The Real Deal Productions of Soldotna, Alaska, led by General Aviation News contributor Jim Oltersdorf, has completed filming of “Outback Pilot…Australia.”
“I am most pleased to announce the final shooting of our newest documentary that takes place in the remote Australian Outback,” said Oltersdorf. “We spent a grueling six weeks filming in extremely hostile conditions while traveling in some of the most remote areas of this vast continent. With constant warnings from the locals of croc attacks to floods that wiped out roads that made travel by 4×4’s impossible, our aircraft were the only means of transportation for filming purposes in many cases.”
Oltersdorf notes that he and his team “were so wonderfully accepted by all of the aviation companies that we were introduced and treated with a red carpet wherever we went. It was an experience of a lifetime, some very memorable moments, to say the least! During the course of shooting we had three different helicopters up in the air for over nine hours while we shot cattle mustering at the huge stations (ranches of millions of acres) and landing in secret areas where 10,000-year-old Aboriginal paintings on rock walls were inscribed. In addition, we also went on a mail run into the outback that was almost 1,000 miles and really met some interesting people that live out there.”
From hovering over Sydney’s iconic Opera House and bridge in a multi-million dollar helicopter while filming in HD to the northern rainforests to the parched deserts, Oltersdorf and his team searched for pilots that make a living from such a land. He says, “These folks are the real deal, no question about it. They live the life that few would ever know about so I took on this project to bring to the world a base of knowledge. In-depth interviews from the pilots provide an intimate look into their lives. And, just wait until you see the footage!”
The hour-long documentary is in edit and will be available in the coming months. Oltersdorf is also the executive producer of “Alaska’s Bush Pilots…The Real Deal” and “Alaska’s Bush Pilots…The Real Deal Commercial Operations”
For more information: www.alaskasbushpilots.com or www.joltersdorf.com
