Banff Or Whistler For Conference

[Puddle Jumper]

How about topics like companies banding together in order to self insure. And in addition I would love to see the low time pilot being brought up to the table. It is evident now that we have a top heavy situation in Canada where we have a shortage of experienced drivers. I would love to see some sort of representation where low time Canadian pilots would be considered for more work besides bringing in experienced pilots from other countries. I know that there is more to this situation then what I expressed however it would be nice to at least bring ideas forth on this situation.

 

[graunch1]

I'd vote for Lake Louise or Banf as they are both likely lower cost than Whistler and certainly better roads for acess. I would assume the Whistler road will be in a constant state of upgrading with the Olympics on the way. BTW, The Chateau is LL is really nice so even SWMBO would like it.
Second great point on LL ---very little shopping places for the significant other

 

[matt_as350]

Maybe some things on subjects like Long vs Short Lines, Elem Maintance, new high tech gadgets for pilots. rambling on as usual lol.

Matt

 

[twinstar_ca]

some of us non-drivers may be able to add seminar content too... things like a 1st aid/cpr course geared to aviation...

 

[PedalJam]

Thanks for considering Canada Ned

I'm sure you'll have a very informative chin wag session covering alot of topics

You might want to include subject matters that are pertinent to this part of the world , such as Skiing , Logging , seismic , etc .

A discussion on the proper extraction of injured people in some of the above uses of helicopters would be informative .

Just thinking out loud ..... EH




Fly Safe

 

[407 Driver]

If the conference was held in Banff, I'd bet we could get a few gents from the Parks Canada Mtn Rescue team to drop by and talk of their 35+ years of slinging people off the local hills.
Heck they may even stage a demo, fling Ned over the east side of Tunnel Mtn, then get a shiny red 407 to pick him off? the possibilities are endless?
There's a retired fellow there by the name of Jim Davies, who could captivate a group of pilots for hours with stories from his 17,000 + hours of safe flying around those hills too.

 

[Heli Ops]

407Driver - That sounds like a great idea. How about asking them if they would like to give a presentation. These suggestions and ideas are great feedback. I am looking at approx two hours for each session, is this enough time for people to give their presentations.

Regards

Heli Ops

 

[407 Driver]

You though "fling Ned over the east side of Tunnel Mtn" was a good idea? Umm OK.

I'll ask the PC boys, but perhaps will wait until after we decide where the conference wil be located.

I'm Sure the North Shore SAR or Whistler SAR teams plus EMERGCO (George Z)would do the same presentation for us at Whistler.

Canadian Mountain Holidays (THE Heli-Ski empire ) is based in Banff, one may convince Walter or Rob to come over and say a few words too?

 

[Biggles]

How 'bout topics in the lines of icing & white outs, tis will be the season to be talking about such subjects too. CTD could write something up about this, 407 could do a mini demo (now you see Ned, now you don't !!) A little humor about a serious subject that has caught all of our attention (sadly) at some point.

Heli-Ops, I've "pm'd" you.

 

[Winnie]

How about a topic about how to gear the flight training more towards the operational world, and maybe if the industry feels the license should require more hours??

 

[Pitch Link]

Goodmorning All,

Just walked in the door from a reasonable summer. Emptied the bags with the Mrs and then I unpacked my suitcase. I voted for Whistler becasue of a few points already mentioned. ie. Close proximity to the Village, good nightlife and close to Major Airport for our overseas visitors. Six of one, half dozen the other as far as facilities go. Both world class and sure to be a good time.

 

[Heli Ops]

Something else for your feedback. Below are the rates I got from the Banff Springs Hotel. What are your thoughts, reasonable, or not.

Room Type: Single/Double

Fairmont $189.00
Deluxe $229.00
Signature $269.00
Junior Suite $309.00
One Bedroom Suite $409.00

Obviously these are in Canadian dollars. I think they are pretty good as normal rack rate starts at $300 Canadian per night. Thanks again for feedback guys and look forward to more of your input.

Regards

Heli Ops :jerry:

 

[dammyneckhurts]

Heli Ops...

The Banff Springs seems pricey for November. I would think at that time of year there are better deals to be had in Banff, (closer to downtown too, the Springs is 5 K out of town)

I know Whistler has good deals at that time. For example a 1000 sq foot, two bedroom, two bathroom condo with a private hot tub goes for $120.00 cdn a night, (pre ski season prices) and I can personaly guarantee that price on 6 units. There are hundreds to choose from....

DMNH

 

[Over-Talk]

Heli-Ops Jerry, with all due respect, I have some questions because I'm confused.........

At first the "Global Helicopter Owners, Operators and Maintainers conference" was to be held on very expensive Hamilton Island, Australia.
Then it moved to equally expensive (and equally distant for Canadians) Sun City, South Africa.
Now it is moving to either of two towns that we Canadians have known since we were kids, and have all watched grow into damn expensive resorts.
The prices listed would sound pretty good if you had some US currency to burn.
Or if your employer was picking-up the whole tab on the company's expense account.
But they do seem quite high considering there is basically no golf or skiing in either town during November, and they are probably beyond the reach of the average Canadian pilot or engineer that frequents this website.

So........
What is this "conference" for, what are the fees to attend, and what will it do that the annual HAI/Heli-Expo doesn't do ??

Is this a "Global Helicopter Owners, Operators conference/seminar/workshop" type of thing?? If so, Banff or Whistler will do just fine. I'm sure you'll get some great articles and photos for your magazine.

Or is it a fun weekend for working pilots and engineers to play some bad golf, see old buddies, remember the ones we've lost, drink some beer and tell a few good stories event ??
If so, I would suggest a smaller, cheaper town such as Golden, or Revelstoke on the long weekend in October. Several of us have discussed this type of gathering in the past.
Naturally, as workers in the helicopter industry, yourself and Ned would be most welcome to attend, though it might be best not to print some of the weekend's events in anything other than a Police Report !!!

Good luck with whatever you have in mind,
Respectfully, OT

 

[Heli Ops]

Over-Talk,

Appreciate your frank comments and am happy to answer your queries.

Yes the conference was originally going to be held on Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. When the dates were planned the organisers forgot about the fire seasons and how much that would restrict a lot of pilots and operators attending the event. In addition it was so close to the Australian Intl Airshow that a lot of operators from this region had prior commitments. The decision was then made to look at other possible dates and still keep it at Hamilton Island. Unfortunately this option couldnt work because Hamilton Island was so booked up the only other dates they had available were right in the middle of fire season. We got to the stage where we have secured enough sponsors and sponsorship money to make the event happen and these sponsors are happy to go with it, no matter where we make it happen.

We then decided to look at Sun City as an alternative. This was never a done deal and thats why I asked everyone for their feedback before we made a final decision. The prices we had for accommodation at Sun City were actually very very good and the main decision on not having it there was the negative impression most of the industry had of Sun City. South Africa itself would be a great location but we had to take into account a lot of factors and airline fares to get there were one of the main considerations.

After a lot of phone calls to operators and pilots around the globe the general consensus was that Canada was the ideal location. We surveyed around and thought about two locations that attendees could also bring their families if they wanted to stay on for a short holiday. That was one of the contributing factors when looking at Banff and Whistler. If you have any other suggestions on what location would work best in Canada then I am all ears.

With regards to the conference itself, it is basically four full days of seminars and workshops without all the stands and booths that Heli Expo, ALEA etc have. For the past two years we have been working on this concept as a way to give pilots, engineers, owners and operators a mini conference of their own without being hijacked by the big manufacturers blowing their trumpets etc. There will be no booths, no stands etc. Each day will have five morning sessions and then five sessions in the afternoon. Below is what we have got into the mix so far. I would welcome your feedback on it and any other suggestions you may have about it.


Registration Open

Welcome Function



Dir of Maint Roundtable
Risk Management
Helicopter Tourism Roundtable
Offshore Operators Roundtable
Utility Operators Roundtable
NVG In Police & EMS Operations
Operators & Maint Working as One.
Insurance
Longlining - The Ups and Downs Of It.
Flight & Duty Times
Procedures & Limitations
Marketing Your Company
Accidents & The Lessons Learnt
Employment - Who Wants Who
Dangerous Goods for the Small Operator
SAR/Hoist Users Roundtable
Global Fire Fighting Operations
CRM for Single Pilot Operations
Chief Pilot Roundtable
Working in the Wire Environment
Pushing the Flight Envelope - Flight Test
Chosing a Completion House
Fatigue Management in Maintenance Ops
Civil Use of Ex Military Aircraft
Heli Skiing Roundtable
Helicopter Performance
Emergency Procedures
Safety from a Canadian Perspective
Preparing for your Job Interview
LTE - Myth or Fact
Long Lines vs Short Lines
Training for the Real World Operator
White Outs & Winter Flying
Working in the Wire Environment
Legal Liabilities - Your Rights.
CRM for the Multi Crew Cockpit
Private Owners Roundtable
Flight Training Roundtable.
Vortex Ring & Setting With Power
Using the Internet.
Human Factors in Night Flying
Aircraft Mods - How, Wheres and Why
Mustering Operations Roundtable
Night VFR Ops - Lessons Learnt
Confined Area Operations
Certification of Russian Aircraft
EMS Funding - How To Get It.


Gala Dinner - Closing Ceremony

The projected fees for the event will probably be around the $200 Cdn mark and that will include the welcome cocktail party, including drinks of course, the morning tea, lunch and afternoon teas and also the end of conference dinner. Plus it will include some other goodies that I wont explain here other than to say they will be enjoyed. The sponsorship monies and registration fees are also being used to get the speakers to the location for each subject and believe me they are some of the best in the industry.

And also to clarify one thing, this is not being done to get stories for the magazine. I have put in nearly $15K of my own money so far to help bring this thing together so far and have budgeted for more yet. I am doing this because I have been involved in the helicopter industry since I was 15 years old, and now have the chance to put something back into the industry. Will I include coverage in the magazine - Yes, will I use the magazine to promote the event - Yes, will I give magazines away at the conference - Yes. Is it being done just for the magazines benefit - No. Is it being done for the benefit of this industry we all work in and enjoy - Yes. The best way to improve the industry is through networking and this sort of event gives everyone the chance to network, whether it be with people from next door, or across the world.

We are planning on having approx 300 people and will limit the numbers to maybe 350 as we want this to be a success.

Hope this answers your questions and if you have other locations to suggest that would be great. We have set a date of 1st of November to have everything finalised so if you have some feedback let me know now.

Regards

Heli Ops