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276 HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM 

No wonder you are not doing any business from downtown, if you have to go clear out there to catch the helicopter.
Mr. MOORE. If I may refer the Chairman to appendix E, which is made up of three sheets. The folded map of appendix E is of the Chicago Loop  area and shows the existing downtown heliport located at Meigs Field on the lakefront. That is in figure 1.
Senator MONRONEY. Where is Meigs Field on this?
Mr. MOORE. That is figure 1, in the upper right hand corner. 
Senator MONRONEY. That is clear across the tracks, way beyond the stadium, about as far as you can get. 
Mr. MOORE. It is approximately 1 mile 
Senator MONRONEY. What about some of the railroad yards for a possible heliport? Are these buildings that you are talking about now, that you have in the picture, are those heliport buildings in roof tops eligible and ready to accept traffic? The Chicago Post Office Roof Top Heliport, for example? Or the Transportation Center?
Mr. MOORE. The Transportation Center is now under construction. There is a substantial study on it. I am sorry I don’t have a number of copies. It was prepared by Skidmore, Owens, and Merrill for the Gateway committee of. Chicago. One of the buildings in the center is now in final stages of construction, although the final plans for the remainder of the project are not complete at this time. On the large map you can see figure 19, which is outlined in red, which shows the area in which the Transportation Center and the proposed heliport will be built. 
Senator MONRONEY. What about a helicopter across from the Hilton Hotel, for example, or near Soldiers Field? I suppose the Field is a little too far. Fort Jackson Drivs, number 4, or 5, Monroe Drive, or the one marked 7, proposed heliport, that would be quite central.
Mr. MOORE. That is our preferred location at the moment, Mr. Chairman. 
Senator MONRONEY. Is that the building that you will have to wait for, until all that is erected?
Mr.Moore. No, in item 7 that is a small parking lot right behind the Art Museum of Chicago, and it is also in close proximity to all of the airline offices.
Senator Monroney. That would, I think, be fine. 
Mr.Moore. This is the area again where we need the twinengine equipment before we can proceed.
Senator Monroney. When are you going to get your twinengine equipment?
Mr.Moore. We are sort of hinged to this Midway problem as I have indicated. We need once again the large volume of traffic that we enjoyed at one time to justify the acquisition of these large ships. We had contracted with Sikorsky for four of the large S-16s.
Senator Monroney. Can't you lease these ships?
Mr. Moore. We haven't been successful in leasing them. Our main problem would be to derive enough traffic to have proper load factors so that our subsidy need will be minimized. 
Senator Monroney. You may proceed.
Mr.Moore. The folded map in appendix E, of the Chicago Loop area,shows the existing downtown heliport located at Meigs Field on the lakefront (figure 1) and the proposed closer-in heliport to be located in the Transportation Center being planned in the midst of the city (figure 19).