The BOREAS RSS-03 team collected and processed helicopter-based measurements of atmospheric conditions to estimates of aerosol optical thickness and atmospheric water vapor. The automatic sun-tracking photometer for helicopters was deployed during all three IFC's of 1994 at numerous tower and auxiliary sites in both the NSA and SSA. Seven spectral channels (440, 540, 613, 670, 870 and 1030 am) were chosen to span the visible and NIR wavelengths and to avoid gaseous absorption. One additional channel, 940 nm, was selected to measure the water column abundance above the helicopter platform.