An ingenious new technology from South Africa, Landing Eyes are a unique lighting system for private airstrips. These small and highly cost-effective lights employ solar power, batteries and a series of reflective strips to safely illuminate landing strips for night time landings. Developed by an engineer and amateur pilot from Durban, Landing Eyes are a revolutionary product on a continent where only 10% of private and public airstrips are equipped with electrical landing lights. Read more »

Whether for personal enjoyment or marketing an island for sale, obtaining aerial photographs is a popular and often necessary task for island owners. However, ordinary camera equipment generally lacks the needed stabilization and resolution for crisp, high-quality aerial photographs. Special technologies are available that have been designed to allow for perfect images when flying at high speeds and elevations.

The main technology for preventing blurring from the high speed and vibration of aircraft photography is gyro stabilization, which keeps a camera still even in turbulent conditions. The Super G stabilizer is a device that attaches to the front of a helicopter or small plane, and provides a secure and stable place for aerial cameras. Tested in some of the world’s most extreme weather conditions, including the Arctic and Sub-Saharan Africa, this product is used by some of the world’s top nature photographers.

http://www.camerasystems.com/superg.htm  Read more »

For all its pleasures, owning a private island comes with certain challenges. Transportation certainly tops the list, particularly in remote locations. For those who have access to small planes, the time it takes to get to one’s own slice of paradise can be greatly reduced. Airstrips are a necessary component for these lucky island owners.

Building an airstrip firstly requires permission from the local government, even in countries with few building restrictions. It is essential that the proper planning and zoning rights be obtained prior to construction. Many engineering firms will undertake private airstrip construction, but for some intrepid island owners, do-it-yourself is a possibility. Read more »

Though I won’t belabor the intelligence of courts, a recent legal decision actually ruled that seaplanes are “not water craft” under certain provisions of the Jones Act. For anyone who spends much time around water craft, there’s not much doubt about the similarities between boats and the best of seaplanes. For people who regularly use a seaplane to reach an island destination, there’s another potent similarity…the need for a great way to dock your plane.

As with most real estate, there are three things to know about the type of dock you need for your island-bound seaplane: obviously, shape, shape, and shape (and you were sure I was going to say location). Because transportation of the dock to the island itself is important, it makes sense to use the best materials. While the actual choice should be left to an expert evaluation, more people are finding a shapeable dock to be a great choice. One reason is because the materials used in a shapeable dock are light and yet still durable. They are also relatively easy to put together, or take apart as the need for a reshaped dock may arise. Read more »

For those island owners who are fortunate enough to have helicopters to travel to their island they may be surprised to discover the astronomical costs of installing a helicopter landing pad on their island. Fortunately a new product called Robinsons Helipad is making helicopter pads much more affordable for island owners.

Robinsons Helipads are an affordable alternative to conventional helipads. Designed for roof tops, these modular, inexpensive and easy to install helipads are ideal light helicopters. Made out of light, sturdy aluminum the Robinson Helipad weighs just 1,600lbs and can support helicopters weighing up to 3,000lbs. The helipads weather resistant deck meets FAA recommended helipad size and International Building Code strength requirements.

Read more »