28-Jan-2020 Source: Newscopters
Robinson Newscopters continue to make inroads into major media markets in the U.S. with Washington D.C. and Tampa, Florida, becoming the latest to employ Robinson Electric News Gathering (ENG) helicopters.
SKY Helicopters, Robinson’s longtime dealer in Garland, Texas, recently took delivery of a new R66 Newscopter bringing the company’s fleet of Robinson Newscopters to fifteen. The latest addition will provide aerial support to WTTG FOX, WUSA CBS, and WJLA ABC in Washington D.C. SKY also recently placed one of its R44 Newscopters in Tampa, to serve as the eye-in-the-sky for stations WTVT FOX and WFTS ABC. According to Nielsen’s 2019 Designated Market Area Rankings, Washington D.C has nearly 2.5 million television viewers with Tampa at around 1.8 million viewers. In both instances, the Robinson ENG helicopters replaced older, less economical airframes.
According to Ken Pyatt, President of SKY Helicopters, the turn-key Robinson Newscopters provide an economical aerial platform with state-of-the-art ENG cameras and broadcast equipment. Robinson Newscopters easily integrate into TV stations’ existing broadcast equipment and are capable of working simultaneously with several stations.
To date, Robinson has delivered eighty Newscopters worldwide including Brazil, Canada, and Australia.