I recall when the KSTP Channel 5 helicopter with it's image stabilizing camera got some very cool video of a twister tearing up some fields and trees near Minneapolis/St. Paul, at the very beginning of when such technology was available. As a pilot I would not fly anywhere near a thunderstorm, especially in a helicopter, but despite the detail and incredible HD resolution the helicopter was over 5 miles away (still very close, for me) and it seemed stable, but that may have been the image stabilizer.
Nonetheless, the 'drama' of the news reports was not taking into account many factors of the video, including lens magnification, with the possible flight path (even in turbulent air) being many miles closer than what the tornadoes were. Makes for a better dramatization that way.
Still any tornado has to be occurring in unstable air and windy conditions. Just look at the surrounding hail and wind on the ground with all the weather chaser vids.
In a very old and somewhat odd film called The Stuntman, Peter O'Toole as the director asks how tall was King Kong? 3'6" tall.