Hawkeye

I picked an older model Hawkeye LT up second hand, and it's been great for me. I did end up converting it from an external audible to an internal audible pocket using fiberglass, and that has been great. Once it is on the helmet does not move at all, and I love the low profile mounting surfaces that are snag free, and great for freeflying as well as tandem video.
The only real problem i have with my hawkeye is it is really tight to put on, doesn't flex much like my bonehead mindwarp does, and the soft forehead gets rolled under and is a pain to pull back out. Other than that it's an awesome helmet.

I have had my Hawkeye for over a year now. I had considered a Mindwarp which fit my head better than any other I tried but mounting a camera on it would have been trickier. Arrow Dynamics really worked with me to make the Hawkeye fit my fat ol' noggin. Love it and love the good customer service.
Chuck Carlley

The new Hawkeye video helmet is truly awesome! I just purchased the Hawkeye LT from Arrow Dynamics in Eloy. First off, the owner Jim Hotze was a pleasure to do business with. Besides being very knowledgeable on his products, politeness and professionalism were always there.

The total production time from day of order to delivery was approximately only two weeks. Of course being the anxious person that I am, I wet to Eloy to pick it up which also allowed me to see the company first hand. Again, very professional.

On the helmet itself... I will try to be as concise as possible because I have so many great things to say about it.

Safety is first and foremost one of the things we as videographers look for. This helmet I believe, because of it's streamlined body and smoothness, has to be one of the safest video helmets available.

Comfort is another important asset of this helmet. The padding inside is, for lack of better words, soft, thick and plush and form fits to your head.

As the saying goes "Image is everything". Well, this helmet fits the bill. The picture advertisement you see in the magazines just gives you a glimpse of its true beauty. In real life, WOW!!!

I had my helmet made marbled with two colors, Black as the base, marbled with dove gray. These colors match my rig and video suit perfectly. The helmet comes with a four-point harness and also a chinstrap. The optional chin cup I purchased came marbled in the same colors as the helmet.

The helmet also came predrilled for side mount video brackets and the new Swivel Site Ring Extender.

Since I am using a top mount TRV11, I also purchased a custom made cradle which is molded to fit the bottom of the camcorder like a glove, allowing NO movement at all. Unlike the boxes available on the market, this cradle was made to hold the camcorder to the helmet and still allow you to open the screen, change batteries, etc., without having to remove the camcorder from the helmet. This is an item you have to see to get a real understanding of how functional it is.

The entire helmet system (Hawkeye LT, which is for top and left mounts, custom two color marbling, marbled chin cup, and custom TRV11 camcorder cradle) was only $448.00! Through all of my pre-purchase research, this was an unbeatable price.

I am in the USAF and work as a videographer and freefall instructor at the Military Freefall School in Yuma, AZ. There are many individuals I work with who currently shoot video here. They were so impressed with the complete package that I purchased and most impressed with its price. We are going to look into possibly buying some systems for the school.

As you can probably tell, I am very happy with my purchase. If you are in the market for a video helmet, please check out the Hawkeye!

Configuration

Hawkeye is an sculpted open-face assembly with mounting surfaces top and left hand side. Given availability of mounts - or the combination of tools and the ability to use them, both of which I lack - it’s suitable for most cameras. Borrowing heavily from Gath design, a soft forehead shield is permanently attached. The whole assembly is lined, and it is available in a variety of sizes. It includes a chin cup on a ratchet strap, and a secondary safety strap with buckle. Goggles or sunglasses live comfortably under the helmet, and It’s actually well suited to head protection without a camera - I’d feel comfortable jumping one in place of a ProTec or Gath.

Setting up

The flat surface on top came undrilled, ready for the mount of your choice. The left hand side features three threaded holes with low profile hex screws (included), ready to take a bracket and thus readily suited to side mounting a Sony PC series or equivalent. An off-the-shelf PC7 "C" style bracket with three preset rake adjustments proved adequate for my Elura, although custom brackets helped with a vibration issue later. Whilst mine is set up with video on the left and a compact stills camera on top, there is still room for a third camera behind the stills camera on top without an additional plate or platform. Alternatively, a top mounted video camera might be preferable if circumstances allow - the side mount is simpler for Cessna exits, although obviously more work for your neck.

Accessories

Two elastic straps and a velcro cross strap secure the audible altimeter of your choice to the right hand side exterior, and there’s just enough room on the interior ear pockets for a slim audible such as ProDytter or ProTrack. A hole is pre-cut in the right to allow you to hear, and it’s not difficult to pass a lead for a visible indicator back through. The Hawkeye’s sculpted shape also allows the concealment of other cables: even AAA batteries for the video indicator LED live in the top mount bulge, between screws and other wires. An electrical connection for my stills clicker lives on the rear of the side mount: streamlined, tidy, and out of the way. Ring sight mounting proved cumbersome. Eventually, a custom made receptacle did the job; a long post and standard universal joint may also have made this easier.

Summary

I’m enjoying the Haweye. It feels secure on my head, and is tight enough to steer with my chin - yet not difficult to get on and off, although awkward with one hand. The ready availability of brackets and mounts provide a multitude of configurations, and even with an out-of-the-mainstream camera a little Gaffer tape and a "C" bracket gathered acceptable results. The completed package is neat and professional, and has proven suitable for filming AFF/Tandem, RW and Freefly. Quite happy to recommend it.