Heli Aviation is preparing to commence operations with its fleet of helicopters in the UK and Spain, as soon as it receives its AOC in July. The new start-up operator is based at Blackbushe and boasts a Eurocopter AS355 F2, AS350 B3 and a Bell 206.

The helicopters will mostly operate out of Blackbushe and Biggin Hill during the summer, before heading for the warmer climes of Malaga and La Cala (a golf resort) in Spain, to be operated by a subsidiary of the company, Heli Aviation International.

Managing director David Cheesman sees big potential for the air taxi market in Spain. “The winter period is when companies tend to do their product launches and have sales conferences, so we want to pre-plan placing our helicopters down there,” he commented.

“Seville isn’t very well serviced by commercial flights, so a lot of corporates fly to Malaga. To drive to Seville from there, however, takes about three and a half hours, but it’s a 45 minute helicopter flight.”

Whilst in the UK, the helicopters will be primarily targeted towards corporations and high net worth individuals for ‘heli golf’. The AS350 B3 (registration G-OLFA) fills a niche in this segment, as it has been fitted with ‘squirrel cheeks’ to accommodate additional baggage, including golf clubs.

Additional services on offer are ‘heli dining,’ ‘heli spa’ and, of course, ad hoc business charter flights. Key destinations will be around London, though the company has a range of clients, including the Belfry, the Celtic Manor and golf clubs such as Stoke Park and the London Golf Club.

“We are targeting the city out of Battersea,” said Cheesman.

“The AS355 F2 is an IFR machine, so it gives us a broad range in terms of its operation window. One of the problems with the golfing market is that it’s difficult to find an aircraft that can carry four passengers plus golf clubs and baggage, and when you look at the other types of aircraft, they only offer a compromise – you can take the passengers and baggage a short distance, or go long distances without the baggage capacity.

“We found that the AS350 B3, with its squirrel cheeks, had everything we need, with ample power to take five people with full baggage.”

The aircraft was purchased from its US-based owner – along with the AS355 F2 – who had the squirrel cheeks fitted by Eurocopter Canada. “We’re currently going through an STC for them, so it is the first of that type in Europe.”

Before founding Heli Aviation, Cheesman owned an IT company, which used the Bell 206 to fly its executives to customer locations. “We have had the JetRanger for six years and it has logged 700 hours. The B3, which we have only just acquired, only has 436 hours on it and the F2 has just over 4,000 hours.”

Although the company has only recently been launched, Cheesman is confident that it will expand in the future to meet growing demand brought on by an increase in corporate spending.

“The business plan in the first three years is to grow the awareness and interest in helicopter charter. Once we have the clients in place, we intend to start marketing the idea of fractional ownership.

“The natural progression once we have clients who use our aircraft on a regular basis is to then look into setting up a ‘mini NetJets’ type of operation with helicopters. We would have to provide this in a cost effective way for corporate clients in order to justify the cost.”

As part of its growth strategy, Heli Aviation plans to operate a range of single and twin engine helicopters, and will allow clients to switch between aircraft when necessary to ensure the scheme remains cost-effective and popular.

The fleet looks likely to expand in a uniform manner, as Cheesman intends to stick with Eurocopter and Bell helicopters. “We’re very interested in the new Bell 429,” he said. “We looked at the Agusta 109 Power, but it doesn’t have the payload we need.”