A tethered balloon is a cheap way to put a camera high up and leave it there. It is also more limited than people expect.
The lift budget is the whole story
Net lift on a 13-foot blimp is roughly three pounds, and that is what holds the tether taut. Hang anything from it and you are spending that budget.
A small, light action camera is realistic. Anything with a gimbal, a long lens or a battery pack is not, at that size. You step up to the larger sizes quickly, and the helium bill steps up with them.
What it is genuinely good at
Staying up. A drone flies for tens of minutes; a tethered balloon holds a fixed viewpoint for days on one fill, with no power and no operator.
Construction progress, site overview, crowd flow at an event, an overhead view of a field. Anything where a static high viewpoint over a long period is what you want.
What it is bad at
Moving. It goes where the tether is and nowhere else, and it drifts and rotates on the wind, so framing is approximate rather than fixed.
It also comes down above 25 mph like any balloon. If you need a controlled, stable, repeatable shot, this is the wrong tool and a drone is the right one.
The rules still apply
We fly at 120 feet, under the 150-foot line where the FAA becomes involved, and within five miles of controlled airspace you ring the tower first.
Separately: recording people has its own law, and it is state and local rather than federal. Filming your own site is one thing; pointing a camera at neighbouring property or a public space is another. Check before you fly, not after.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email sales@arizonaballoon.com and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
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