PHOTO: Julian Olivas/Air-to-Ground Photography. PILOT:Jerry Maurice

n the city that has the highest number of tourists taking helicopter tours per day, the tours are becoming shorter and the prices more exorbitant. Julian Olivas, however, has found a way to offer a real bird's eye view of Manhattan, not just a bird's eye peek.

Moving to New York from his native Philippines in the early 1970s, Olivas studied engineering at City College. Deferring to his desire for the aesthetic rather than the quantitative, Olivas switched his course of study and received a degree in architecture. He worked as an architect until about 10 years ago, when he decided to pursue another passion - flying helicopters.

"Flying helicopters is really hands-on flying," he says. "You maneuver through the air, getting close enough to see life on the ground. It's intense."

Olivas captures that intensity by taking pictures from the sky. Four years ago, he started a business that combines his love for flying and his passion for photography. His company, Air-to-Ground Photography, caters to photographers, real estate professionals, and architects who want and need to see Manhattan from a different view.

Most tourists are easily identifiable because they tilt their heads way back and gawk at the awe-inspiring heights of New York landmarks like the Chrysler Building (77 stories), the Empire State Building (102 stories) and the Twin Towers (110 stories), to name a few. Air-to-Ground Photography gets close to these sites and admires them from above.

Flying over New York City is a unique experience, says Olivas while fellow pilot Jerry Maurice, who usually mans the controls while Olivas shoots pictures, nods in agreement. Olivas and Maurice recently returned from a cross-country trip, and cite New York's density as one of the major factors that differentiates this city from all others. "For someone who's not used to the area, it's pretty scary," says Olivas. Maurice agrees. "There are three major airports very close together, there is a lot of airplane traffic, and you are constantly talking to the airports," Maurice says. Furthermore, Class B airspace controlled by Laguardia, Kennedy and Newark airports intersect, which makes contacting the correct airport confusing to pilots unfamiliar to the area.

It is not only the high level of air traffic in and around New York City, but also the density of Manhattan, as compared with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, among other big cities, that makes the task of aerial photography much more difficult. Communication between the pilot and the photographer is essential. Olivas says, "You have to fly more conservatively in New York; you've got to fly in low and your pilot needs to understand what you, as a photographer, want to accomplish."

In addition to the obstacles that a pilot faces while flying over Manhattan, anti-helicopter groups have been fighting, and continue to fight for a complete ban of helicopter tours and stricter rules against all helicopter flights over the city. Currently, helicopter tours are barred from flying over the city, and are restricted to flying over the Hudson River. Air-to-Ground has found a niche, serving businesses, not tourists, with an up close view of one of the most famous skylines in the world. Every time he flies, Olivas experiences a New York that to most people, exists only in photos.