Helical scan head drum with helical grooves for generating an air bearing

A helical wrap tape transport system having a plurality of components cooperating to provide a low friction and highly accurate transport of magnetic tape for video broadcasting. The transport system has a helical scanner assembly with a rotating scanning drum having helical surface V-grooves which create an air bearing for magnetic tape wrapped across the drum and oppositely mounted recording transducers which permit continuous recording on a 180 DEG tape wrap around the drum, and a stationary drum on a common axis with the rotating drum having a fixed control track transducer for synchronizing tape transport at the scanning assembly. The transport system has further, air bearing guide posts and a pair of vacuum columns which continuously monitor a tape supply loop which in combination with the guide posts provide a section of low inertia recording tape, the transport of which can be controlled by a single high friction drive capstan.