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the other day i had someone request to be flown up to the new river bridge to take photos.
this got me thinking.
what sort of interest would there be from jumpers, family & friends for heli rides at bridgeday?
its a 2 hour flight to get the R44 up there so that cost would have to be recovered in the flight cost. i suspect we would be in the $30-50 dollar range per person for a 15- 30 minute flight. we could use the holiday inn heli pad (logistics permitting) and fly down to the bridge & along the river & back.
your thoughts folks?
(also if someone wants to post this on blink please do .. thanks)
blaine
Blaine Sampson 435-313-9373

I think it would be cool . . .

The bravest media types would love it to get some aerial shots during the day. And there have been aircraft at BD before. Tom Sanders used some helicopter aerial shots in some of his older BD movies.

And, maybe I'm imagining this one, but back in the mid-1980s wasn't there a stunt pilot flying a fixed wing who got permission to fly under the bridge to open the event?

And we could use the R-44 for faster beer re-supply runs at night!

I can see Jason clutching his chest now.

NickD

I think there would be enormous interest in helicopter rides at Bridge Day. You could take it up a notch by letting people jump from your heli on Thurs/Fri in preparation for the event (using skydiving rigs, of course). Or give heli rides Thurs/Fri as well.

I have had several conversations with a local heli pilot here in WV, but he's still not ready to offer this service.

I would be happy to help you with arrangements and I bet that most people would love to see you at BD. The only problem I can think of is that some law enforcement might get a little upset since they have their own heli's. It's a little known fact, despite rumor, that there are no airspace restrictions around the bridge.

Just make sure you don't fly under the bridge. Last year, the local cops went out of their way to find an airplane that buzzed the bridge. Apparently, some rappelling ropes were dangling below when this happened.

Let me know if I can help.

PS. A big thanks to NickDG who has again purchased a Bridge Day jump pass for me to hand out to someone who needs it. I'll have more info on this soon....

so hey everyone,
great news ... jason & i have worked through all the necessary approvals in order to bring a heli up there and provide tours.
we will be there thursday mid-day weather permitting and be there through sunday.
the trips will be from the holiday inn heliport heading north-northeast toward the bridge and then back to the heliport.
the views are awesome from the bridge & from freefall below the bridge but wait till u see the view from this office.
to those who are base jumpers i look forward to showing u what a great recon tool the heli can be :)
blaine

hey someone through this over on the blink site as well for me thanks

I have no financial interest in the heli, other than a free ride from Blaine for helping out. But I wanted to say that taking an airplane or helicopter ride around the bridge is stunning. I took a Cessna ride around the bridge about a decade ago and loved it. The gorge is amazing and the bridge looks quite different from the air. For those of you who remember, a guy named Frank used to offer $5 airplane rides around the gorge. We called him "Five dollar Frank".

I'm looking forward to the heli being at BD this year! Besides, the wind tunnel isn't here this year and we need something to rattle the windows!

i'm not qualified to base yet but i'd surely like to get a skydive in while i was up there! wuts the info on maybe gettin a jump to satisfy me for the weekend?

yes yes ... jumpin the heli.
we would love to be able to do heli jumps.
this year we are planning on being good boys.
maybe we can add that to the fun next year if everything goes well this year.
& if u hear the heli departing at night then u missed the bandit load(s) ;p (& todd, [that's the heli owner], im just kiddin on the bandit jumps)
blaine

anyone looking for info on the heli flights once you arrive at the holiday inn can find us staged over by the helipad. ask for:
myself, Blaine Sampson 435-313-9373
heli pilot & base jumper Rich Lambert
NC Rotor & Wing owner Todd Henrikson

additionally inside you can get info from:
Shari the jewelry girl (plus lots of cool jewelry)
Jimmy, Marta & Todd at the Apex booth