CANCELED – Los Angeles Heroes Air Show July 16th, 2011

At Elite Helicopter Tours we would like to update our valued customers, friends and extended family regarding the Los Angeles 2011 Heroes Air Show. Elite Helicopter Tours of Los Angeles was originally scheduled to attend the Heroes Air on Saturday, July 16th, 2011 at the Hansen Dam Recreational Area but we just received word from the organizers of the event that it had been canceled. It is a disappointment for all the organizers, sponsors and valued visitors of this annual event but unfortunatly necessary. The air show has been canceled due to the major 405 freeway construction and the hardships attending the event may cause on visitors, participants and primarilly emergency services. Our local news media is definitely making a bigger deal out of the closure than it really is and local government agencies are urging people to stay at home. With the fears of the unknown problems that the freeway construction may cause and need for helicopter servelliance and emergency services to be on call, they will be unavailable to support the event.

We highly respect and appreciate Jim Paules and his associates efforts to coordinate the Heroes Air Show each year and know that a great amount of work is involved with arranging for various performances and static displays to be on hand. Much deliberation must have been involved with deciding whether or not to hold the air show this year and we must agree that it was a wise decision considering the gravity of potential hardship the event could incur not just on visitors and Photographers but especially the various helicopter emergency/law enforcement agencies. Given the pressure from media and local government agencies urging people to stay at home the weekend of July 16th and 17th, this is perhaps the best decision.

This year’s event will be missed and we know it is a major contributor to public involvement and outreach to show just how important GA (general aviation) benefits the local LA community. We encourage the local communities to check out and connect with GA Serves America online at http://www.gaservesamerica.com, AOPA at http://www.AOPA.org, or with the HAI at http://www.rotor.com to learn more about how GA is bennifical to local communities the world over. With the growing pressure and limitations on non-commercial aviation, Heroes is the last regular air show for the greater Los Angeles that provides valuable inspiration to the up and coming generations of pilots, fire fighters, police, military, emergency service providers and more. Heroes is the only helicopter air show of it’s kind and hence will be missed this year. In closing we thank Jim and his team at the Heroes Air Show organization for all their efforts and look forward opportunity we have to work together. If you would like to learn more about the cancelation, please visit the Heroes website at http://www.heroes-airshow.com/losangeles.