Inside job
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Joined: Mar 2000
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From: UK
Inside job
New Zealand Stuff report
Garden City Helicopters pilot Neil Scott has flown for 38 years, but flying inside a building yesterday was a first for him.
"You often dry cricket pitches and polo fields ... and tar-seal outside buildings, but not inside a building," Mr Scott said.
"It was a bit hard to control because of the interference of the roof with the normal airflow through the system. It's like riding in turbulent weather conditions.
"You're limited in height and controllability. We were very cautious when we started."
The helicopter was called in by Christchurch construction firm BD Construction to help with drying a metal (aggregate) base laid in the huge shed prior to asphalting.
The Bromley building, for Car Haulways Ltd, will be used to store cars and is about 25m wide, 30m high and 90m deep.
BD operations manager Wes Jeffreys said the metal base had needed water for compacting and then had to be dried.
The use of the helicopter was also a first for the construction firm, he said.
Mr Scott spent about three hours manoeuvring in the shed yesterday.
"The construction firm ended up being pretty happy with the job.
"They had been waiting for three weeks to dry it out. It just shows the versatility of a helicopter, that it can do all those things," he said.
Helicopter firm tackles inside job
Garden City Helicopters pilot Neil Scott has flown for 38 years, but flying inside a building yesterday was a first for him.
"You often dry cricket pitches and polo fields ... and tar-seal outside buildings, but not inside a building," Mr Scott said.
"It was a bit hard to control because of the interference of the roof with the normal airflow through the system. It's like riding in turbulent weather conditions.
"You're limited in height and controllability. We were very cautious when we started."
The helicopter was called in by Christchurch construction firm BD Construction to help with drying a metal (aggregate) base laid in the huge shed prior to asphalting.
The Bromley building, for Car Haulways Ltd, will be used to store cars and is about 25m wide, 30m high and 90m deep.
BD operations manager Wes Jeffreys said the metal base had needed water for compacting and then had to be dried.
The use of the helicopter was also a first for the construction firm, he said.
Mr Scott spent about three hours manoeuvring in the shed yesterday.
"The construction firm ended up being pretty happy with the job.
"They had been waiting for three weeks to dry it out. It just shows the versatility of a helicopter, that it can do all those things," he said.
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 373
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From: ON A HILL
Another insider
Looking at the photo of the helicopter drying the concrete. Given that one had enough space inside a building, would it require a licence to hover a machine indoors, given that the pilot had sufficient experience to handle it.
