Community Corner
The Beast: Miniature Helicopter Gives Dick's Those Amazing Aerial Shots
Dean Wallace, a Mountlake Terrace resident, is the man behind many of Dick's best photos and videos.
Wonder how Dick’s Drive-In gets all those amazing aerial photos and videos of its ?
They come courtesy of Dean Wallace, a local professional photographer from Mountlake Terrace who is contracted by Dick’s.
Wallace gets his aerial shots through a miniature yellow helicopter, a 7-foot-long, 20-pound radio-controlled machine equipped with a high-resolution Canon HD SLR.
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He calls the helicopter the Beast.
At Dick’s in Edmonds recently, Wallace worked in tandem with his son Nick, 25, who operates the helicopter. While his son flies the Beast, Dean watches the action from the back of his SUV as the Beast’s images flash onto a small television screen.
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Dean Wallace, who earned his pilot license at age 19, says his helicopter gives him access to much lower and tighter spaces than a full-size helicopter.
“The beauty of using it is that I can get what I refer to as intimate aerials," said Wallace, who also shoots weddings and a number of commercial projects. "From a real helicopter, which I shoot from too, I have to be 500 feet up. I’m looking down chimneys instead of looking into windows.”
When Dick’s has its opening day, scheduled to be anytime from late October to late November, look up while standing in line or sinking into your Deluxe.
You’ll probably see the Beast.