Isles of Scilly sea ferry and air services - merged posts

[whole diary]

[Cornish Traveller]

  bloody Tesco have a lot to answer for ! 

[JayMac]

I thought it was Tresco they flew to! 

Seriously though, it does appear that Tesco's legal challenge (along with legal challenges from two private individuals) against the sale of BIH owned land to Sainsbury's is the root cause of BIH's decision to withdraw the helicopter service to the islands.

British International Helicoptors' press release regarding the closure of the Isles of Scilly flights can be read at the following link:

http://www.islesofscillyhelicopter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/BIH-FINAL-media-release-announcement.pdf

[brompton rail]

Very sad news, and bad for Scillies' economy.

My one and only helicopter flight (well two really, as I came back too!), indeed my first time off the ground, some time about 40 years ago. It was ^25 return I seem to recall. Never have been on Scillonian - after seeing her tied up to Penzance harbour when the tide went out, more keel on a rowing boat!

[james666]

Seriously though, it does appear that Tesco's legal challenge (along with legal challenges from two private individuals) against the sale of BIH owned land to Sainsbury's is the root cause of BIH's decision to withdraw the helicopter service to the islands.

BIH's statement that "the land needed to be sold in a reasonable time frame to release the capital required to continue the service" suggests that this isn't the _root_ cause, more like the failure of a final roll of the dice. 

Very sad news all the same.  Helicopter is the most comfortable way to travel the Isles.  The Scillonian voyage is hard on the stomach and a fixed wing take off from that short cliff-top runway at St Mary's is hard on the nerves.

[broadgage]

Agree, if presumably freehold land has to be sold to fund continuing operations, that does suggest that the business was not viable.
A successful business would generate sufficient revenue to fund all day to day operating costs, and also to put money into a sinking fund or reserve fund, for large but relatively rare expenses such as purchasing new aircraft.

Helicopters use a great deal of increasingly expensive fuel, which is certain to become more expensive still.
I do not see a long term future for helicopters as everday transport.
As the cheap oil era draws to a close, we may have to accept that some small and/or remote islands will again become less accesable, as was the case within living memorary.

[paul7575]

Helicopters use a great deal of increasingly expensive fuel, which is certain to become more expensive still.
I do not see a long term future for helicopters as everday transport.

In a similar vein, the continuation of the Southsea - Ryde Hovercraft appears to defy normal economic logic - you'd have thought their fuel costs were significantly high compared to a normal ferry...

Paul

[LiskeardRich]

The land needed to be sold to release capital as the current helicopters are edging towards the end of their operational lifes. The capital from the land sale was to fund the purchase of the new helicopters. Sadly no land sale, no money for new helicopters, and current ones are at the end of their operational life.

On a side note Isles of Scilly Steamship co which runs skybus flights and the scillonian ferry have been very quick announcing they have more than sufficient resources to create spare capacity to transport the 70000 passenger journeys being made annually by the helicopter.

[Bob_Blakey]

However this service closure will remove the direct link between the mainland and Tresco as that island currently has no facilities, that I am aware of, for fixed wing aircraft or larger passenger vessels such as the Scillonian III.

[broadgage]

I wonder if airships might yet make a comeback ?
They still need fuel, but much less than a helicopter.
Helicopters are inherently potentialy dangerous, in the event of mechanical failure they are apt to crash very quickly indeed with little hope for those on board.

Air ships will drift with the wind, not crash if the engine power fails.
The lifting gas is contained in more than one compartment, and any puncture or leakage should result in a slow and relatively controlled descent.

The main drawbacks of airships are that they cant fly in very high winds, and that they are filled with helium* which is expensive and may be in future short supply.
The helium is not consumed as fuel would be, but does gradually leak or escape and require periodic topping up.

*hydrogen is an alternative in theory, but is generaly considered too flammable for manned craft. It has been proposed to use a mixture of hydrogen and helium, with hydrogen being present in the greatest proprtion that gives a safe mixture.

[james666]

Helicopters are inherently potentialy dangerous, in the event of mechanical failure they are apt to crash very quickly indeed with little hope for those on board.

Helicopters don't just fall like a stone if the engine fails.  They are designed to glide and make a controlled landing under autorotation.  The main rotor is driven round by air resistance and exerts a braking influence as the aircraft falls - similar principle to a sycamore seed.  All pilots are trained to do this.  So long as you have enough altitude and the sea is reasonably calm, the odds of survival are pretty good.

[JayMac]

I'd rather be in a helicopter than an airship.

As for airships plying the route between Cornwall and the Isles.... that's just Scilly. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

In the interests of continuity and completeness, I've now split off and merged some posts from a previous topic with this one.  CfN.   

[Bob_Blakey]

Helicopters are inherently potentialy dangerous, in the event of mechanical failure they are apt to crash very quickly indeed with little hope for those on board.

Helicopters don't just fall like a stone if the engine fails.  They are designed to glide and make a controlled landing under autorotation.  The main rotor is driven round by air resistance and exerts a braking influence as the aircraft falls - similar principle to a sycamore seed.

'Autorotation' does indeed permit helicopters which have suffered engine failure to make a reasonably controlled descent and landing. Unfortunately a significant number of accidents have been caused by rotor gearbox failure at which point the machine adopts the aerodynamic properties of a brick. I don't think it is fair to describe helicopters as inherently dangerous as most larger commercial transport models are twin-engined and will fly quite happily, although very slowly, on one power unit.

[vacman]

Don't think airships would be much cop if they don't like wind! Land's end and that bit of the Atlantic are peobably one of the windiest places in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). This may be good in one respect that the business case for a new Scillonian may be a litle more robust now, if they had something faster they could run 2 possibly 3 trips per day, they can run 2 now if they have to as they don for the Gig racing.

[smokey]

Anyone for a Hovercraft service PNZ to Scilly?