Elite Helicopters & Aviation Services was first created in November 1994, when two of the current Directors made the decision to leave a well established Helicopter Charter and Training Organisation, join forces with a third partner and to set up an AOC Operation of their own. In what is a fiercely competitive and protective industry, and at a time when new business ventures were still struggling through the ‘Recession’, many people thought the decision was ‘foolhardy and risky’, but Sharon and Glenn still say it was ‘courageous and inspired’. White Waltham Airfield became the base for the new Company, this venue being chosen due to its superb location West of London and the very Helicopter pro-active attitude of its owners, West London Aero Club. In March 1995 the Company had its application for an Air Operators Certificate approved by the Civil Aviation Authority and a Certificate was issued and the Company immediately commenced Commercial Operations. For the first year the Company concentrated on the activities that Sharon and Glenn were the most experienced with, Charter, Helipad Operations and Pleasure Flying, initially we the Company only had one Bell JetRanger helicopter to operate, however within a very short period of time the fleet of aircraft operated had expanded and has continued to do so over the years. Elite’s reputation for quality of service soon became well established. Business boomed as the company became one of the biggest operators at the 1997 British Grand Prix, moving over 400 people to and from the Circuit on the main race day. This figure continued to grow year by year, eventually peaking in 2001 and 2002 when the Company flew in excess of 600 passengers to and from the event In 2001 Elite Helicopters took over the Helicopter Operations and Training School at Goodwood Aerodrome, West Sussex from Stephenson Aviation. Over the next two years both the Charter and Training divisions were restructured and a solid base of operation founded at Goodwood to compliment the White Waltham base. Today we have four Bell JetRanger helicopters, one Bell LongRanger and four Eurocopter AS350 Squirrel Helicopters available for Charter with Robinson R22 & R44 helicopters operated by the training school. We specialise in the management and leaseback of aircraft for private owners offering a complete package incorporating any requirements they may have such as pilot services, hangarage, insurance, etc. etc. Over the years Elite Helicopters has been awarded the contracts for the provision of Heliport Services at Helitech in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2005; Farnborough International in 1998, 2000 and 2002, 2004 and 2006; and in 2005 we will for the first time be working in co-operation with Goodwood Road Racing Circuit to provide the Heliport Services at Goodwood Racecourse for the prestigious Glorious Goodwood event. To enable the company to continue to provide the level of service expected, a total of 15 freelance pilots are on line during the summer season. This ensures that the company can have an aircraft and pilot available, usually within an hour of a client’s initial contact. All Elite pilots are extremely experienced, many having backgrounds in the forces or with the major airlines, and nearly all company pilots hold instructor ratings. The flexibility of the pilots and their willingness to have a hands-on approach when dealing with clients is essential in our sector of the industry and has helped us to develop the friendly, approachable and professional business that Elite Helicopters has become. Aircraft Type Elite Helicopters operate the Bell 206 JetRanger and Bell LongRanger helicopters for pleasure flying. These turbine-engined helicopters carry 4 passengers and 6 passenger respectively on each flight. On pleasure flying tasks the Jet Ranger and LongRanger helicopter will operate up to a height of approximately 1,500 flights flights helicopter helicopter flights flights flight ft and cruise at a speed of about 120 mph, giving its passengers an excellent panoramic view of the show site and the surrounding local area. Flight Duration The passengers are on board the helicopter for approximately 5 minutes and during the actual flight of 4 to 5 minutes they will cover between 8 and 10 nautical miles. In addition to the commission rates offered we also provide one free flight for four persons for the show organisers to use as they choose. This flights helicopter flights can be raffled in a prize draw or utilised by the organisers as a reward to helpers at the event or alternatively for obtaining aerial photographs of the event. SOUVENIRS All children will receive a Flight Certificate to commemorate their flight. (Adults will not be refused these upon request). We also have commemorative souvenir adhesive badges for sale along with Elite Helicopters souvenir Baseball Caps and Fuji Fun Cameras for those people who have forgotten to bring their own camera along on the day, but want to catch to the special moment when they take their flight on film. LANDING SITE We require an area of approximately 275 metres in length and 30 metres in width as an operating area. This area is required for the approach and departure of the helicopter to and from the actual landing site, and needs to be free of any obstructions. It is important to note that we are not permitted to overfly any car parks, buildings or the show site itself on approach or departure to the landing site. Within this area we will rope off a site of 100 metres x 30 metres for use as the landing pad. Unless the site has previously been cleared for helicopter operations, or we can ascertain its suitability from site plans and maps, we will need to make a visit prior to the event to inspect the site's suitability and to gain Civil Aviation Authority approval. If you are able to provide us with a grid reference from a local ordnance survey map and site plan showing the layout of the site and the general surrounding area it would greatly assist us. Safety and Emergency Equipment Elite Helicopters will provide full emergency and safety equipment to meet Civil Aviation Authority requirements. We provide our own ground crew who are highly trained, friendly and experienced. They will set up the site, act as safety officers and assist passengers when they are embarking and disembarking the aircraft. Insurance Elite Helicopters carry full insurance cover for each of their aircraft, providing cover up to £10,000,000 for any one incident. A copy of this insurance is available on request. Celebrity - Photographic - Publicity Flights Very often organisers of events ask if we can arrange to fly a visiting celebrity to the event, or have a photographer take an aerial shot of the show site. Naturally we will endeavour to fulfil any request, but we would have to make a charge for any of these additional services. However, it may be possible to offset these charges against any commission payments that would be due to the organisers, and we would be pleased to discuss your requirements and the financial structure with you. What We Need Basically, all we need from the event organisers is a suitable site to operate from and a land owner's permission form and emergency services form to be completed. We will take care of the rest for you. National Hunt Meeting - Cheltenham: March 15th - 18th. (Gold Cup 18th) Grand National Meeting – Aintree: April 7th - 9th Epsom Derby - Epsom: June 3rd & 4th Royal (Ascot) Meeting - York: June 14th - 18th (Ladies Day 16th) Festival Of Speed – Goodwood House: June 24th - 26th Royal Regatta - Henley: June 29th – July 3rd British Grand Prix – Silverstone: July 9th & 10th Glorious Goodwood: July 26th – 30th Cowes Week: July 30th – August 6th Rolex Fastnet race -Cowes: August 7th World Superbikes - Brands Hatch: August 6th - 7th The Revival Meeting - Goodwood: September 16th - 18th A1 Grand Prix (Inaugural Race) - Brands Hatch: September 25th Helitech - Duxford: September 27th - 29th