Surf Coast NewsThe Byron Bay Fly Boys

The Byron Bay Fly Boys

(left to right) Bri Moreau (ground crew) and Chris Vogelzange (pilot)

When I first saw it, I thought the aliens had arrived to watch the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach. The surf was pumping, so why not. A blue lit sphere hovering above the surfers as they caught waves.

Focusing on what it was, it turned out to be a plastic blue sphere held aloft by four horizontal spinning rotor blades. What a sight. This blue luminous ball floating above the bowl in the afternoon’s dimming light. Surfers below competing in the warm-up Free Surf event.

According to Chris Vogelzange, the pilot, "the heli is surprisingly stable, it held well in most wind during the comp. Wind makes the craft hard to maneuver as you need to fly against the wind, as well as track the action"

Chris Vogelzange and his business partner Bri Moreau are the fly boys behind the little blue sphere which turns out to be a quadrocopter carrying a Gopro digital camera.

As the result of a school friendship and a passionate interest in remote controlled planes, Chris and Bri got together and registered the business Extreme Aerial and began building and developing electric powered quadrocopters fitted with video cameras.

"They (quadrocopters) have many different applications", explained Bri. "They can be used for inspecting power poles as well as oil rigs. We’ve only just got into aerial surf photography."

After watching their You tube videos of the Quiksilver Pro held a few months back, a Rip Curl rep rang the boys and invited them down to cover the Bells Beach Easter Classic. How could you say no.

The videos below show surfing from a birds eye view.

Aerial footage shot at the 2011 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.

This is some of the action from the first few days. Check out Taj Burrow, Owen Wright, Bobby Martinez plus other pro’s ripping it up. This aerial photography was shot on a quadrocopter using a Gopro by Extreme Aerials.

Saturday 24th April 2011, Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach

This Rip Curl Pro Aerial Photography footage was shot Saturday 24th April 2011 at Bells Beach.

Check out Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson plus other pro’s ripping it up. This aerial photography was shot with a remote control quadrocopter using a Gopro by Extreme Aerials.

Sunday 25th April 2011, Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach

This footage is from the finals day of Rip Curl Pro. This Aerial Photography footage was shot Sunday 25th April 2011 at Bells Beach.

Watch Kelly Slater’s massive aerial also Mick Fanning plus other pro’s ripping it up. This aerial photography was shot with a remote control quadrocopter using a Gopro by Extreme Aerials.