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HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM          89

Chicago other than to use the city as a point to connect from one airplane to another.

Therefore, it is clear to see that our Chicago helicopter carrier not only serves the people who want to come to Chicago, but also offers service to those millions of people who must use our airports as a connecting point in order to complete their air journey. In other words, Chicago Helicopter Airway serves the Nation and not just the Chicago area. Therefore, its continued operation, Mr. Chairman, is a national problem.

To date, over 1,200,000 passengers have been carried by Chicago Helicopter Airways in their relatively small single-engine, 12-passenger S-58 helicopters. With the reactivation of Midway and the development of the new larger twin-turbine helicopters, their future is unlimited.

With the further reactivation of Midway just around the corner, it would be inconceivable to me if the restoration of this important Midway service was slowed down by the elimination of our helicopter carrier.

In closing, I would like to say that I am familiar with the Civil Aeronautics Board's 5-year program to provide for a gradual reduction in helicopter subsidy. I endorse the Board's program as I believe it is a sound approach to protect our important need for service between our Chicago airports, as well as to protect our Nation's position to world leadership in the field of aviation.

I urge you to support the Civil Aeronautics Board in this matter.

Let us keep our Chicago helicopter service at least for the next 5 years. By that time we are confident that the traffic will be sufficient to sustain this service without further assistance.

Senator MONRONEY. Thank you very much Mr. Pucinski.

I have the figures of the flights and statistics on the Chicago Helicopter Airways, Inc. They show in the peak year 1960, before O'Hare was opened, that you flew 390,107 passengers for a total of 1,118,190 revenue-miles flown; that your commercial revenue for passengers exceeded $1,833,935; and that your percentage of revenue to subsidy, subsidy represented 47.07 percent.

The next year it is 245,000 roughly, and has gone down constantly since then until in the 9 months of 1964 only 37,622 passengers flew, flying 326,469 miles, and your subsidies then accounted, because of this low traffic, due to the closing of Midway, for 68.15 percent of the total revenue of the company.

You have United to Midway.

Mr. PUCINSKI. Yes, sir.

Senator MONRONEY. Is there any chance that you might get TWA, American, and some of the other lines in their domestic service?

Mr. PUCINSKI. Yes, sir. There is every hope that we will get these commercial carriers back to Midway for part of their service.

Senator MORONEY. What do you have in Midway, 5,000 or 7,500 feet?

Mr. PUCINSKI. We have 5,000-5,500 feet.

Senator MONRONEY. For your smaller jets, there is no difficulty, noisewise?

Mr. PUCINSKI. We have no problem.

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