Floods help case for bigger helicopter

Press, 30 December 1976, Page 8

Floods help case for bigger helicopter

PA Wellington Ihe das after the floods in Wellington eased last week. Capital Helicopters was given the licence it had long sought iport a Bell Jetranger helicopter The owner ot Capita! Helicopters (Mr P Button) has -aid that the helicopter will he used only for emergency work until the licensing authority rules on an appeal hv the company to use the aircraft. The licensing authority declined an application for a licence to run a Jetranger on the grounds that the service the company proposed was “unnecessary and undesirBut after the floods last week, the police and Civil Defence chief- agreed that Mr Button’s call for a bigger helicopter had been strengthened. Capita! Helicopter- already has a two-seater Hughes 300 aircraft, but‘the Jetranger is bigger. 30 knots faster, can carry a winch, and can take two stretchers inside, instead of outside as the Hughes must. In the last eight days, the Hughes helicopter has been

fused in two emergencies, tn both cases, the Jetranger would have been more useful. according to Mr Button On December 20. the Hughes made about 50 takeoffs and landings at Petone alone. mostly to rescue people from the roofs of flooded factories and othet ’buildings. In about six hours iof flying that day. it took off and landed about 100 times. For the first three hours, it was hired bv the Fire Service. while news organisations paid the bill for the rest of the day’s flying. The Hughes costs $l5O an hour to hire. On December 21 and 22. the Hughes helicopter flew a further six to seven hours, i mostly for news services. On December 27, the helicopter resumed its emergency work, spending two hours searching for a yachtsman) missing in Cook Strait. But because the Hughes is a; I piston-engined craft, it could not fly' far out to sea safely. | and concentrated on searching the coast. Mr Button said that the Jet ranger was jet-powered and could have searched al much greater ar<-i

He said a helicopter from the United States ice-breaker Burton Island spent six hours (searching tor the yachtsman, and helped last week. “We should not have to , rely on helicopters from 'visiting ships. We should be able to cope with these jemergencies ourselves,” Mt I Button said. He said that the Jetranger had been ordered, but no dei livery date had yet been set .— “and we don’t know how*' thev are going to treat us on I i price.” Because of the delay in) ordering the helicopter, the I ■company might now have to pay the 15 per cent higher( factory price for 1977. New. ■Zealand’s devaluation would! .also add to the price. Before devaluation, the maker charged $lBO,OOO for 'the helicopter. $lO,OOO deliviery costs, and $50,000 for ■accessories such as a winch, i a radar, and a powerful (searchlight. ’ Mr Button said that though the payments from news media and emergency services would help the ; company's balance-sheet, it (had still not made the in■<rme budgeted for the year.