Up, up and away from the traffic

In recent years, commuting by helicopter has become increasingly popular among the well-to-do, but the good times may now be over, writes BRIAN O'CONNELL.

MANAGEMENT consultant Paul Breen left his office in Athlone at 13.50pm. Just over an hour later, at 14.52pm, we're sitting in an office in Mallow, Co Cork, having a cup of tea. In 13 minutes' time, Paul will be on the way to his car, parked at the Fota Sheraton Hotel, 60km away, and driving home to Whitegate, east Cork. Altogether, that's a distance of about 240km, which has taken him a little over an hour to complete. He never has to sit in traffic, is not dependent on train or bus timetables and doesn't have to worry about using his mobile phone while in transit.

"Isn't this a neat way to travel?" Paul asks, through his headphones, as we bypass Cork city 1,000 feet below. I give him the thumbs up, as our captain, Micheál O Donovan, checks in with air traffic control and guides us gently to the ground.

Since 1997, the number of helicopters registered with the Irish Aviation Authority has more than trebled, from 42 a decade ago to 160 this year. Ireland now has more helicopters per capita than the UK, with most of the machines in Ireland privately owned, and only a handful of commercial companies in operation. Hiring a helicopter for transferring to and from meetings, private functions, events and concerts, has almost become passé for a certain section of the community.

Take last year's Galway Races for example. The growth of helicopter flights from various locations around Galway city into the racecourse meant that a mini control tower had to be constructed within the grounds. In 1991, there were 120 helicopter landings at the races. Last year, the figure was in excess of 2,000, with a dedicated ground team assigned to control the rise in air traffic.

Yet with increased traffic, comes increased risk. Over the past four years, the number of accidents involving helicopters in Ireland has risen sharply, from 11 incidents in 2004 to a high of 17 last year. On average, three people per year are killed in helicopters in Ireland. Yet, when you compare that figure to the weekly carnage on our roads, the statistics are minimal.

Jurgen White, Chief Inspector of Air Accidents with the Department of Transport, says that while the number of accidents has increased sharply on previous years, there's no single mechanical reason for the upward trend. "There are significantly more helicopters flying than 10 years ago and that increase in activity has led to a proportionate increase in accidents. If there are more cars on the M50 for example, then you are more likely to have accidents.That's not saying the system is any less safe, but there's more activity and you are more likely to be exposed to risk."

But could the changing economic climate ground Ireland's heli boom? Already, there is anecdotal evidence that many private owners, particularly those in construction, are trying to offload their machines, as they look at ways of cutting costs.

"During a downturn, when things get tight, business and companies are always looking at ways to save money, and one of the more expensive aspects to their business may be running a helicopter," says White.

"For example, if you were to hire a corporate two-engine helicopter, it would cost you in the region of €2,500 or €3,000 an hour to operate or lease. Some companies would use them to fly to and from the UK for example, and a round trip could cost in the region of €15,000. So that's a significant outgoing, and you could find that, as things get tight, luxury items tend to be the first to decrease. But it all depends on how the economy performs in the near future really."

Paul Breen doesn't quite see it this way. Commuting from home in east Cork to his workplace in Athlone used to take upwards of six hours by road. Often, he would leave his house at 6.30am, not returning until late at night. The commute was beginning to affect his family life and also having an impact on the quality of work he was able to perform during office hours. Four years ago he decided to go airborne, and hasn't looked back since. Just don't call his mode of transport a luxury.

"My average day used to involve so many hours in transit, during which time I was not able to work," says Paul. "Now I can put in a good day's work and be home for 6pm or 6.30pm if I so wish. I may not get home at that time every day, but the crucial factor is that facility exists to me."

Paul is a regular customer of the family-owned Gaelic Helicopters outside Mallow in north Cork. Usually twice a week Paul will hire one of the company's Bell Ranger Jetranger machines, which have a cruising speed of about 220km/hr.

"The car journey was killing me, and I remember someone said, 'why don't you try using a helicopter'," explains Paul. "With three kids, I was looking at ways to get a better home and work balance, so I gave it a try. It had an immediate effect. The journey no longer became such a dominant part of my day. In order to be in the office in Athlone at 10am, I could now leave at 8.50am, which meant I had time to drop my son to school. It's nice to be able to do that, and I don't arrive at the office feeling like I have already done a day's work."

In terms of cost, Paul says it's all relative and that the economics of hiring the machine doesn't take into account the time saved. "I don't see flying to and from work as a luxury. Anything that can extend your executive capabilities longer is not a luxury in my book, but a prudent investment. I find it very hard to work in a car. For a while, I tried using a chauffeur service, but I'm prone to car sickness and was unable to use my laptop without feeling ill.

"If you take into account that previously, during the three-hour commute, I would not have been able to do a whole lot, and factor that into the cost, then it makes sense. The three main reasons I use this service are speed, safety and security. Really, it's a sensible way to travel and enables me to manage my time effectively."

Gaelic Helicopters commercial director Gerard Creedon says his company has witnessed a steady increase in line with national economic trends, since start-up in 1996. Their business is now a mix between private charter clients, such as Paul Breen, and aerial work such as surveying and photography.

"We have a good combination of different clients, from tourists coming here to play golf, or maybe a rugby player coming back from holidays needing to get to the midlands for a match quickly," says Creedon. "I would say that there has been a rise in the number of ad-hoc hires, for events such as anniversaries, birthdays, weddings and so on. It costs €1,400 an hour to rent one of our machines, which may sound a lot, but it depends then on how much each individual calculates the value of their time."

Gaelic Helicopters has even had a number of requests to transfer students to and from debs' balls, but the logistics of landing and take-off at certain hotels have made it a non-runner so far.

Among the other high-profile helicopter users in Ireland are the Co Clare property developer Bernard MacNamara, Ben Dunne, Eddie Irvine and Jim Mansfield of the Citywest development, as well as several well-known syndicate ownerships. The helicopters range in cost from €100,000 for a second-hand model up to nearly €5 million for top of the range machines. The Bell 407, a hugely popular machine in Ireland, costing in excess of €1 million second hand, often has a waiting list of prospective owners,.

For management consultant Paul Breen, his new mode of transport has had such an effect that he has begun taking flying lessons, and needs just five more hours flying time to be a qualified pilot. Not that the qualification will alter his travel arrangements."I certainly don't intend to fly myself to work. If I am in a meeting, the last thing I want to be thinking about is flight plans or conditions. That would kind of defeat the purpose of being able to focus on the work at hand with a fresh head. Plus, and this is important, I think it's never a good idea to mix personal flying with work flying."