editorial/ cover story - Air World

AVIATION NEWS
Heli Air Opens
New Base and
Flight
Instructor
Academy at
Gloucestershire
Airport
Heli Air, the UK’s leading
helicopter business, is delighted
to announce that from 24th
September 2012, its new base at
Gloucestershire Airport will be
fully operational.
From helicopter charter to private
& commercial pilot training,
from aircraft broker sales to
helicopter maintenance, from
public transport to infrastructure
surveillance, Heli Air offers an
extensive range of services and
operates with more than 40
helicopters from seven bases
across the UK. Gloucester will be
the latest addition to a list that
includes Wellesbourne,
Wycombe, Denham, Silverstone,
Thruxton and Fairoaks.
Heli Air is also Europe’s largest
Robinson Helicopter distributor
and operations at Gloucester will
commence with a 2-seat
Robinson R22 and a 4-seat R44
with plans to expand the fleet to
include a 5-seat R66 and a Bell
206 JetRanger in the near future
followed by additional R22s and
a Bell LongRanger.
The Gloucester base will be
home to Heli Air’s new Flight
Instructor Academy. In addition,
as the company already holds UK
CAA FTO and TRTO approvals
on many aircraft, the Gloucester
base will also be offering full
PPL(H) and CPL(H) courses and
Type Ratings on the majority of
single engine helicopters.
Captain Mike Buckland, a
recognised specialist in training
commercial pilots to become
helicopter flight instructors will
be the new Heli Air Gloucester
Base Manager. He has extensive
knowledge of piloting, flight
instruction and pilot skills testing
& examinations as well as public
transport capabilities and Mike
will be responsible for all Heli
Air activities at the base,
including its ongoing
development.
Brian Kane, Heli Air’s Head of
Sales & Marketing, commented:
“The company has been
expanding continuously over the
past two years and when the
opportunity arose to secure a
newly built facility adjacent to
the control tower at
Gloucestershire Airport, we were
quick to seize it. The airport is
very centrally located, close to
the M5 and the A40, and has an
excellent reputation nationally
for General Aviation as well as a
large helicopter presence already.
We’re very excited about the
prospects for our new base at this
airport.
Page 2 of 3
Heli Air chose Gloucestershire
Airport because of its reputation
as a centre of excellence for
helicopter operations. With the
ILS project well underway and
first class modern hangar
facilities available, it is clear that
the very supportive management
team at the airport has a sound
strategy for the future”. Darren
Lewington, Head of Operations
at Gloucestershire Airport said:
“We’re delighted to welcome
Heli Air to Staverton, adding a
huge benefit to the portfolio of
rotary facilities available here.”
• Heli Air is the UK's
largest onshore helicopter
operation, offering the country's
most extensive range of products
and services:
Helicopter Charter
Heli Air has its own fleet of over
25 helicopters available for
charter for leisure and business
purposes. The company can also
manage the chartering of
privately-owned helicopters.
Pilot and Instructor Training
With full UK CAA FTO and
TRTO approvals, Heli Air can
provide all the training required
to obtain both the Private Pilot’s
Licence PPL(H) and the
Commercial Pilot’s Licence
CPL(H) as well as Type Ratings
for the Robinson R22, R44, Bell
206 JetRanger & LongRanger,
Eurocopter AS350 (Squirrel),
Eurocopter EC120 & EC130,
Hughes 500 (369).
Heli Air also now runs at
Gloucestershire Airport a full
Instructor Course for pilots
wishing to obtain an instructor
rating - FI(H).
Helicopter Maintenance
Heli Air maintains at Wycombe
& Wellesbourne over 120
Robinson R22s & R44s, Bell 206
JetRangers and LongRangers,
Eurocopter EC120s & EC130s,
Squirrels and Twin Squirrels,
MD500s and Agusta 109s.
Brokerage Facilities
Heli Air can broker the sale and
purchase of all makes and models
of both new and pre-owned
helicopters.
Utility Infrastructure
Surveillance
Heli Air undertakes commercial
contracts for several major UK
pipeline operators.
• Heli Air is Europe’s
largest distributor of Robinson
helicopters including the R22, the
R44 and the R66 Turbine.
• Heli Air’s Head
Office is at Wellesbourne Airfield
near Warwick and it has bases at
Denham Aerodrome (Uxbridge,
Middlesex), Fairoaks Airport
(Surrey), Gloucestershire
Airport, Wycombe Air Park,
Silverstone Heliport and
Thruxton Aerodrome in
Hampshire.
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AIR WORLD October 2012-17