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Olympic security may ground airlines, heliskiers

Fixed wing aircraft banned from flying between Pemberton and Squamish
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The Olympic rings have a whole new meaning for helicopter and small aircraft operators in the Sea to Sky corridor.

That's because airspace security during February's Olympics is laid out in rings like the ripples on a pond and many aviators say the rings are making it all but impossible to carry on with business.

"I'm going away on vacation," said Collette Morin, owner and operator of Glacier Air based in Squamish, in a resigned voice.

At Games time she would normally be busy teaching students to fly, running the occasional charter flight or sightseeing operation and even doing avalanche control spotting.

But in 2010 all those operations are so highly restricted she is planning on just shutting down and renting her hangar and space to the military.

Even with the income from the military she stands to lose thousands of dollars, as she must continue to pay operations costs including salaries so that she doesn't lose staff to competitive schools not under restrictions.

"The list of what they will allow is a lot shorter than the list of what they won't allow," said Morin.

"They won't allow flight training, they won't allow sightseeing, they won't allow aerial tourism, they won't allow aerial sightseeing, they won't allow regular charter flights, but they tell us we can still operate our business.

"The complexity makes it unrealistic to operate. So for a small company like (mine) it is absolutely ridiculous, it is not financially feasible. We would lose less money by closing for that period of time than by staying open."

The Olympic airspace restrictions will run from Jan. 29 to March 24.

Over Olympic sport venues and athlete villages there is a "no-fly ring," except for security and emergency flights.

Outside of these rings there is the Olympic control area. It reaches 13 nautical miles out from Vancouver and Whistler.

Outside of that ring is the Olympic restricted ring, which extends 30 nautical miles out from Vancouver and Whistler.

Within the control ring activities such as parachuting, parasailing, paragliding, hang gliding, rocket launches, radio controlled aircraft, UAVs, hot air balloons, dirigible aircraft, agricultural operations sight-seeing aerial advertising and banner towing, flight training and general aviation are banned.

"That's what we do," said Morin adding that her flight school business was up significantly last year over 2008.

Now if a student wants to take a solo flight outing at Games time it will take six hours instead of one. That's because the pilot, student, and plane must be security screened, must then fly directly out beyond the three security rings and land at another airport before the student can fly solo. Then the flight must fly to Vancouver or another airport with Games security screening to get checked over before they are allowed to fly back to Squamish.

Whistler Air is also facing a potential shut down at Games time unless they relocate to Squamish.

Under currently outlined restrictions only helicopter operations will be permitted within the Sea to Sky corridor between Squamish and Pemberton. Fixed-wing operations will be permitted into Pemberton, however, access must be via an alternate route.

"They are discriminating against fixed wing traffic," said Mike Quinn who has owned and operated Whistler Air for 24 years.

"In my opinion it is immaterial to the discussion. There shouldn't be any differentiation (between fixed and rotary).

"We are both going to have our passengers screened, we are both going to have all the proper documentation, we are all going to be authorized, so why are they not allowing fixed wing traffic? It is pure discrimination.

"I am still hoping that they will offer us something to allow us to operate but right now it is not forthcoming."

Pemberton and Squamish airports and Whistler's heliport will all have security screening stations set up during the Olympics.

Tyler Freed of Coast Range Heliskiing Ltd. is also facing closure in the Games period.

"The Olympic security measures, as they have been described to me by representatives of the ISU, will also make it impossible for me to conduct my business for almost all of next season," said Freed.

"This is a very serious and important issue for those businesses in the aviation field."

Freed has hired a lawyer to help investigate compensation for the loss of revenue and get more details.

But closing operations for Freed is about more than just shutting down the business.

"...It is not just the operations it is all the staff and employees who are out of work as well and that is a significant issue," he said.

"I have had staff with me for seven years and we certainly don't want to shut down and don't want to see people lose their employment and that seems to be what is going to happen here.

"We cannot operate reasonably and successfully with the imposed regulations."

Cpl. Jen Allan of the 2010 Integrated Security Unit, the organization tasked with Olympic security, said officials are working to ensure that businesses can continue to operate.

"(We) are working with helicopter associations to develop specific rules around their transiting through the Olympic air space to ensure they will be able to conduct their business."

Heliskiing companies can fly with clients in the outer two rings and drop off passengers to ski, said Allan.

But the flights must keep the same pilots and passengers for continuity. In heliskiing operations it is not uncommon for the passenger list to change as people come back early or stay out later.

Allan said discussions are continuing.

"We are working with them in order to provide them with solutions so that they can continue to fly during the Games," she said.

"The goal of the aviation security planners... is to provide increased levels of safety and security over the designated Olympic and Paralympic sites."