It’s been a busy year for us at Pennine Helicopters, so we thought we’d compile a quick list of what we’ve been up to over the past 12 months.

In February our LongRanger Helicopter G LEEZ played a part in a Suzuki promo video shoot. We suggested the dramatic local backdrop of Chew Valley above Greenfield would look a great location.The car had to be completely stripped to weigh less than 500 kgs so we were able to comfortably airlift it.  The Engine, suspension, full steering rack, fuel tank, and even doors on one side were removed!  Flying with the car was a delicate operation to say the least. We’re really proud of the end product though as the footage looks fantastic.

We were called to our first moorland fire of 2011 in March (very early!). Located on Grassington Moor in the Yorkshire Dales, the controlled burn by the game keepers got out of control and a heather fire the size of ten football pitches was well ablaze, on a valuable, well known Grouse moor. Within 30 minutes of G-LEEZ arriving with our revolutionary fire fighting bucket, it had been dampened down and a reccee flight with Fire Service personnel confirmed the fire no longer poised a danger.

We were called in to assist Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service with a large fire at Belmont.  Fortunately we were able to prevent the fire from taking out an area of forest and although fire fighters had returned to the scene to monitor the situation, natural fire breaks contained the remaining fire.

We were featured on the BBC website as news of the Ovenden Fire above Halifax spread in May. The devastation to the area was horrendous; it was set alight by some local youngsters. It is so serious at that time of year for the newborn wildlife.

We flew student Daniel Roberts and his friends to Cansfield High Prom night, the lads had a fantastic time and had this to say : “Thank you for one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life, taking me to my prom in a helicopter was incredible everybody who was in it had the most amazing time and everybody watching could not believe what they were witnessing. The ride to the prom was an absolute pleasure, no problems what so ever, a pleasurable experience all round.”

We were delighted to be involved in Cheryl & Andy Banner’s wedding in too, the entire wedding was planned around the helicopter – contact was first made with us 18 months prior to the big day – the choice of church was governed by which site was best for the helicopter and everything was colour co-ordinated around G-LEEZ, even down to the colour of the car to take them from the church to the helicopter pick-up location and the brides bouquet!

We flew from The Grouse at Glossop in July, and had the pleasure of meeting up again with an original 617 Squadron Member, now in his 90th year, on our famous Dambuster’s Run. Joe was a Flight Engineer on one of the Lancaster planes. We first made contact some years ago when a flight was purchased by his friends in 2007 from the East Lancs. Railway, at Ramsbottom, where he used to work as a volunteer, to celebrate his 85th birthday. When he flew last time with us, he had never been over the Derwent Valley since the test flights prior to the 1943 raids and it was quite a poignant moment.

We were asked to help out (and make a short cameo appearance) in “Harold’s Going Stiff” which is an independent feature film written & directed by Keith Wright and produced by Richard Guy. Filmed entirely on location near Penistone, South Yorkshire, Harold’s Going Stiff is a unique take on the Zombie genre. Pennine Helicopters were approached to help with a particular scene which involved a zombie being chased across a field and shot at from their helicopter.

“The scene always gets a great reaction from audiences as the zombie is finally brought down in a bloody mess.” says Richard Guy, a producer from Frisson Film (www.frissonfilm.co.uk). He also added - “I was extremely impressed with Pennine Helicopter’s during filming. They’re experience of film crews allowed us to get the shots we required efficiently, safely and with a smile.”

We’re currently having a short break over the Christmas period, obviously the weather tends to be hit and miss at this time of year, and we would much prefer to give our passengers a pleasure flight instead of a terror flight!

In the meantime, you can still book with us for a Christmas present – why not treat someone to a flight with one of our gift packs? (www.penninehelis.co.uk/gift.php)

See all available options on our website at http://www.penninehelis.co.uk/

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at Pennine Helicopters. Here’s to 2012!