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Helicopter data
According to Lyn (sp?-this is a man's name) Durling, helicopter
enthusiast at Aris Helicopters LTD of San Jose (998-3266), whether
helicopters land on roofs is largely a matter of community acceptance.
He says that helicopters do it more back East, in large Midwest cities,
even in Southern California. He says SF is an extreme case, having no
public usage heliport in downtown SF. Partly for reasons of safety,
mostly for reasons of noise. SF Bank of America wanted to have helicopters
land on its roof and fly things directly to its computation center, but
was denied permission. (Quote about rich executives in ivory towers
playing with expensive toys. Says L.D., helicopters are not toys! They're
so expensive to run, that when you see one doing something, it's working.)
However, he says things are changing. Says SF is now considering
public usage heliport in China Basin, may approve it by April, Says FAA
forecasts doubling of public helicopter usage by 1990.
Also wants to know if JMC has been up in helicopter. Says if you
are writing about, you should take a ride, and he'd like to take you on one.
Rick Gleason, in financial dept. of same company says costs vary
hugely with model, usage. Finally admitted that a Beljet Ranger, which
carries 3-4 passengers, costs $150/hour to operate, so that if it ran
300 hours/year he estimated $45,000-$55,000, probably closer to the higher
figure. Gas and maintenance alone, not including insurance or payments.
The $150 figure doesn't include things that break down before they're
expected to break down. Adds that new one might cost $80,000/year just
for payments.
March 21--LD suggests I call him back towards the end of April,as
the helicopter he planned to take jmc up in is involved in hassle, may
not be insured until then, also they are very busy with storm clean-up.