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Shane: Some more info and images on DCH!
Dublin City Helicopters
Sikorsky S-61 Helicopter
Registration EI-BPK
Dublin City Helicopters hoped to carry between 30,000 and 35,000
passengers during their first 12 months of operations. The breakeven
load factor would be about 55%, but this was rarely achieved, with an
average of about 40% per flight.
The "block time" (brakes off Dublin to brakes on Holyhead) was about
30 minutes. Departures from Dublin Airport (Pier 1) were at 0700,
1115, 1450, 1630 and 2145, with Holyhead departures at 0745, 1230,
1535, 1930, and 2230hrs. At Holyhead a coach service linked the
helipad with the rail station. The service was marketed jointly with
British Rail as "Helirail"
Fares:
Holyhead-Dublin London-Dublin
Single UKŁ35 UKŁ59
Low season day return UKŁ45
High season day return UKŁ56
Monthly return low season UKŁ53 UKŁ83
Monthly return high season UKŁ60 UKŁ94
During the same period direct air fares London-Dublin were:
Single UKŁ68
Excursion return low season UKŁ116
Excursion return high season UKŁ135
APEX (Basic) UKŁ94
APEX (Peak) UKŁ103
The helicopter was delivered Gatwick-Holyhead-Dublin 27.03.85 in full
Dublin City Helicopters colours. Entered service on 03.04.85 with a
basic 5 round trips to Holyhead per day except Sunday. D.C.H. built
their own heliport at Holyhead, it was equipped with approach lights
and PAPI's (Precision Approach Path Indicators) in two directions.
This service did not generate the passenger numbers required and from
mid-May their services were cut to three round trips a day, dropping
the early morning and late evening services.
Operated several shuttle flights between Dublin and the Bruce
Springsteen concert at Slane on 01/06/85.
The 5-per day schedule between Dublin and Holyhead was reinstated at
the beginning of June, but on 6-7 June all operations were cancelled
when the helicopter "went tech." and had to be ferried to
London-Gatwick to fix a gear-box problem. Dublin City Helicopters
suspended operations at the close of business on 17.06.85. EI-BPK was
re-possessed by British Airways Helicopters the following morning, and
departed Dublin at 0810 hrs local for Aberdeen/Dyce.
The Dublin-Holyhead service had been in operation for only 11 weeks.
The company operated about 285 round trips during the 11 weeks, and
apart from the two day downtime for unscheduled maintenance,
operational reliability was good, with very few technical delays and
only a handful of weather disruptions, when RAF Valley
was used as an alternative terminal.
To answer your question, if the above is correct and the craft was leased from BAH and if the lease was on an AMCI basis, then the crews presumably went on to perform other BAH-related work.
Shame really as a 30 minute sector is perfect for blitterblat flying: Execute take-off and clear-up the outbound radio-work, climb to cruise height and set her up for the leg, whack on the AP and let P2 do his thing (he's all keen and eagre anyway). Pour a shot of caffč espresso from the Thermos bottle, read a quarter page of a decent daily, pick up a tune on the ADF while checking-out any interesting shipping .. then prepare for descent and landing!
Dublin City Helicopters S61N EI-BPK departs Dublin on 30th March 1985 for the 30 minute flight to Holyhead (Photo: Fergal Goodman)
BPK at Dubs on 22nd April 1985 (Photo: Jacob Struben)
BPK again at Dubs this time on 7th May 1985
Apparently DCH intended to move the Irish end of the op to a downtown facility in Dublin and which would have made more sense and presumably attracted greater appeal but, as we've read, the enterprise didn't last long enough.