A couple of Melbourne, Victoria rumours

[Squeaks]

A couple of Spring rumours surface this week, down here in Mexico ;)

The Yarra Bank Helipad lease is coming to its end, and tender is about to be called for another lease period. MicroFlite has plenty of money (or so it seems) but will more be thrown at the lessor to secure the lease? Will it return to the good old days of a public use helipad?

The Helicopter Service Australia is rumoured to have been sold, maybe to a South African entity? It's only seven years or so since it last changed hands :ok:

[Squeaks]

Latest buzz is Starlite; it'll be interesting to see what they have planned for Australia/PNG :cool:

[Aussiecop]

So is Microflite out on a re bid for the slot there or have they declined as other offers are higher? That would be an incredibly busy pad if someone bought the lease to charge landing fees. With as much interest as some of the rich and famous would have to want to land there to go to events etc, I could see it making decent money as long as they could keep turning over pickups and drop offs. You'd have to have a pilot that stayed with the aircraft I'd reckon in case it needed to vacate in that case, or pay ridiculous hourly parking rates if you were going to monopolize the space for a long period.

I see validity in that business model, but it has been so long, who knows...
I've taken off and landed there before, it's a cool pad to come in and out of.

[spinwing]

Mmmmm ....

...... it's a cool pad to come in and out of. .....

.... and I think its bloody dangerous ....

[mickjoebill]

Are there restrictions on number of movements?

Mickjoebill

[Squeaks]

Currently I don't believe there is any restriction on the number of movements, but I stand to be corrected! Lease is up for both the bluestone building and the waterbed lease, EOI by next Wednesday, 17th September at 2pm.

The helipad belongs to the current leaseholder and would have to be replaced.

Interesting times :hmm:

[mickjoebill]

Guestimates of what the lease and bluestone folly will go for….

Mickjoebill

[terminus mos]

When Jayrow first had it, the lounge was great and the pad worked well. But its always been a bit dodgy from a safety perspective. I have landed there quite a few times although not for many years now.

The day someone loses an engine going in or out of there just as a tram crosses the Spencer Street Bridge it will be headline news.

[John Eacott]

tm,

Safety has been something to think about at the Yarra Bank for many a year: I wouldn't know how many landings I've done there but it would be nudging 4 figures. Bill's taxi would run 4-8 landings a day from Nunawading!

My Yarra River engine failure was while on steep finals to the WTC pad, but I've watched quite a few drivers come into either pad without an escape clause should it go pear-shaped.

It would be nice to see it return to a public use pad, although many operators would baulk at paying anything for a landing let alone a commercial fee! Since Tulla has outlawed helicopter landings there isn't a market there other than the 109s running to the Mercedes dealer, but there could still be a good market for aerial work and charter ops to work to the city centre.

[Squeaks]

On the rumour front, I hear that the golden spanner is no longer at Essendon after being evicted.

Any confirmation?