying at 20,000ft above the city. Without the need to refuel, all four motorbike feeds could be offered without interruption to the viewers at home via the BBC's interactive service. The four motorbikes had the freedom to go anywhere along the course, but with 2-input diversity on the aircraft the pictures were robust even in the most built up areas.
Red Bull Air Race World Series
April 2005
On April 8th the most spectacular aerial motor sports racing series in the world took off in Abu Dhabi. Nine of the world's best in air show acrobatics contested in the race, with two times world champion, Peter Besenyei from Hungary, emerging as the winner and Steve Jones from the UK in second place.
During the winter, Skylink engineers had developed a compact, light weight on-board camera system for each of the aerobatic planes. Specially designed antennas were used that allow the live pictures to be received directly on the ground or relayed via the PC-12. The camera systems were installed and tested in March. These tests were a total success with solid pictures received without break-up irrespective of the speed, G-force or orientation of the aerobatic plane.
Skylink will continue to co-ordinate the air-space and manage the on-board camera systems for Red Bull for the rest of the seven event series.
April 2005
On April 8th the most spectacular aerial motor sports racing series in the world took off in Abu Dhabi. Nine of the world's best in air show acrobatics contested in the race, with two times world champion, Peter Besenyei from Hungary, emerging as the winner and Steve Jones from the UK in second place.
During the winter, Skylink engineers had developed a compact, light weight on-board camera system for each of the aerobatic planes. Specially designed antennas were used that allow the live pictures to be received directly on the ground or relayed via the PC-12. The camera systems were installed and tested in March. These tests were a total success with solid pictures received without break-up irrespective of the speed, G-force or orientation of the aerobatic plane.
Skylink will continue to co-ordinate the air-space and manage the on-board camera systems for Red Bull for the rest of the seven event series.
Lauberhorn Downhill in Wengen, Switzerland
January 2005
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the longest downhill ski race on the World Cup tour, SF DRS broadcast a live 12 hour ‘SF Special’ from Wengen. The long flight endurance of the PC-12 enabled Skylink to relay live pictures throughout the day with just a single 35 minute break required for refuelling. Uplinks from a skidoo, a ski train, a helicopter and a handheld were relayed directly by the PC-12, with the resulting program giving a unique insight into the television production of live ski racing.
January 2005
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the longest downhill ski race on the World Cup tour, SF DRS broadcast a live 12 hour ‘SF Special’ from Wengen. The long flight endurance of the PC-12 enabled Skylink to relay live pictures throughout the day with just a single 35 minute break required for refuelling. Uplinks from a skidoo, a ski train, a helicopter and a handheld were relayed directly by the PC-12, with the resulting program giving a unique insight into the television production of live ski racing.
News and Events 2004
Red Bull Air Race Series
December 2004
Following the successful coverage of the Budapest Red Bull Air Race in August, Skylink has been awarded a two year contract to co-ordinate and deliver live coverage of all the Air Races in 2005 and 2006.
December 2004
Following the successful coverage of the Budapest Red Bull Air Race in August, Skylink has been awarded a two year contract to co-ordinate and deliver live coverage of all the Air Races in 2005 and 2006.
Red Bull Giants Of Rio, Brazil
December 2004
Skylink achieved another world's first in South America by relaying eight video links and sixteen UHF communications links via one PC-12 aircraft. A variety of boat, handheld, helicopter, mini-mast and motorcycle camera links were deployed to cover the 4km swim, 40km mountain bike, hangliding and 20km run. Over 80 teams and 35 nations competed, with the Skylink crew watching from 25,000ft as the winning Australian athlete clinched a dramatic victory on Copacabana beach.
December 2004
Skylink achieved another world's first in South America by relaying eight video links and sixteen UHF communications links via one PC-12 aircraft. A variety of boat, handheld, helicopter, mini-mast and motorcycle camera links were deployed to cover the 4km swim, 40km mountain bike, hangliding and 20km run. Over 80 teams and 35 nations competed, with the Skylink crew watching from 25,000ft as the winning Australian athlete clinched a dramatic victory on Copacabana beach.
Great North Run, Newcastle
September 2004
Following its success at the London Marathon earlier in the year, Skylink was hired by the BBC to relay all four of the motorbike cameras at the Great North Run half-marathon. The video links were all digital, with the plane equipped with four diversity video link receivers - a mixture of switched packet and MRC. The PC-12 platform relayed all the uplinks robustly with minimal break-up, even across the Tyne Bridge.
September 2004
Following its success at the London Marathon earlier in the year, Skylink was hired by the BBC to relay all four of the motorbike cameras at the Great North Run half-marathon. The video links were all digital, with the plane equipped with four diversity video link receivers - a mixture of switched packet and MRC. The PC-12 platform relayed all the uplinks robustly with minimal break-up, even across the Tyne Bridge.
Happy Birthday
September 2004
Skylink celebrated its first birthday at this year's IBC Exhibition. The past 12 months have seen Skylink relay video links for a whole host of events ranging from motorsport to marathons, rowing to cycling championships. Skylink's profile and reputation for a high quality service is rapidly growing both in Europe and beyond with the stand receiving visitors from Morocco, Moscow and Brazil all wanting to know more about this unique product.
September 2004
Skylink celebrated its first birthday at this year's IBC Exhibition. The past 12 months have seen Skylink relay video links for a whole host of events ranging from motorsport to marathons, rowing to cycling championships. Skylink's profile and reputation for a high quality service is rapidly growing both in Europe and beyond with the stand receiving visitors from Morocco, Moscow and Brazil all wanting to know more about this unique product.
Championship of Zurich
August 2004
Following the successful coverage of last year's event, Skylink was again hired to relay the motorbike and helicopter camera links. The PC-12 flew from Budapest to Zurich for the test day without needing any set-up changes even though the uplinks switched from digital to analogue. Everything worked perfectly, with the only surprise of the day being Juan Antonio Flecha's unexpected victory, winning a 30-rider bunch sprint ahead of favourite Paolo Bettini.
August 2004
Following the successful coverage of last year's event, Skylink was again hired to relay the motorbike and helicopter camera links. The PC-12 flew from Budapest to Zurich for the test day without needing any set-up changes even though the uplinks switched from digital to analogue. Everything worked perfectly, with the only surprise of the day being Juan Antonio Flecha's unexpected victory, winning a 30-rider bunch sprint ahead of favourite Paolo Bettini.
Red Bull Air Race, Budapest
August 2004
Eight sporty aircraft zooming over and under downtown Budapest at speeds of up to 250mph drew hundreds of thousands of spectators. Flying a track above the Danube River, the racers were required to fly between inflated pylons, underneath a bridge (twice!) plus execute half and full rolls, and knife-edged and vertical flight. Skylink was hired by Red Bull to install cameras and digital uplinks onto each of the eight planes all of which were relayed via a single PC-12 together with a helecam. For the final races, these relayed video feeds made up 65% of the total coverage with the pictures broadcast live on TV and the internet.
August 2004
Eight sporty aircraft zooming over and under downtown Budapest at speeds of up to 250mph drew hundreds of thousands of spectators. Flying a track above the Danube River, the racers were required to fly between inflated pylons, underneath a bridge (twice!) plus execute half and full rolls, and knife-edged and vertical flight. Skylink was hired by Red Bull to install cameras and digital uplinks onto each of the eight planes all of which were relayed via a single PC-12 together with a helecam. For the final races, these relayed video feeds made up 65% of the total coverage with the pictures broadcast live on TV and the internet.
Life Time Fitness Triathlon, Minneapolis
July 2004
Within three months of its US launch at NAB, Skylink was covering its first US event. The Life Time Fitness Triathlon has the world's largest winners prize, and this year the $250,000 cheque was won by Australia's Loretta Harrop. An impromptu visit by US Vice President Dick Cheney triggered a series of phone calls between NBC Sports and the White House, but with air clearance sorted, Skylink delivered live video from the two motorbike cameras throughout the 40km bike ride and 10km run.
July 2004
Within three months of its US launch at NAB, Skylink was covering its first US event. The Life Time Fitness Triathlon has the world's largest winners prize, and this year the $250,000 cheque was won by Australia's Loretta Harrop. An impromptu visit by US Vice President Dick Cheney triggered a series of phone calls between NBC Sports and the White House, but with air clearance sorted, Skylink delivered live video from the two motorbike cameras throughout the 40km bike ride and 10km run.
German Cycling Championship
June 2004
Over 100,000 spectators gathered for this year's German Cycling Championship held at Freiburg. Skylink was hired as the sole relay platform as a direct result of its performance at the Deutschland Tour a few weeks earlier. The live broadcast was a resounding success - a story repeated by the T-mobile team that dominated the race. Team leader Jan Ullrich is pictured opposite.
June 2004
Over 100,000 spectators gathered for this year's German Cycling Championship held at Freiburg. Skylink was hired as the sole relay platform as a direct result of its performance at the Deutschland Tour a few weeks earlier. The live broadcast was a resounding success - a story repeated by the T-mobile team that dominated the race. Team leader Jan Ullrich is pictured opposite.
Tour de Suisse
June 2004
Following our success at last year's event, Skylink was again selected by the Swiss broadcaster to provide the motorbike and helicopter camera pictures for Tour de Suisse 2004. The organisers were left congratulating themselves on their choice as once again Skylink demonstrated its reliability and robustness against bad weather. The worst storm arrived in the middle of the live broadcast on the final Saturday grounding even the helecam helicopter. Despite having to divert 10km away from the uplinks, Skylink successfully delivered the pictures enabling the live broadcast to continue.
June 2004
Following our success at last year's event, Skylink was again selected by the Swiss broadcaster to provide the motorbike and helicopter camera pictures for Tour de Suisse 2004. The organisers were left congratulating themselves on their choice as once again Skylink demonstrated its reliability and robustness against bad weather. The worst storm arrived in the middle of the live broadcast on the final Saturday grounding even the helecam helicopter. Despite having to divert 10km away from the uplinks, Skylink successfully delivered the pictures enabling the live broadcast to continue.
Deutschland Tour
June 2004
"Never before has the program quality of the Deutschland Tour been so good". High praise indeed from the director of ARD, comments that were echoed by the German Sports Federation who compared the standard of production to that of the Tour de France. At the heart of the broadcast was Skylink, delivering perfect pictures on each of the seven race days. Again the benefit of the all-weather platform was highlighted when on two separate days helicopters could fly but the low cloud base prevented them from gaining enough altitude to achieve their downlink transmission. On both of these occasions all live feeds were relayed by Skylink.
June 2004
"Never before has the program quality of the Deutschland Tour been so good". High praise indeed from the director of ARD, comments that were echoed by the German Sports Federation who compared the standard of production to that of the Tour de France. At the heart of the broadcast was Skylink, delivering perfect pictures on each of the seven race days. Again the benefit of the all-weather platform was highlighted when on two separate days helicopters could fly but the low cloud base prevented them from gaining enough altitude to achieve their downlink transmission. On both of these occasions all live feeds were relayed by Skylink.
Tour De Romandie
April 2004
The European cycling season kicked off in fine style at the Tour de Romandie. While the gruelling, mountainous course through Switzerland pushed the elite cyclists to their limits, Skylink proved, once again, that this geographical challenge could be easily overcome. Relaying three video links from the helicopter and motorbike cameras over 6 days, Skylink was able to cope with all the demands of the live production. When the start of one day's live coverage was brought forward at short notice, whilst the dedicated relay helicopters had yet to take off, Skylink was already on station to provide the pictures for the broadcaster.
April 2004
The European cycling season kicked off in fine style at the Tour de Romandie. While the gruelling, mountainous course through Switzerland pushed the elite cyclists to their limits, Skylink proved, once again, that this geographical challenge could be easily overcome. Relaying three video links from the helicopter and motorbike cameras over 6 days, Skylink was able to cope with all the demands of the live production. When the start of one day's live coverage was brought forward at short notice, whilst the dedicated relay helicopters had yet to take off, Skylink was already on station to provide the pictures for the broadcaster.
NAB Exhibition, Las Vegas
April 2004
"Truly inspirational". Just one of the many positive comments received during Skylink's US launch at NAB. Displaying a video clip from the London Marathon captured just 24 hours previous, the Skylink stand drew interest from a wide variety of companies, from storm chasers to law enforcement.
April 2004
"Truly inspirational". Just one of the many positive comments received during Skylink's US launch at NAB. Displaying a video clip from the London Marathon captured just 24 hours previous, the Skylink stand drew interest from a wide variety of companies, from storm chasers to law enforcement.
London Marathon
April 2004
The bad weather during this year's London Marathon may have been unpopular with the runners, but it proved to be the perfect testing ground for Skylink. By the time the marathon started, the low cloud base was causing difficulties for the relay helicopters. However, Skylink was already on station 26,000ft above the city and relaying robust digital video links from two of the camera motorbikes. Even with the transmitters 10km apart, cruising at such high altitude enabled both uplinks to be tracked without compromise.
April 2004
The bad weather during this year's London Marathon may have been unpopular with the runners, but it proved to be the perfect testing ground for Skylink. By the time the marathon started, the low cloud base was causing difficulties for the relay helicopters. However, Skylink was already on station 26,000ft above the city and relaying robust digital video links from two of the camera motorbikes. Even with the transmitters 10km apart, cruising at such high altitude enabled both uplinks to be tracked without compromise.
Autosport Exhibition. NEC Birmingham, UK
January 2004
Promoting its use in the motorsport industry, Skylink was one of three capabilities showcased on the QinetiQ stand at this year's Autosport Exhibition. Complimenting QinetiQ's Blue Magus GPS/Inertial Measurement Unit, Skylink received many enquiries from professional and amateur race organisers throughout Europe. The exhibition also marked the official launch of QinetiQ's partnership with Team Jota and entry into the 2004 Le Mans Endurance Series.
January 2004
Promoting its use in the motorsport industry, Skylink was one of three capabilities showcased on the QinetiQ stand at this year's Autosport Exhibition. Complimenting QinetiQ's Blue Magus GPS/Inertial Measurement Unit, Skylink received many enquiries from professional and amateur race organisers throughout Europe. The exhibition also marked the official launch of QinetiQ's partnership with Team Jota and entry into the 2004 Le Mans Endurance Series.
News and Events 2003
World Rally Championship Goes Live!
November 2003
The final stage of this year's Wales Rally GB was televised live across the globe in a ground breaking outside broadcast which utilised the very latest digital video technology. Skylink was at the heart of this complex set-up, and was used to relay the pictures from the on-board cameras.
Unlike other kinds of motor sport, the live coverage of WRC events presents broadcasters with a unique challenge. For instance, a stage can be many kilometres long and pass through difficult, heavily wooded terrain. With the cars spread out at one minute intervals, Skylink offered the ideal solution for relaying these simultaneous feeds from the on-board transmitters to the ground receiver, located in the OB village.
Commenting on the project in a recent interview, David Kerr, Channel 4's Head of Sport, said:
“Given the unprecedented challenge that rally presents, this live WRC broadcast will be a genuine landmark in sports broadcasting. We're committed to imagination and innovation in sports coverage and you simply can't get more ambitious than this.”
Download 2003 WRC case study (51 KB)
4-Beam Install
October 2003
Following on from the success of the 2-beam antenna, the final 4-beam system was installed on HB-FPL at Staverton Airport, Gloucester, England. The 4-beam system comprises a single RF head unit fitted to the outside of the aircraft, and 4 separate beamformer units rack-mounted inside. This system enables the PC-12 to relay continuously up to 4 independent transmitters (eg one HeleCam and three MotorbikeCams) in all weathers, and for up to 7.5 hours.
E.ON Hanse Canal Cup, Rendsburg
October 2003
Dubbed as one of the ‘hardest rowing races in the world’, the E.ON Hanse Canal Cup brought some of the world's rowing elite to the town of Rendsburg in north Germany. At 12.7 kilometres it is the longest rowing race on the busiest artificial waterway in the world - the Kiel Canal - that connects the North and Baltic Seas. Skylink relayed uplinks from the boats as well as one HeleCam and provided what was described by the program producers as “the best live coverage they had ever had”.
Luk-Cup, Bühl
October 2003
After watching the live demonstrations at IBC, Skylink was hired to provide the video relay service for the LuK-Cup, a one day UCI cycle race staged in Bühl, Germany. Cameras from GlobalLink and tpc were there to capture the three man sprint at the end of the 192km race that was won by Matthias Kessler (Telekom).
October 2003
After watching the live demonstrations at IBC, Skylink was hired to provide the video relay service for the LuK-Cup, a one day UCI cycle race staged in Bühl, Germany. Cameras from GlobalLink and tpc were there to capture the three man sprint at the end of the 192km race that was won by Matthias Kessler (Telekom).
The official launch
September 2003
During IBC in Amsterdam, Skylink was officially lauched. Welcoming the launch of Skylink, Lions Air CEO Jürg Fleischmann said; “Skylink provides broadcasters with a complete video relay package giving significant savings alongside improved performance. It is a great example of collaborative working and fully exploits the Skylink partners' expertise in broadcast, radar, and aviation.”
September 2003
During IBC in Amsterdam, Skylink was officially lauched. Welcoming the launch of Skylink, Lions Air CEO Jürg Fleischmann said; “Skylink provides broadcasters with a complete video relay package giving significant savings alongside improved performance. It is a great example of collaborative working and fully exploits the Skylink partners' expertise in broadcast, radar, and aviation.”
Zurich Grand Prix
August 2003
Skylink was hired by tpc to relay two analogue-to-digital video relay links for this cycle race: one from a motorbike camera and the other from a helicopter camera.
August 2003
Skylink was hired by tpc to relay two analogue-to-digital video relay links for this cycle race: one from a motorbike camera and the other from a helicopter camera.
2-Beam Installation
August 2003
As a result of the successful ground tests in July 2003, the 2-beam system was installed on the PC-12 at Staverton Airport, Gloucester, England.
Skylink all-weather tests
August 2003
Analogue-to-digital and digital-to-digital video relay links from vehicles were tested in adverse weather conditions. The Skylink set-up used GlobalLink antennas for the downlink and the digital-to-digital video link equipment was from Link Research.
The tests and demonstration in Wales highlighted the major benefit of a true all-weather video relay platform. The demonstration was conducted in torrential rain and strong winds, in fact during flight, the PC-12 had 1.5" of ice on the wings. Nic Christodoulou, Engineering Manager of BBC Resources, concluded, “There is no possibility a helicopter would fly in the weather today”. However, Skylink rose to the skies, proving its all-weather capability. The demonstration was very effective as Skylink provided continuous, unbroken video links for approximately 98% of a heavily wooded course, where the Principals had expected coverage of only 50 to 60%.
Skylink 2-beam antenna test
July 2003
QinetiQ's first 2-beam phased array antenna system was tested on the ground in Malvern, England. The antenna uses a multiple beam technology in which the two receiving beams are totally independent of one another with each beam having full antenna gain; i.e. the antenna gain is NOT shared between the number of beams.
The tests involved supporting air-to-ground digital video links, as well as ground-to-ground video links using QPSK, 16 QAM, and 64QAM modulation schemes. These tests were conducted with the assistance, and under the independent scrutiny of Link Research.
Skylink at the Tour de Suisse
June 2003
Skylink partnered with GlobalLink and tpc to demonstrate the system at the Tour de Suisse. During the test, the single beam receiver was switched between two analogue uplinks: one from a motorbike camera and the other from a helicopter camera. The downlink was digitally encoded and was supported out to a range of 70km.
The Skylink video links recorded from the stage were reliable and robust even as the race proceeded through the narrow streets of high storey buildings in Switzerland. The quality of picture was excellent and stable throughout, with occasional break-up when passing under bridges, and travelling through the heavy wooded areas – typical artefacts of analogue video links. Throughout the demonstration, the phased array antenna tracked the transmitters without error and without the need for a positioning data link.
Skylink takes to the skies
May 2003
Skylink went airborne at the Tour de Romandie for development testing of the antenna systems, video uplinks, and video downlinks. These tests were conducted with the support of LiveTools.
Skylink's first antenna installation
April 2003
The Lions Air Pilatus PC-12 HB-FPL was installed with the first set of Skylink antennas. The installation took place at the Pilatus factory in Stans, Switzerland and involved the fitting of the first QinetiQ phased array antenna together with two additional radomes for the downlink antennas. The installation team was headed by Stefan Freudiger of Ingenieurbüro Flugwesen und Biomechanik (IFB AG) and Andy Stoll of Avionitec, and was supported by engineers from Lions Air and QinetiQ.
The installation was certified by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) in Bern, Switzerland.