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Show I - C - f ; t - i - . . " . . ' - - , t ' . 't .-'. - . - .. .... , . . " " - - : , X. .' ' ' ' - l - ' ..:V.....'.- -. Jt . This giant construction helicopter hel-icopter is being used to Filming Television Commercial Near Moab is Massive U siderf along The big advertising project taking place at Wilson Arch 25 miles south of Moab is progressing well according to Director Bob Curtis of Film-ways Film-ways incorporated and Michael Mich-ael Huss, Production Assistant. Assist-ant. Construction crews have been working at the location getting get-ting ready for the filming of the spectacular television advertisement ad-vertisement that will involve an arch, a helicopter, 19G9 model .automobiles and a girl with a cougar. The idea to produce an automobile auto-mobile advertisement by flying fly-ing through an . arch originated originat-ed with Kenyon Eckhardt Advertising Ad-vertising Agency, of New York. The Lincoln-Mercury Divi-son Divi-son of the Ford Motor Company Com-pany is using the idea to advertise ad-vertise 19G9 model automobiles automo-biles over national television networks. ; A -giant construction "helicopter "heli-copter has been in use to get the location ready for th2 filming. Clayton, D. Wright pilot for Briles Helicopter Service of Santa Monica, has had the job of putting the huge signs into place, lifting the 1969 automobiles to their perches east of the arch, and getting heavy equipment into position on the platform. Briles Helicopter Service, which is the largest lift operation oper-ation on the west Coast ac- transport materials to and from movie site. Big craft cording to pilot Wright, is supplying a twin rotor Vertol Construction helicopter. The giant ,'fwhirlybird"- has 1325 horsepower and a lifting capacity ca-pacity of 4000 pounds. With the construction helicopter heli-copter Pilot Clayton Wright has maneuvered sections of a large sign onto a ledge back of Wilson Arch. The helicopter has also been used to carry heavy equipment such as compressors and power pow-er supplies to the platform on the ledge. With t lifting of the 1969 model cars to the ledge Tuesday the work of the helicopter was finished , until after the filming. Pilot Wright stated to Times Independent writer Dick Wilson Wil-son that "the job of getting the cars and signs onto the ledge was particularly tricky in view of decreased lifting capacity of the helicopter and the turbulence present in thi rugged area. .."The main problem we've faced," stated Pilot Wright, "is the altitude and heat we are experiencing here. These two factorscut the lifting capacity ca-pacity of the helicopter in ' half." There have been other problems prob-lems that have delayed the project. On cloudless days the surface of the letters become be-come intensely hot, possibly as high as 160 degrees or more and this caused the is based in Moab when not on the job. metal to expand buckling the metal and making it necessary neces-sary to repaint portions cf the letters. The sign stands 32 feet high, 67 feet" long and the bottom line of letters is 16 feet in depth. Filmways of California is the firm that is producing the commercial. Production Assistant Michael Huss said that they plan to start filming film-ing today (Thursday) and this is somewhat dependent pnon the weather and a number num-ber of other factors. Huss described the filming procedure as being from high in the air above Wilson Arch and to the west from which point only a small doughnut-shaped doughnut-shaped hole would be observed. observ-ed. The helicopter will descend de-scend rather rapidly and swoop through the arch. The rotor spread of the lighter helicopter is approximately 35 feet giving it adequate space in the arch's opening which is 50 feet high and 80 feet long. After passing througn the arch the helicopter will make a turn and face the huge a turn and face the sign tacular red rock cliffs. Two of the 1969 model automobiles automo-biles will . be near the ba;;e of the sign. A girl with a cougar will be on top of the sign to make the commercial even more pttent.ion-2pfHr"T. Huss stated that proBof tion of the film should be finished fin-ished by Saturday of this week and that crews would begin removal of the sign at the beginning of the wek. |