I clearly got my facts twisted (sorry Rotorheads) as I stated that MPG was owned by HAM and used on a charter basis to fly Prince Alblert whereas you are saying that the aircraft is in fact owned by Prince Albert and operated on his behalf by Monacair! Either way she's a great ship and doubtless ideal for his purposes.
Its seems the Prince has found some space at the Western extremity for MPG's hangar at Fontvieille or was this hangar already there?
Hi Guys A correction. It appears that my French is worse than I thought! 3A-MPG is owned by the wife of Sir Philip Green the UK retail entrepreneur and used by Prince Albert and (I understand) operated and maintained by MonacAir. Sorry for adding to the confusion. Here is a photo I took earlier today. Another fantastic day.
The Hangar is the same one used by The Aero Club. It is in the process of being extended to allow for the Aero Clubs new aircraft.
. As we consider that stretch of coastline known as the Côte d'Azur and, in addition to the many yachts and their helicopters which I would still like to post here, I would also like to touch upon the region's principal helicopter operators.
They are all located within a short distance of each other, operate identical equipment and, for the most part, serve the same market. And yet each of these outfits, perhaps understandably, possess unique characteristics.
I have learnt from previous posts not to overwhelm the post with too much information so this is just an introduction to which further contributions may be added (according to views) as we progress.
One of the region's significant players after Heli Air Monaco (HAM) is Heli Securite (HES) who, as with HAM, are an IATA registered operator offering scheduled services into and out of Nice but, in the case of HES, flying Westbound to their home base in St. Tropez.
A HES Ecureuil departs St. Tropez for a nearby helipad to uplift passengers for a transfer to Nice airport
In addition to the staple work of airport transfers and shuttles between coastal towns HES, as with HAM, undertake a variety of charter assignments which include transfers to and from large yachts, tailored flightseeing tours, Heliskiing and a variety of aerial work tasks including coastal photography.
Since the 1970's the Côte d'Azur has experienced untramelled growth in its helicopter operations and HES, along with one of its founding partners Heli Secours, has been among those which have benefitted from this success.
A HES Ecureuil departs for another coastal assignment
HES has however become a victim of its own success as in recent years (and not wanting to be outdone by the British in their opposition of rotorcraft operations) a number of St. Tropez residents have complained about the number of movements in the area. On 13th July this year one resident claims to have logged one helicopter flight into or out of St. Tropez every 7 minutes for 8 hours!
While perhaps an exaggeration the fact is that during the summer months the entire Côte d'Azur is literally 'abuzz' with helicopter traffic as anyone who has visited will readily attest.
A HES 365N delivers passengers from their hotel directly to the apron of a private airstrip to meet their charter
While there will always be those who complain, the growth of helicopter traffic along the coastline of Southern France and the relatively low number of incidents incurred is, in my view, a success story for the industry.
As things stand and with the popularity of the region showing no sign of regression, we can expect helicopter operations to continue from strength to strength and, one supposes, to the increasing annoyance of some local residents!
Rotorheads who are not in a rush could do worse than to spend 5 mins browsing Heli Securite's gallery which contains some pleasing images: phototheque
Looking as though it has been created for the next James Bond film, Besenzoni’s 'Helybase' is a self-levelling platform pf 60m² which folds itself away making it useful for large yacht applications.
The key to the Helybase is the use of a folding petal-shaped structure. From its folded position the platform automatically emerges from under the deck and "opens like a flower" to receive the landing helicopter.
Besenzoni's fold-away helicopter landing pad for yacht applications
The product is the result of 2 years research in cooperation with Sergio Baragetti, Professor at Bergamo Univeristy in Italy who is also engaged in research with the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research.
Helybase is the only self-levelling platform able to compensate for a ship’s inclination in both longitudinal and transversal directions, thus keeping the landing platform perfectly horizontal.
The platform is made of a special combination of titanium and carbon offering a 60% saving in weight over conventional materials.
Although designed for installation in the bow section, its flexibility could see it positioned in the stern or on the fly bridge (the traditional location of whirlpools).
The three models available create surfaces from 8 up to 60 square metres, and a capacity of up to 55 KN (55.000 N).
PremiAir, one of the UK’s leading private aviation charter companies, is making its debut at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) in Cannes between 7-10 December. Reinforcing its presence, PremiAir Group Managing Director, David McRobert will participate as a panelist in the prestigious annual travel industry leaders’ forum which takes place on 6 December, the first day of the event.
Moderated by Graham Boynton, Ultra Travel’s editor, this year’s forum is entitled “Global Trends in Luxury Travel.” David will take the opportunity to highlight his views on future executive charter trends, and discuss how the luxury travel business can find and retain high value customers, speaking from a business jet and executive helicopter operator’s perspective. PremiAir also manages London’s only CAA-licensed heliport, the newly redeveloped London Heliport in Battersea, set to be a popular destination for 2012 Olympics visitors and a likely discussion point for visitors at this year’s event. PremiAir is sharing a stand with sister company, luxury hotel group von Essen (Stand No 0171).
PremiAir will also be co-hosting 14 VIP travel buyers visiting the exhibition. The guests will experience the full “PremiAir service,” spending the night at newly opened, von-Essen owned, hotel Verta, which, together with the impressive London Heliport passenger terminal, forms London’s ‘Vertical Gateway’, the first integrated hotel-heliport solution in Europe. Early morning flights by Sikorsky S76 helicopters will deliver the guests, in just 10 minutes, to two awaiting Learjet 45’s at PremiAir’s new London Biggin Hill base from where they will be whisked to the French Riviera and the private airport at Cannes Mandelieu.
“The luxury travel industry is an important element of our client base which is why we have taken the decision to get involved with ILTM this year. Hosting the buyers gives us a great showcase to present our fixed and rotary wing services and chat with them about their thoughts on business in 2011 and beyond. We look forward to communicating just how simple, cost effective and versatile private jet and helicopter charter can be,” says McRobert.
The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès: Venue for ILTM 2010
ILTM, organised by Reed Exhibitions, is the only business-to-business event dedicated to showcasing high-end travel suppliers to specialist luxury travel trade buyers from around the globe through an unrivalled pre-scheduled appointment system.
Savoia - I see you copied the article on that folding helipad from HeliHub.com - given you also copied the intentional spelling mistake It would have been courteous to note the name of the site you copied it from, so this makes amends for you this time.
Yellow & Blue Baron - you've been reading HeliHub.com too given your reference to the first Swiss S76. Credit where credit is due!
MyTarget -> HAM's EC155 was sold to Heli Holland
BrilliantStuff -> Vestey not only owned a helicopter (355F2 G-BSLL) but his own AOC company too - Star Aviation at Fairoaks (circa 1989-91)
The Hermes EC135 is most unlikely to be sold to the superyacht owners as the posh skids are not certified with floats
Thanks helihub, that explains a lot about Lord Vestey. He was an excellent passenger on the one and only flight I had with him and it also explains why he did not mind landing the Jetranger on his front lawn and leaving it over night to be picked up at 0600hrs the next morning due to bad weather.
Thanks to Swiss Heli for their great write ups! And by the way when I first posted about HB-ZMS I included two photos from the swissheli.com site but the moderator 'modified' the post so he can confirm to you that this information came from Swiss Heli.
Maybe try to get your facts (or evidence) correct next time!
The European agency EASA delivered to Helicopteres Guimbal its final approval for the optional installation of an emergency flotation system on their helicopter Cabri G2.
This success results from significant development efforts, over two years, from the manufacturer and its partner, the world specialist Zodiac Aerazur.
Three flight testing campaigns, including two at sea, and several live deployments were involved to cover the flight envelope.
The Cabri flotation system features a number of exclusive innovations, each of them giving the helicopter operators an operational benefit : Its use and deployment are validated in flight throughout the Cabri’s flight envelope, up to 130 kts, without any limitation or performance penalty, the flotation system is perfectly integrated, and keeps the standard landing gear and nearly the same baggage capacity, the floats while folded in their canister can be installed and removed in a few minutes by the pilot alone, without tool, the system comprises a purposely designed, high-reliability electronic box which ensures an automatic backup deployment of the floats, trough immersion sensing.
This new equipment opens to the Cabri G2 new markets involving flying over water, where only one competitor exists. It comforts the Cabri in its position of high passive and active-safety helicopter.
The first Cabri equipped with the new system was introduced in service by a private operator based in Monaco.
Cabri G2 3A-MIS owned by the Aero Club de Monaco at Fontvieille Heliport
3A-MIS on float trials with Guimbal, EASA and Zodiac Aerazur
The Monaco Grand Prix shall be taking place between 26-29 May.
Slots for 26-28 are still available as is a limited number of parking spaces for owners flying-in on these days.
On Grand Prix day (Sunday 29th) access to Monte Carlo via the heliport is only available via the four licenced Fontvieille operators ie: Heli Air Monaco, Monacair, Heli Securitie and the Azur Hélicoptère Compagnie.
Those wishing to fly in between 26-28 may request slots from:
Yann Schmidt Heli Air Monaco Ph: + 377 92 050 050 Mail: yann[at]heliairmonaco[dot]com
Nice Côte d’Azur airport has announced that there was an increase in the number of commercial, business and helicopter flights in and out of the regional hub during April. Commercial air travel grew by 9.1 per cent, whilst helicopter traffic is up 4.1 per cent.
The rise in traffic is a welcomed boost after 11.3 per cent decrease during February, which has been attributed to the North African revolutions. The news is particularly promising for Heli Air Monaco, which shuttles 85 per cent of its passengers between the Principality and Nice Côte d’Azur airport each year.
At the start of the year, the company launched its ‘Check and Fly’ service, allowing passengers to check into their connecting flight at the airport from the heliport in Monaco.
Currently 300,000 people a year pass through Nice airport on the way to Monaco and Heliair recognise that they face stiff competition from other modes of transport in providing a route to and from the Principality.
The ‘Check and Fly’ has had a positive start, 2,300 customers have used the service since it was opened. The idea behind the project was to make travelling onwards from the heliport in Monaco, much simpler. Passengers can now leave their luggage at the heliport and will collect it when they arrive at their final destination.
The concept is the same as connecting flights through commercial airlines, as the process uses the same MAP software as the majority of other air operators at Nice Côte d’Azur airport.
"And it works both ways," Jacques Crovetto, Director General of Heli Air Monaco said. "You can check-in at a London airport and pick up your baggage in Monaco."
However the company, which celebrates 35 years this year, acknowledges that like all commercial air travel they are unable to guarantee that baggage won’t go missing during connecting flights from time to time.
A Heli Air Monaco helicopter loads baggage at Monaco's Fontvieille heliport prior to departing on its regular shuttle service to Nice Côte d’Azur airport
A first time heli-flyer’s nerves give way to desire to fly a chopper
Chief Pilot Jean Noël Durand (r), Sabine Weber and Benjamin Mondie
Our Robinson R-44 is bright yellow, and its licence plate WH has to be spelled with the international radiotelephony alphabet: Whiskey Hotel. I was about to take my first helicopter flight with Jean Noël Durand, a volunteer Chief Pilot, and Benjamin Mondie, an Accounts Manager, both members of the Aéroclub de Monaco.
Jean Noël is a former airline pilot, and says that when he got into a helicopter for the first time, he knew he was meant to be there: “There is no other place where you can feel this absolute freedom.”
We take off from Fontvieille out to sea then glide easily over Monaco’s hinterland, over the picturesque Mala bay in Cap d'Ail. We are soon approaching the tiny ski resort of Gréolière-des-neiges. On our way, we fly over a family of deer, a very privileged moment as they look so beautiful altogether.
We are making our way towards a small platform of about four square meters, perched on a rock. All around it there is nothing but a very steep slope.
Jean Noël knows I am nervous and teases me mercilessly, yet I am totally confident in him and his machine. It really is magical, the way it drops down onto the platform - no landing strip required. It is easy to see why helicopters are so effective for rescue and military operations.
During the flight Jean Noël tells me about the club which dates back to 1941 when it was called the Modèle Air Club founded by Jean Marquet. The club offers members the opportunity to take their PPL, Private Pilot’s Licence.
To pass it, you need to devote seven months to a year with about an hour’s flight time per week. The minimal amount of flying lessons is 45 hours, and costs around 550 euros an hour.
Once you pass the licence, you have access to the club's helicopter rental service, and the chance to fly over the mountains yourself. You can also get another certificate to fly at night or take the controls of a particular type of helicopter. Membership costs 1,000 euros a year.
Sadly the 30 minutes flying time is too short and passes way too quickly. If my budget allowed, I would definitely try for my licence with Jean Noël as my instructor. What a fabulous hobby!
. Just a note to mention that a second version of the 2010 Héli Sécurité clip is now on YouTube (bottom). A short piece on Héli Sécurité also features on the previous page.
