Page 6 - Volume 13 Number 11

An onboard technician uses a relay monitor located on the King Air C90 and works closely with the flight crew and the director on the ground to provide continuous live coverage.
The next few years the King Air wasn’t really being used until Herman was asked to draw up a business case for using it in the role of aerial relay communications. This was approved by Con and an extensive modification package was drawn up with Gama Aviation in the UK and ASI Innovation in France. The mission-specific fit included the installation of 18 communications and microwave antennae under the wings and fuselage, and a rear-mounted, two-metre, deployable-in-flight, low-drag mast that would be the main means of the transmission of video and audio signals. A small camera fit was also added to monitor the deployment of the mast and to check for any problems such as icing and possible vibration. Two of the seats would be removed to facilitate the installation and dismounting of a purpose-built and certified equipment rack.
In late 2016 Con asked Herman to become the full- time managing director and accountable manager of Zeusch Aviation at Lelystad, with a specific brief to
4 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
establish it as a profitable, diverse and expansion seeking company, which Herman accepted with a starting date of April 2017.
Following the completion and certification of King Air C90 2-ZEUZ (previously known as N104AJ) in April 2019, Zeusch undertook its first flight in support of broadcast coverage, acting as a signal-relay aircraft for live television coverage of a bicycle race in Holland.
Working with the Dutch media technology company NEP, with which it has a five-year contract, it supported the live television coverage of the Volta Limburg Classic single-day bicycle race. The aircraft flew above the route as live images were captured from the ground, relaying them to a base station, which immediately sent the footage to the outside broadcast vehicle. The NEP press release noted, “Antennas on the underside of the fuselage and wings captured the images and relayed them to NEP’s ground station. The Zeusch aircraft formed an integral part of the broadcast team, working alongside two motorcycles tracking the race and a helicopter filming the event. With the start and finish of the race in Eijsden \[Netherlands\], just south of Maastricht, the Zeusch Aviation aircraft flew a circular route above the race for the three-hour broadcast. One of Zeusch’s first officers, Boudewijn Schaapveld, added, “Our mission is to act as a satellite for the camera operators on the ground and in the helicopter, as we provide an aerial bridge between the film crew and the director. The operational capabilities of the King Air make it the
NOVEMBER 2019
In April 2019, King Air C90 2-ZEUZ took its first flight in support of broadcast coverage, acting as a signal-relay aircraft for live television coverage of a bicycle race in Holland. It can also be configured for charter operation