Jonny Greenhall, chief pilot and owner of Balearic Helicopters, which is based at Son Bonet airfield just outside Palma, confirmed to the Bulletin today that his company has entered in to a joint venture with the highly experienced and prestigious Whizzard Helicopters which is based in Welshpool.
Greenhall, who has over 16 years' flying experience, took over the business when Sloane Helicopters decided to consolidate in the UK earlier this year. And over the past few months, he has been looking for a partner in order to expand operations here in Palma and also increase winter activity.
"The owner of Whizzard Helicopters, Jerry Lanchbury, has been operating and flying for over 14 years and he has a very similar approach to the business as I do. They not only provide training, they also operate helicopter excursions, sightseeing, helicopter dining, etc,. but Jerry is also a charter provider for a host of rich and famous celebrities and sportsmen and women such as Kimi Räikkönen and Michael Owen as well as TV and film stars who need to quickly get from home to sets and such things.
"What is more, he has a larger fleet of helicopters, mostly Robinsons like ours, but also five-seater luxury helicopters. So not only will we be able to cater for celebrities here in the Balearics and across Spain, we can also continue with our training programmes during the winter when the weather is not conducive for learning in the UK.
"In addition, we are now backed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority, which means we can operate across Europe and offer more services."