McMahon Helicopter - Telling Stories from the Skies

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by: Allie Semperger
photos: Nate McMahon

“We’ll do anything for a buck. If it’s dangerous or stupid, it’s two bucks.”
-Brian McMahon

McMahon Helicopter Services, Inc. celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, a testament to the endurance mcmahon and expertise of this family business. Accomplished in shooting film and aerial photography, the company sends aircraft all over the country to film commercials, news broadcasts, television shows, movies, and live events, including the Super Bowl. Located in Canton, Michigan, the company was founded in 1980 by Brian McMahon, a Vietnam veteran who currently has almost 40 years of flying experience. Brian’s son, Chief Pilot Nick McMahon, sat down with Michigan Movie Magazine to discuss the instrumental role that McMahon Helicopters plays in the Michigan film industry.

For years, the helicopter company has been heavily involved in producing camera systems and mounts. “That was how my dad really got his foot in the door with film production,” McMahon said. “In the late ’70s and early ’80s, there just weren’t those kinds of camera mounts available, so you ended up developing your own systems to do the job.” This innovative thinking and comprehensive knowledge allowed the company to succeed in a tough market.

The company’s aircraft can travel from Detroit to the Tennessee-Kentucky border in three hours-- covering a distance of approximately 360 miles. “Anywhere you’re going, it takes about half the drive time or less,” McMahon said. “And when you factor in traffic and construction, it’s usually less than half the time or even a third of the time.”

McMahon started flying when he was a kid, and he began production work as soon as he received his license. “The first movie that I did was Timequest,” McMahon said. “We actually shot a number of series, or sequences, here [in Canton] at the hangar and out on the ramp.”

Business has continued to pick up with the escalating success of the Michigan film industry, and McMahon Helicopters has provided aerial footage for current films like Jinn, Game of Death, Meet Monica Velour, and Stone with Robert DeNiro.

Each helicopter shoot has its own distinctive moments. “I remember the director of Meet Monica Velour, Keith Bearden, got really sick when we went up, so we had to drop him off in the middle of a farm field,” McMahon said. “He found his way back somehow.”

Like the filmmakers on set, McMahon examines a storyboard in preparation for the shoot. A helicopter shoot involves precisely coordinated communication. Achieving the right shot often involves teamwork between several people, including directors, producers, stunt people, pilots, controllers, and camerapersons. From erratic weather, the astronomical cost of fuel, or the inherent dangers of flying, McMahon Helicopters faces unique (and expensive) challenges.

However, the key to handling these potentially high-stress helicopter shoots is prioritization. According to McMahon, the first priority is safety.

“You have to learn that safety’s the most important thing. Talking to the controller’s the most important thing, everything else comes [after],” McMahon said. “If that ruins a shot or I have to talk over somebody, well, that’s the way it goes. And everyone understands that.”

Each day of shooting brings new excitement and fresh challenges. The work can be both rewarding and frustrating, especially in cases when four hours of aerial footage are reduced to three second spots. On the other hand, there is some freedom for aerial shots.

“90% of the time, we’ll go out and shoot a whole bunch of stuff that the [filmmakers] didn’t request,” McMahon said. “They love that, too, so they’ll build it all in to the story.”

He hopes that more screenplays will take place in Michigan, so that productions taking advantage of the tax incentives can shoot their aerial shots in the state. “We really need a combination of not only the film shooting here, but [taking] place here, so [we can] shoot aerials and have it make sense in the story,” McMahon said.

The industry for aerial filming is small. Although it covers several different markets, everybody is related to each other by a few degrees. Recently, McMahon worked with legendary aerial unit director, Bob Mehnert, on the film Jinn. “My dad and Bob know some of the same people out in Hollywood and L.A.,” McMahon said. “We had a great working relationship and it was nice to share stories back and forth because he and I have both worked – him, especially – on many, many films.” Mehnert’s credits include hit films such as Fight Club, Twister, and Jurassic Park III.

Brian serves as president of McMahon Helicopters and continues to fly, even collaborating with his son on films like Game of Death. “It was great to work with my dad and coordinate that together,” McMahon said. Although the helicopter company is smaller than it was ten years ago, it can still accommodate all the needs of its customers, including any of the camera systems and charter services provided, as well as outside helicopter maintenance work. “We’ve been affected by the economy like everyone else,” McMahon said. “It’s been rough but we’re looking forward to future work and we have a lot of things lined up, so I think we’ve seen the end of the tunnel now.”