Your choice of aircraft for camera platform will be determined by three questions. Firstly, it is a question of how much money you have available in the budget. Mostly, aircraft are hired by the hour; with single engine Cessnas at the cheaper end of the scale, and helicopters and Lear Jets at the expensive end. But it will also be determined by what is available on location, and into this formula there should be an assessment of safety factors - how well the aircraft has been maintained, and the level of experience of the pilot. Thirdly, the choreography of the shots required for the film may demand a special approach and you may need to put money from the budget into bringing a certain kind of aircraft in from elsewhere in order to achieve the aerials shots you have story boarded.
Let's take a look at the different possibilities:
Most commonly used type is Cessna, with a high wing giving good downward visibility; generally economic; user friendly; easy to remove door, although some pilots are initially unwilling, and may suggest you film out of the window. In my opinion this is inadequate and you should use your powers of persuasion to get the door off - it'll be worth it.
There are various different types of Cessna. My personal preference is for a nose wheel rather than a tail wheel, simply for convenience and comfort on the ground, and when using an exterior camera mount which we'll look at later on, it's easier to find the correct angle to pre-set the camera with a nose wheel model. Having said that, the tail wheel Cessna 185 is a good four place aircraft with a powerful engine and good short field landing performance. Of the nose wheel models, my preference goes to a Cessna 182 - it is probably the most manoeuvrable of the single engine Cessnas; has plenty of room inside, and plenty of power to get you out of trouble. The Cessna 172 is also good, but not as powerful. The Cessna 206 or 207 is a larger aircraft and more expensive, underpowered and heavy in manoeuvres, unless you are lucky to find one with a turbo injected engine. The Cessna 150 or 152 have only two seats, and therefore very cramped and lack engine power when fully loaded. The Cessna 210 is a six place aircraft, and (except for early models) has no wing strut.
If you are looking for high altitude work, the Pilatus Turbo Porter is an excellent aircraft, though expensive. It has a high wing, like the Cessna, and a big door from which to film.
Multi-engine aircraft are generally inappropriate for aerial filming, although a few types have been modified to take cameras in the nose cone for forward facing shots. This, though, is an expensive modification. Otherwise, the engines, placed as they are out on the wing, get in the way of photography, and the costs per hour are extremely high.
If you have to go for multi-engine aircraft for any particular reason, there are a few high wing types to choose from, including Britten-Norman Islander, and Twin Otter, both of which have large side doors for good viewing, and you might consider the Cessna 337, which has the two engines positioned in line fore and aft of the fuselage in a "push-pull" arrangement.
Free or motorised, they are not the easiest of aircraft to work from. They are cramped inside, the field of view is very limited, as is the range or endurance. A glider did prove useful though when we were filming migrating storks and pelicans over Israel; we found it possible to soar with the birds, and filmed some interesting shots.
Uncomfortable for hand holding the camera; subject to limitations on flight conditions - microlights, or ultralights, require very smooth air and light winds; although there are advantages in economy; lack of need for an airstrip; and flight speed is very slow.
