Isles of Scilly Helicopter service to end

Lands End Developments

New Tower and Terminal

Lands End Airport 1 by A30yoyo, on Flickr

Lands End Airport 2 by A30yoyo, on Flickr

Today at Penzance Heliport

The clear-out is nearly complete, the fire-truck was transported to Newquay, but you could still get a cup of tea at the counter:)

Heliport Tea Break by A30yoyo, on Flickr

Heliport Fire Truck goes by A30yoyo, on Flickr

That’s exactly how I remember ‘EB (the sole S-61NM), when my grandad used to show me around on Sunday mornings.
Penzance was less affected by fog than Lands End, but the real advantage was that the S-61 could fly in lower viz and had a lower minima, both in viz and wind terms.

My aunt on St Agnes absolutely relied on the helicopter, as a regular passenger to ‘freedom’ on the mainland, one medical trip, and getting her flowers to Covent Garden ahead of the competition. The helicopter landed on St Agnes for this and flew the flowers directly to Penzance rail station. It had a good cargo capacity compared with the fixed-wing alternatives.

The helicopter may have become an unbankable luxury, but there was a word in use in BEA and BA days which unfortunately doesn’t exist any more in business – and that’s service.
My Grandad always said the turning point for him was just after Robert Maxwell brought BAH and turned it into BIH.

BEAH (British European Airways Helicopters) was not funded by its nationalised parent, it was entirely self funding and had to generate the profits for its own survival, though being a wing of BEA undoubtely helped with any government led help.
The helicopter was the most viable replacement for the three Dragon Rapides which could only carry eight pax each, and often flew in pairs, the new aircraft could carry 24 (from 1974 32) on one flight, and in the first year of operations carried 40,000 passengers, 14,000 more than the last year of Rapide operations.
Also worth bearing in mind that St Marys airport was a very limited proposition for larger fixed-wing aircraft at the time, and even now with a hard runway is still regarded as bit of a challenge to expanding fixed-wing ops.
The passenger figures forecast by Jock Cameron (that many doubted) were very soon exceeded and the totals for some years with just one helicopter are incredible, 96,500 in 1980 (67,000 over the busy 6 months of 1986) in fact until 1976 the Penzance Helicopter service was the only profitable internal service within British Airways.

The North Sea oil boon in the late 1960s was undoubtedly a huge bonus to the company, allowing them to expand to 23 S-61Ns, 2 Wessex, and 5 Chinooks helping to support the Scillies route, it certainly seems that as the oil industry started to ease back, and BIH contracts were lost to Bristows that the fortunes of the Cornish operation turned for the worse.
Charter work including freighting, underslung lifting, and SAR (Aberdeen S-61s saved 118 lives between 1971-77) all the S-61s being winch capable, all helped to subsidise the Penzance operation.

The helicopter service did change day tripper access to Scilly, some may hate it for this, but others (including my family members on all but one of the off islands) came to cherish it, indeed the service was more heavily seated on its late return trips because of the experience by some passangers of the out going trip on the Scillonian. The heliports’ siting next to the main rail station and end of the A30 undoubtedly was a master stroke in the plan to make the service viable.

What does come out shining from this is the Sikorksy S-61s themselves, the service that each individual airframe has given is quite remarkable. The service was the longest and most successful helicopter schedule anywhere in the world, and yet was flown by single airframes 12 times a day, 6 days a week, over 30+ years – that would put to shame many fixed wing types, indeed it was referred to as the Dakota of the helicopter world, being a major advancement in passenger rotary flight.
I do hope that one of these machines (preferrably Echo Bravo!) will be preserved and displayed one day.

I get that I do sound a bit rose tinted about the helicopter service, for the record Brymons’ aircraft fleet and early service was helped forward by friend of the family, and I have had many lovely flights from Newquay to St Marys on the Skybus Islanders and Twin Otters (including good old G-BIHO), I even chartered a Christmas flight from them for ATC at St Mawgan.

To me this is a step back in aviation service, at time when we are meant to advancing.

http://www.abpic.co.uk/popup.php?q=1158570

http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1155226/
Pics by Chris England

A few pics on flickr from the BA Helicopters days (and Echo Bravo’s wearing the Speedbird)

G-ASNL by A30yoyo, on Flickr

G-BCEB by A30yoyo, on Flickr

I wonder what the statistics are on the fog record of Lands End Airport versus the Heliport area?

Judicial review (Penzance Heliport)

The final objection to this saga has been removed ,therefore it appears NO judicial review will be required as to the planning process that took place.
Penzance was more than just a ‘helipad’ as with its 1200 ft strip and at times several 61’s parked outside it looked more like a mini airport.
The local MP and Councillors are now doing their ‘stable door’ bit with regard to this loss, but the significance of the situation (and the consequence) has only now dawned upon them.
No way did Penzance need another supermarket,but seeing 50 years of service going into skips (and dumped) brings home what it would cost to replace.

Isles of Scilly (full circle)

As indicated BEA were a nationalised company and therefore had the luxury of not having to justify the cost of replacing the ‘Rapide’ service.
However one could also use the argument that the improved service did ‘open up’ the tourist trade, although the the counter claim could be that it started to spoil the very nature of the Isles.
The Isles will revert back to a fixed wing service at St Just (plus NQY and Exeter) plus the sea link.
There has been a huge amount of development in recent years not to mention a dramatic increase in motor transport,and argriculture is steadily decreasing as the Isles loose the ‘early growth’ factor that they enjoyed for years.
It could be called ‘progress’,but we all know it means changing that ‘special’ factor.

My understanding is that BEA laid on the S-61 service so that Harold Wilson could get to his ‘dacha’ on the Scillies easily (helicopters before North Sea Oil/Gas were a solution looking for a problem in the UK :)) and back in 1964 I don’t think the Twin Otter existed. The solution now would be a STOL-strip at Penzance but I think we’ll see pigs flying there sooner

PX figs to SCY

The PX numbers (dropping) to SCY are only one part of the equation.
There is a finite charge that any business can pass on and still make an operating profit.
Helicopters really only do this with oil related work, where the alternatives are limited.
As the S61 service started off on a subsidised basis the fare structure was always going to be difficult to rise to cover the real operating (including replacing equipment) cost.
You then have to accept the ‘seasonal’ nature of the business model which really see’s any summer profit evaporating during the winter.
Having got used to what was essentially a ‘walk on flying train’ that could operate in most weathers,the users accepted that as the ‘norm’ and of course it prooved very popular.
In its heyday the airfield was still utilising grass runways therefore there was little incentive to upgrade its fixed wing situation.
The fixed winged operators (such as they were) basically operated on the crumbs that BEA left, and found that the route was not paved with aviation gold due to the fixed costs that were only really utilised for a few months.
As previously mentioned, a substantial transport report some time ago made this point,and it has prooved to be correct.
Wether a smaller bespoke service to Tresco comes along will be interesting to see,or even will Tresco seek to have their own STOL strip for the current fixed wing types.
Some of the most enjoyable (fixed wing) flying i ever had for years, but of course in the real financial world the numbers have to add up for it to be sustainable.

Only just spotted this thread :o. Really sad to hear and see that the service has stopped completely. I have many happy holiday memories of seeing those big Sikorsky’s coming in over the sea, or driving along the A30 and hearing one running up behind the fence.

I vital service to many i’m sure.

Rob

They sound like decent figures going out to the Scillies. Such ashame the heli service has now ceased though.
Was you a pilot with BIH, Pete? If so, you must have worked along side my mate Sam over the past few years.

PZ (the last rites)

Thanks for that LS (would not have been possible in the the good old film days). I am more used to looking down on the site on working days,and remember when the EH101 came down for some PR and local tests.
In fact many yeras ago the ’tilt rotor’ was thought of as a possible future machine,but then fuel was cheap,and no one had any idea of the development costs.
What made the 61 (EB) work on this route was its capacity, and the modifications incorporated to allow rapid turnarounds (hull baggage entry).
This machine is up to approx 50,000 hrs,so certainly did its job but has no real economic replacement.In the 80’s the service was boosted by the addition of a WG30 (single crew 19px) on the route,but this type never really made it into the civil Heli world, and few were produced.
It is fair to say that this service really put the Isles into the modern tourist realm,and was only possible due to the operation being part of a nationalised company (BEA) at the time.The spin off to the local economy has been considerable,but in the end the spectre of higher costs, and no real replacement that can carry 30 px was always going to be a difficult situation to overcome.The recent pass numbers were approx 90,000 per year with approx 30,000 going direct to Tresco.

Photo by (and uploaded for)pobjoy pete

I popped in this evening to see the final flight come in and say goodbye to some of the team (including former ones who turned up).
The last flight came in late,no doubt due to a tearful departure event,and was greeted by many wellwishers.FJ took a rotors running refuel and eventually departed to NQY.
Standing in the front of an (empty of aircraft) hangar i enquired what was to happen with the structure and the answer seemed to indicate it will be rapidly demolished !!,thereby ensuring the site is deemed as abandoned for aviation use,and clearing the decks for a s-mkt.
A sad day for PZ and also a warning that the all powerful s-mkts continue to erode us of facilities that are unfortunate enough to be located on ‘development land'(former rubbish tip).This sorry tale has seen a valuable transport facility sacrificed to the God of retail !!!! RIP.

Penzance air link.

Quite a while ago there was a report into the transport situation with relation to the Isles of Scilly.
This projected that the helicopter service would prove to be unsustainable for the long term,and therefore a ‘fixed wing’ option would have to prevail.
Skybus had to fight to get a licence for a scheduled service as their original service was ‘charter’ based,and only Brymon supplied the other limited operation to the Isles.
In fact business was good in those days and the helicopter flew with high % payloads.
Even so they had the advantage of a machine that was specifically modified for the route with baggage hatches slotted into the hull to reduce turnaround times.
As the company advanced through BEA, BA,Maxwell.and then being part of commercial companies, so it lost the protection of a subsidised offshoot and back up equipment.The S61 has been a faithful servant,but only at an increasing operating cost that would never match the fares.
The main problem is that passengers (local & tourists) have got used to a service that was always going to have a problem funding new equipment (even if it existed) and therefore it comes down to ‘who pays’!!.
In fact; the Islands do have a comprehensive fixed wing service,and emergency coverage from the local air ambulance plus Culdrose.
Skybus are organising extra coverage to fill the ‘air-gap’,but they will have the added ongoing problem of having excess capacity in the low months which reduces the operating profit.
My idea of a giant hydraulic catapault (with computer prediction) seems almost plausible now.

It’s ashame that the locals rejected the new heliport idea and now have lost BIH in the process, but atleast they get another supermarket out of it which will lead to more congestion 😀 :rolleyes:

In all seriousness though, it does look like a nice area for use as a small airfield. Too bad that the buildings will be knocked down asap, rather than used to their potential.

Supermarkets seem to be everywhere and oversaturate in some areas. When I lived near the Pool industrial estate in Redruth I had 3 options for tescos – One in redruth town, one near pool market and one just inside Camborne.. not to mention Morrisons (formerly Safeway, where I worked just before I learnt to fly and went on to work at the flying school) that was 5mins walk from my old house!

That’s half the problem it became too business centric, it should have been more subsidised as a local asset.
I didn’t know anyone that favoured the St Erth move, the heliport was ideal at the end of the railway and A30, flight delays and cancellations are inevitable and time spent in, or transport arrangements made out of, Penzance are easier.
There was absolutely no need to try and put up another supermarket there, and apparently the Duchy would have gained the most financially from selling the heliport land.

I think BIH did absolutely the right thing from the business point of view….£4million for the land is not to be sniffed at….the lack of vision goes back to the local authorities and the thrombotic British planning laws…in BIH’s defence they did project a new heliport at St Erth but the nimbys shot that down and why should BIH spend any money fighting for it?
I went to a talk by a Skybus official recently (they’re spending money on a new Land’s End terminal) and I asked him what would be the ideal site for fixed wing ops…he said the heliport site! 🙂
They had a chance 25 years ago….and if you look at the land behind the heliport the potential is still there….but it won’t happen

I just hope that the judicial review you mention does take place and give the appropriate boldies a good kicking. It’s an absolute disgrace what has happened and I don’t know one local that wants an extra supermarket (particularly as Tescos and Morrisons are right next door) to add to the running down of the town, let alone to the sacrifice of this transport link.
It’s a particulaly sad day as my grandfather worked at St Marys & occasionally Penzance for BEA and BA from the Dragon Rapide through the helicopter period.
My gran lives just off Eastern Green and still thrills to the noise of the S-61Ns, or did. needless to say many other family members have relied on the helicopter service.

Penzance HP ‘final PT movement’

Nice shot L-Shot,and i popped in this evening to see the final flight come in and say goodbye to some of the team (including former ones who turned up).
The last flight came in late,no doubt due to a tearful departure event,and was greeted by many wellwishers.FJ took a rotors running refuel and eventually departed to NQY.
Standing in the front of an (empty of aircraft) hangar i enquired what was to happen with the structure and the answer seemed to indicate it will be rapidly demolished !!,thereby ensuring the site is deemed as abandoned for aviation use,and clearing the decks for a s-mkt.
A sad day for PZ and also a warning that the all powerful s-mkts continue to erode us of facilities that are unfortunate enough to be located on ‘development land'(former rubbish tip).This sorry tale has seen a valuable transport facility sacrificed to the God of retail !!!! RIP.

Don’t be silly, you’re thinking logically.;)

Nice photo of such a sad day. Ashame they won’t keep it as an airfield, surely it would be an idea with hangarage there etc.