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HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM  291

heliport for commercial operations in the United States, the county supervisor of Alameda just built a brand new garage right next to the courthouse, a block or two from the heart of town, a circular building.

They put a heliport pad on top with a high-speed elevator to the roof, a beautiful glassed-in waiting room.  We now have service from the rooftop right down to Oakland.

Senator MONRONEY.  You are able to operate with your single-engine helicopter from there?

Mr. BAGAN.  No, sir, only twin.

Senator MONRONEY.  Is that because of AA restrictions?

Mr. BAGAN. Yes.  There are four or five seconds when we take off.  In case of emergency, we may have to land in the street.  FAA has discouraged us.  With the S-61 we have accepted the decision and it doesn't bother us.  I would like to also in this connection point out--

Senator MONRONEY.  You were able to come into your old one, which was close downtown, with your single-engine helicopter?

Mr. BAGAN. Yes, sir.  That was two blocks further.  We have been going there for 4 years with a single-engine helicopter.  In this connection, we had a downtown San Francisco heliport located by the ferry in San Francisco, and the underpinnings became unsafe.  We terminated our service.  We should have service back to downtown San Francisco in approximately 60 days.

The board of supervisors, Mayor Shelly, and everyone, are making arrangements with the Navy to get a Navy barge, which would be about 70 by 250 feet long, and it will be towed in.  We will use this barge with a beautiful location at downtown San Francisco.

Senator MONRONEY.  These barges make very good heliports, I found, in New York City. They have one that you can land on very easily.

Mr. BAGAN. The one they are talking about is the one the Navy has used around the country.  They were constructed to tow airplanes on.  They are large and we can tow it up and install lights.  We think it will make an excellent heliport.  It gives you flexibility, too, in the future, because there are so many buildings, so many changes going on in the city right now.  We have a good facility.

Senator MONRONEY. You can park the barge where you can get easy access to downtown transportation, I would presume, taxis and passenger cars?

Mr. BAGAN. That is correct.

Senator MONRONEY. And you would be right at the end of one of the principal streets, I would guess, which would put you in close to downtown than you could find with available parking space, or things of that nature.

Mr. BAGAN. We have in all of our heliports, most of them, free parking, which saves the customer a lot.

Senator MONRONEY. That is good, indeed.

Mr. BAGAN. We also, in the new county garage, have worked out that our heliport passengers, using the new county garage, the maximum charge made to those customers is only $1, whether they stay 2 days or a week. 

Senator MONRONEY. That is a very good idea.

Mr. BAGAN. One concept we have sold, and I have attempted to sell since I walked into the bay area, is that this is a public airline.