Viewing page 289 of 507

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

280 HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM

Mr. Moore. I do.
Senator MONRONEY. And the only barrier that you know is the barrier of the FAA declining to let you use that heliport because of the one-engine performance on your present equipment. Is that correct? 
Mr. Moore. That is correct. 
Senator MONRONEY. The city of Chicago would freely and quickly let you use the heliport, and it could be opened almost immediately, is that correct? 
Mr. Moore. Yes. The city of Chicago has a heliport ordinance on the books which permits the establishment of heliports. 
Senator MONRONEY. Do you know of any other heliports that have been denied use to any helicopter because the requirements were for two-engine performance? 
Mr. MOORE. I believe that the heliports in the New York area, the Pan Am roof, and Wall Street-
Senator MONRONEY. There is a lot of difference between the Pan Am roof for twin-engine performance, which I take it is safe from the testimony we have had for twin-engine performance. But I fail to see why performance would be safer on Meigs Field with a single-engine than it would on Grant Park with single-engine performance. 
You have 2, 3, or 4 acres that you could use there? 
Mr. MOORE. That is correct.
Senator MONRONEY. Maybe we can find out from the FAA why. This is certainly prejudicing your operation and prejudicing the whole record of helicopters on downtown-to-airport service which seems to be your destiny until the airport at Midway gets underway again. 
Mr. MOORE. Yes, sir.
Senator MONRONEY. Do you have anything else to add?
Mr. MOORE. I would like to add that we are, of course, confident that the Midway Airport is going to be reactivated further in the near future, and this fact, coupled with the growing congestion that we have in our expressways in Chicago, is going to make a closer-in, downtown heliport even more valuable than we have been discussing here.
Senator MONRONEY. It might be. But when you consider your record of 74 percent of your passengers in 1960 being carried between Midway and O'Hare, 309,107 passengers in 1960 were carried, and 74 percent or 230,000, were carried from Midway to O'Hare, this is a very small number that was carried in that time. 
Were you then operating between Meigs Field and O'Hare and Meigs Field and Midway?
Mr. MOORE. Yes. Those passengers went through Meigs Field, and certainly if we had the closer-in, downtown heliport-
Senator MONRONEY. When was the last time you were close-in downtown?
Mr. MOORE. We have never been close-in.
Senator MONRONEY. You have never been? 
Mr. MOORE. No, sir. 
Senator MONROENY. At one time you were taking off the post office roof, weren't you?
Mr. MOORE. The post office roof is strictly a mail operation, Mr. Chairman. The roof is not stressed for passenger operations,