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274    HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM

Mr. MOORE. This is a new table which came into play with United Airlines and has been followed with American, Continental, TWA, and Northwest. This joint fare, the way it is an effect today, would cover the chairman if he wanted to Oakland City and fly to downtown Chicago. By taking an American Airlines flight, the fare is $54.95 from Oklahoma City to Chicago, and there would be the $4 add-on, making the total fare from Oklahoma City to downtown Chicago, or downtown from Midway, $58.95.

This takes it away from selected cities and makes it an all-points fare based on the amount of the fare.

Senator MONRONEY. Your downtown fare from O’Hare to downtown is $6, or from Midway it is $5. Where do you depart from now? Grant Park?

Mr. MOORE. We use Meigs Field, the airstrip on the lakefront.

Senator MONRONEY. That is a long way out of town. Can’t you get closer than that?

Mr. MOORE. We are checking on that.

Senator MONRONEY. It is about a dollar taxi fare.

Mr. MOORE. It is. It is about a mile from the Hilton Hotel.

Senator MONRONEY. Surely you can get in closer than that with a helicopter.

Mr. MOORE. We had arranged for a heliport at the Grant Park area approximately 6 years ago, and then the—

Senator MONRONEY. What is the matter with the city of Chicago? They are screaming about their airports being closed and having difficulty. I don’t see any use to try to keep this going if they are going to make you fly out of Meigs Field.

Mr. MOORE. Our problem, Mr. Chairman, at the moment is that we need twin-engine helicopters to get into closer downtown heliport.

Senator MONRONEY. You don’t need that to get into Grant Park.

Mr. MOORE. Yes, sir. FAA turned down our—

Senator MONRONEY. Why? That is wide open.

Mr. MOORE. I know. We ran tests down there. They would not allow us to operate single-engine aircraft at that point. As I go further in my testimony I have a chart of the Chicago area which shows points that are discussing with the city of Chicago for a downtown heliport.

Senator MONRONEY. If you have a single-engine helicopter, and you conk out and you lose your power, you can still coast on in. If you have room to maneuver you can come in over the populated area, lose your power completely, shut it off if you want to, and coast into Grant Park. 

Mr. MOORE. Right.

Senator MONRONEY. What is the matter with the FAA in not permitting that.

Mr. MOORE. It is in the initial stages of takeoff and final stages of landing where they felt a single-engine ship would not qualify. 

Senator MONRONEY. Then they ought to cut the single-engine ship completely out of operation if they are going to do that. If you lose a single-engine power on Meigs Field or Grant Park it is all the same, isn’t it?

Mr. MOORE. I think it is