on the 7Th of July sick children from twenty different hospitals around Ireland will be air lifted to the lakes of blessinton near Dublin for a great days events laid on by the bubblegum Charity. in cooperation with private helicopter owners in Ireland.this is the fifth year this has taken place with the heli count going up each year.four of us "all pilots " take on the task to recruit and coordinate with our fellow pilots the operation.this year we hope to have
fifty helicopters ranging from r44,206,120 ,407,222.s76,109,135 you name it ,it will be there .all owners give there heli for free including the pilot services .Ireland,s air core supply ground and air opps on site each year.i will post this years pics after the event.
has anyone else carried out this type of operation in there country as we are always open to helicopter ideas to give the kids a better day each year .

ps. we hope to lift about 250 kids on the day.weather permitting.

choppersquad.

Sounds more like a mobilisation.

Great idea.

What an unselfish thing to participate in - I hope the sun shines all day for you.

What a lovely thing to do. I wish you tailwind.

Would this school bus be of any help?

http://www.unicopter.com/Temporary/Airbus.jpg


Just the addition of a little humor to what is a very considerate undertaking.

I've done something similar but only for one handicapped children's home - after thirty years I still remember it as the best day's flying I ever did. Unfortunately, they were too young to do anything more creative than pleasure flights, but it was enough.

Enjoy it, and send us some photos!

phil

I've done flights for terminally ill children and I can assure you it is the pilot that reaps the true reward. Seeing a smile on a young one's face in those circumstances cannot be described adequately. If you ever get a chance to help out....do not hesitate for a second.

I flew a young teenaged boy, Leukemia sufferer, and when I asked about his status three days later, was told he had passed. Odd how one can be struck by the unfairness of life at times.

Great going of u lads , for sure hope thoose poor kids have a great of a day.
Hope i someday will get to do something like that. Looking forward to those pic´s.

Brilliant Day last year. Hope weather is better this year. Here are a few Pictures from last years gathering.

What a great day it was, to see the faces on those kids was brilliant, all credit to the organisers, they really do a great job, looking forward to this year again. if anyone out there has a helicopter to spare on that day please give the bubblegum club a call and let them know and help to make the kids day a little brighter. Keep up the good work guys...........Thanks also to vertical t/o for posting some of my photos.

No bother CVR. I'll teach you how to do it yet.

Nice to see a FAA N-Registered aircraft there as well. Hope there were lots of warning signs about....knowing how unsafe those things are.

what is the weather like in summer in dublin? im guessing just like over hear!wet! but atleast you dont have the humidity! obviously winter would be snowing, but might it be better to choose spring or autumn next year???-from memory the weather was good when i went over in the beginning of autumn (or was it spring?), but that was over ten years ago!
oh well, i hope it turns out better than last year!
hey, you could always fly them over to france! now the weathers sure to be good there...
cheers, ball.

yes the big problem on the day is the wheather but you just have to go for the date you have picked and hope for the best ,we are well into summer ,and it was ok over the last few years fingers crossed.
choppersquad.

just quick a update for the 7th of july.
we are now up to forty one helicopters for the days event.
if anyone in the north of Ireland can spare there helicopter for a trip down on the morning and back that evening please pm me as we have kids in Derry and Belfast hospitals to collect .
thanks in advance.
choppersquad.

Have you told the media about the event, that`ll be a perfect "lift the public" story to finish with after the days doom and gloom,send the beeb or itn an e-mail and ask for some coverage... and btw, hope all goes well and you get perfect weather...ps if you want i`ll do it for you, just let me know...although i wont be there on the day

I have sent a PM and e-mail to a BBC fellow along with contact info for Choppersquad. Maybe something will come of that. Multiple contacts will not hurt Mustard...ring them up!

being done as we speak



my cousin works at the beeb, he can push a few buttons and pull a few strings so to speak

thanks
guys
i,am sure the bubblegum club charity could do with the PR as the charity is devoted to sick children and children less well off .
choppersquad.

This is such a fantastic event!

We have a Hospice nearby that we always support with fund raising events and I think something like this would be a fabulous event for these kids as well.
Am interested in trying to set something up in the Southeast of England and have few questions

1)Are there any insurance issues that need to be covered?

2) Does the Bubblegum club operate nationally or Ireland only?

3) What sort of events do the kids do when they get to the lake?

4) What sort of CAA issues would there be with regards to mass invasion of Helicopters on private land?

5) Do you have any contacts that could answer any questions

6) Do you have to be CPL to do this or can you just simply rent and fly a few kids and helpers into the event? Cant think of a better way of flying an hour building time!!!!!

If you can think of any other questions that would need to be answered then please feel free.

Thankyou in advance

Flash