Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

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TheGreenGoblin
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Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:38 pm

All perfectly legal if the pilot was flying commercially and licensed to do so and the shop was open subject to the provisions of the lockdown takeaways. If he was a PPL and in check, he could quite reasonably claim that he was using the flight to stay in check and merely picking the food up as an adjunct to the primary purpose of his flight.. I can't see how they can prosecute him if either of these scenarios pertains. We live in a country peopled by lily-livered nimbies and Stazi minded neighbourhood spies. =))
A helicopter pilot's 80-mile round trip to pick up a beef sandwich from a farm shop was a "flagrant abuse" of lockdown rules, a councillor has said.

A video posted online on Tuesday showed the man landing for his "roast beef in gravy barm with caramelised onion" at Chipping Farm Shop near Preston.

A flight radar website tracked the helicopter to the shop from City Airport in Salford.

Ribble Valley council is investigating a possible Covid rule breach.

The pilot and farm shop have been contacted for comment.

A video posted by the shop on Instagram showed the helicopter landing nearby and a member of staff delivering the sandwich to the pilot.

The post included a comment from the shop about what happens "when your customers are literally flying in for your roast beef in caramelised onion gravy barms".

The shop has since deleted its account on Facebook, which had also posted videos of the helicopter's arrival.

A local resident, who has asked not to be named, said he tracked the helicopter online and had seen it travel from Salford to the shop, which was not connected to a farm, and back again.

He told the BBC the shop served "takeaway drinks and snacks to the many cyclists who come here [and] earlier this week there were 20 plus of them and a helicopter for the second day running".

Simon Hore, who represents the Chipping ward on Ribble Valley Borough Council, said the helicopter trip "does seem to be a flagrant abuse of the restrictions on travel under the current lockdown rules".

"All premises need to ensure that they are observing rules," the Conservative councillor said.

Greater Manchester Police said it was looking into what had happened, while Lancashire Police said any complaint it received about the trip would be passed to the neighbouring force.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av-embeds/56278463
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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#2 Post by Undried Plum » Sat Mar 06, 2021 5:13 pm

I don't see a problem.

Social distancing requires two metres MSD. Rule 5 requires 500'.

No case to answer, I'd say. Flying that aircraft was less risk to the pilot and others that huffing and puffing on a bicycle past pedestrians four feet away.

ribrash

Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#3 Post by ribrash » Sat Mar 06, 2021 6:07 pm

TheGreenGoblin wrote:
Sat Mar 06, 2021 3:38 pm
All perfectly legal if the pilot was flying commercially and licensed to do so and the shop was open subject to the provisions of the lockdown takeaways. If he was a PPL and in check, he could quite reasonably claim that he was using the flight to stay in check and merely picking the food up as an adjunct to the primary purpose of his flight.. I can't see how they can prosecute him if either of these scenarios pertains. We live in a country peopled by lily-livered nimbies and Stazi minded neighbourhood spies. =))
A helicopter pilot's 80-mile round trip to pick up a beef sandwich from a farm shop was a "flagrant abuse" of lockdown rules, a councillor has said.

A video posted online on Tuesday showed the man landing for his "roast beef in gravy barm with caramelised onion" at Chipping Farm Shop near Preston.

A flight radar website tracked the helicopter to the shop from City Airport in Salford.

Ribble Valley council is investigating a possible Covid rule breach.

The pilot and farm shop have been contacted for comment.

A video posted by the shop on Instagram showed the helicopter landing nearby and a member of staff delivering the sandwich to the pilot.

The post included a comment from the shop about what happens "when your customers are literally flying in for your roast beef in caramelised onion gravy barms".

The shop has since deleted its account on Facebook, which had also posted videos of the helicopter's arrival.

A local resident, who has asked not to be named, said he tracked the helicopter online and had seen it travel from Salford to the shop, which was not connected to a farm, and back again.

He told the BBC the shop served "takeaway drinks and snacks to the many cyclists who come here [and] earlier this week there were 20 plus of them and a helicopter for the second day running".

Simon Hore, who represents the Chipping ward on Ribble Valley Borough Council, said the helicopter trip "does seem to be a flagrant abuse of the restrictions on travel under the current lockdown rules".

"All premises need to ensure that they are observing rules," the Conservative councillor said.

Greater Manchester Police said it was looking into what had happened, while Lancashire Police said any complaint it received about the trip would be passed to the neighbouring force.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av-embeds/56278463

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So he was picking up a butty not delivering it ?

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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#4 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sat Mar 06, 2021 11:04 pm

This so called incident reminds me of the time back in 2012 when the Shetland based Coastguard helicopter dropped into a field on Orkney after a training exercise to pick up some pre-arranged butcher meat. The Captain, Paul Bentley, was demoted by CHC as a result. You couldn't wish for a more dedicated SAR pilot than Paul with very many years of doing that job from Sumburgh. I knew him quite well when I was based in Shetland and Bristow had that contract...and of course they have the contract at the moment.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... d-17785743
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... d-18569875
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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#5 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Sun Mar 07, 2021 6:13 am

Isn't picking up comestibles and groceries the reason helicopters were invented? ;)))


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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#6 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun Mar 07, 2021 12:31 pm

'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#7 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sun Mar 07, 2021 12:58 pm

I think I may have posted this story a few years back but anyway.......My electricity board observer and I were inspecting 11kv power lines in Cornwall back in the early 70's. It was a hot summer's day and the temperature inside the bubble cockpit of the Bell 47 was unbearable at the slow speeds we flew. On a line going across Bodmin Moor we spotted a 'stop me and buy one' ice cream van on a minor road. I landed in a field alongside the road and Ted nipped out, waved the van down and bought two large ice creams. I've always imagined the guy in the pub that night telling his mates that this bloke in a helicopter stopped him for an ice cream. I bet nobody believed him!
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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#8 Post by G~Man » Sun Mar 07, 2021 5:49 pm

Common practice this side of the pond, have landed for lunch many times.....
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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#9 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sun Mar 07, 2021 6:55 pm

Some lunch breaks - on the Sugar Loaf, Abergavenny:
Sugar Loaf, Abergavenny, 9 May 1969-1.jpg
Sugar Loaf, Abergavenny, 9 May 1969-1.jpg (31.92 KiB) Viewed 708 times
Near Guildford, circa 1967 - just before my time with them....
sadly Stan (engineer), Sox (boss) and Ted (line observer) are no longer with us:
G-ASLR-1.JPG
G-ASLR-1.JPG (37.1 KiB) Viewed 708 times
Titterstone Clee Hill, near Ludlow, circa 1970, can't remember the name of the pub: spot the cock up.....
in fairness to myself, there wasn't a problem with two of us on board, it tipped backwards when we got out...
LR-Clee-Hill=1.jpg
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The helicopter pilots' mantra: If it hasn't gone wrong then it's just about to...
https://www.glenbervie-weather.org

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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#10 Post by CharlieOneSix » Sun Mar 07, 2021 7:20 pm

Drifting the thread even more - an associated story comes to mind regarding Stan's Austin Cambridge (Reg DCY632C from another photo) which is in the Guildford photo - the one with the roof rack. I'd broken an iconel exhaust valve in LR's Lycoming engine when were based at Brawdy and Stan drove from Bristol to fix it. Afterwards I went out on power line inspection and we noticed Stan's car being driven on its way back to our Bristol base. Being still young and irresponsible I picked a quiet bit of open road, crept up on Stan so he couldn't see us in his rear view mirror and lightly bounced a skid on his roof rack. The stupidity of youth. Understandably he never forgave me for that!
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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#11 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:49 am

This bloke took the desire for a meal in a waterside Irish pub one step too far...



Another perspective..

https://cdn.theguardian.tv/mainwebsite/ ... h_desk.mp4
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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#12 Post by FD2 » Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:13 pm

Guess he'll be doing the washing up for a while.

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Re: Heli Deli - Heli flight to deliver a sandwich...

#13 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Mon Mar 08, 2021 10:05 pm

FD2 wrote:
Mon Mar 08, 2021 7:13 pm
Guess he'll be doing the washing up for a while.
Full painful story here!

http://www.aaiu.ie/node/1039

The field to the right of the bridge is shouting to him. "Land here". What was he thinking? Out of currency on type and attempting to land illegally in such a constricted area! Perhaps, it was all down to low blood sugar level! He needed a meal!
Though you remain
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"To be alive
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Your destination remains
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