A production moves like a small expedition. The crew is the easy part; the cases are not, and the schedule is set by the light rather than by anyone's convenience. Those two facts shape every charter a production books in this region.
What actually constrains the aircraft
Volume before weight. Flight cases, tripods, a gimbal, sound kit and a cooler of batteries fill a light aircraft long before the payload runs out. The allowance is calculated by weight when you quote in the app; tell us if you carry bulky gear.
Rigid and long items. Jib arms, light stands and slider rails do not bend to fit, and they are what usually moves a booking up a category. The specific aircraft is assigned on confirmation, based on passenger count, baggage and the destination field.
And the return load. Productions come back with more than they left with: rushes, props, rubbish that cannot be left on a beach.
The two things to declare before anything else
Lithium batteries. Camera, drone and light batteries are regulated freight with quantity and packing rules, on any aircraft. Tell us what is coming, in what sizes, and we confirm what can travel.
Drones. Carrying them is one question; flying them is another, and it belongs to each country's own rules and, inside protected areas, to the park authority. Park fees and permits are not included in the flight.
Neither of these is a formality, and both are cheaper to resolve a week ahead than on the apron.
Where flying genuinely earns its place
Locations with no comfortable road. Drake Bay is 83.5 nautical miles from San José and Palmar Sur 76.3: the difference against a full day of driving is a shooting day recovered.
Guanacaste, at 86.9 nautical miles, when the unit is based in the capital and the location is coastal.
Guna Yala, with Playón Chico at 81.1 nautical miles from Albrook, where the strips are short and the aircraft choice is narrow.
And scouting. A single day in the air covers what a week of driving would, which is the cheapest part of the whole production to get right.
What to plan around
Light, not aircraft. Work backwards from the last usable shot and remember several strips are daylight only.
Two moves a day maximum with a full kit, because loading and unloading is not instant.
And a weather margin. Wet-season afternoons are convective, and a production that has to fly home at 16:00 has already lost the argument with the sky.
The conversation we would rather have early
Send the equipment list before the crew list. It is the equipment that decides the aircraft.
Say what is fragile and what is heavy, separately.
And tell us the real call time on location, not the time you want to take off. The rest we work backwards from there.
Frequently asked questions
What limits a production charter?
Volume rather than weight, and long rigid items such as jib arms and light stands. Those decide the aircraft before the crew count does.
Can we carry camera and drone batteries?
Lithium batteries are regulated freight with quantity and packing rules. Declare types and sizes in advance and we confirm what can travel.
Can we fly the drone at the location?
Carrying it and flying it are different questions. Flying it follows each country's rules and, in protected areas, the park authority's.
Which locations benefit most?
Places with no comfortable road: Drake Bay at 83.5 nautical miles from San José, Palmar Sur at 76.3, and Guna Yala, with Playón Chico at 81.1 from Albrook.
How many moves per day?
Two at most with a full kit. Loading and unloading takes real time, and several strips are daylight only.
What should we send first?
The equipment list, then the crew list, then the call time on location.
What we need to quote it properly
The equipment list with dimensions, separating what is long, what is rigid and what is fragile.
The number of battery cases, and whether any are for drones.
The airfield at each location, because two strips serving the same valley can mean two different aircraft.
And the shooting window, so the flying is built around the light rather than the other way round.
Let's plan it together
The allowance is calculated by weight when you quote in the app; tell us if you carry bulky gear.