Protest against an environmental bomb, a Nikel plant on the Russian peninsula of Kola near Kirkenes, 1993
Difficult balloon launch due to freshening wind near Stralsund, 1990
Shortly before the launch at the Brandenburg Gate, project "With the balloon over East Germany" 1990
After landing somewhere in Thuringia, pilot Michael pulls his balloon to a dirt road where the chase vehicle, 1990
Joining forces with GDR scout and friend Jan from Dresden to find a passable route, 1990
In the lee of a forest, the hot-air balloon is made ready for take-off with a blower, 1990
Control center in the hot air balloon basket: gas valve, valve line and map
Briefing before take-off: pilot Michael (center) and GDR scout Jan from Dresden (left) - Where is the wind taking us?
Balloon launch in front of the pier in Ahlbeck on Usedom, project "With the balloon over East Germany", 1990
About to take off, Michael brings the balloon into a floating state with the burner, Ahlbeck on Usedom, 1990
Talk of the town - we have barely landed in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains before we are surrounded by Trabants and Wartburgs, 1990
International balloonist protest against extreme air pollution by a Russian Nikel plant, 1993
Shortly before the launch of our balloon at the Brandenburg Gate, project "With the balloon over East Germany", 1990
With the Nord/LB balloon team to the spectacular Montgolfière in front of Balleroy Castle, 1990
The spectacle was organized by media magnate Malcom Forbes, who likes to present his favourite toys, 1990
Two dozen balloon teams met at the Montgolfière for the "Balloon Fair of Vanities", 1990
Jackie and a journalist are "baptized" by pilot Michael after their first balloon flight, 1990
Karl's first flight in a helicopter - together with shot red deer in the Fjordlands
A wild affair: the once-introduced red deer are to be wiped out again in the rainforests of Fjordland, New Zealand1986
For our illustrated book "Über Norddeutschland", a Bell 47 was our aircraft that we had to scrape free overnight on Föhr, 1993
After scraping off the hoarfrost, the engine had to be started with external batteries, it was so cold on Föhr, 1993
Together with friend and scout Manfred Schmidt and pilot Rolf Wiser, I spent many hours in the vintage Bell 47 helicopter
The MT03 gyrocopter produced in Hildesheim was an ideal flying high seat for several aerial photography projects (Photo: Frank Schinski)
The photographer in a protective suit shortly before a gyrocopter flight lasting several hours, Hildesheim Drispenstedt airfield
With the 17-year-old pilot Mona high up on the way to the Harz Mountains
With the gyrocopter 3 km above the East Frisian Islands
As a photographer, I sit in the gyrocopter like on a motorcycle and can take photos from both sides without hindrance (Photo: Frank Schinski)
Between the clouds, the freedom seems almost limitless
2011 Photo production for an exclusive helicopter service in Queenstown, here heliskiing in the Remarkables
Snowboarders want to get to the top ... Heli snowboarding near Queenstown, New Zealand 2011

Freedom of the skies

Overview brings clarity. Spatial structures become visible from the cloud perspective. My first opportunity for aerial photography came from Nord/LB, for whom I photographed several international balloon meetings - and then in 1990 I was able to convince them for "Balloon over East Germany". The feeling of floating silently over a landscape with the wind is one of the most beautiful flying experiences, but unfortunately the wind alone determines the direction. That's why we resorted to an old Bell 47 helicopter for "Over Northern Germany". Single-engine Cessnas offer other options, but they don't offer the safety of a gyrocopter, which can land on even the smallest of surfaces in the event of an engine failure. Over the years, most of the aerial photos have been taken from an MTO gyrocopter from the Hildesheim-based company Autogyro, a motorcycle of the air.