Helicopter Filming

Helicopter filming in Peru gives the payload, altitude reach and flight time that drone work cannot match. It is key for extended takes over Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley, where ground-level drone access is off-limits. It also drives long-range Andean coverage from the Cordillera Blanca through the Colca Canyon, plus Nazca Lines passes where heritage rules ban any other aerial method. The lift even handles dense Amazon canopy flights out of Iquitos, Puerto Maldonado and the Manú reserves.

We source aircraft and pilots through DGAC Part 91 and 135-certified rotary operators, including Aerolima, Heliperu, Aerocondor and ATSA Airlines. The rigs use gyro-stabilised Cineflex and Shotover Elite mounts that carry ARRI Alexa, RED V-Raptor and Sony Venice 2 cinema packages on long-range zoom glass. We import the Cineflex and Shotover Elite rigs per project from the Brazilian and Chilean operator pools that supply Globo, Mediapro Sur and the global broadcast networks. Peruvian aerial DPs and camera assistants join the unit to share skills. Lima's Jorge Chávez airport heliport is the main operations base, with backup heli-bases in Cusco for Sacred Valley work and Iquitos for the Amazon river sequences.

Authorisation is the biggest factor in a successful Peruvian helicopter shoot. Our team handles the DGAC flight clearances under Resolución Directoral N° 1086-2015 and the CORPAC airspace planning across the Peruvian regions. We also secure the INC heritage approvals for any flight path crossing Machu Picchu, Chan Chan, Caral, Kuelap or the Nazca Lines. The SERNANP authorisation that governs Manú, Tambopata and Paracas reserve work falls to us as well.

Andean high-altitude flying is aviation-critical. Cusco sits at 3,400m, the Sacred Valley runs from 1,800 to 3,400m, and Andean pass flight paths often climb above 4,500m. At that height, rotor performance, fuel math and pilot acclimatisation shape each flight plan. Coastal weather along the Pacific and the Amazon humidity add more planning limits. Our coordinators use the long-range forecast networks run by SENAMHI and Peruvian regional air-traffic control to find the right shooting window.

Lead times usually run four to six weeks for standard shoots, and longer where INC heritage permits touch the storyboard. We handle the IGV 18% accounting alongside SUNAT carnet records for imported Cineflex and Shotover gear. Our team also arranges DAFO and Ministerio de Cultura support for qualifying shoots, right through delivery and the final audit sign-off.