Harbour Flights Trials Success

Sea Plane takes off in glourious conditions

With full planning due out on September 30th 2010 for their operation in Cobh, Harbour Flights had the best of weather conditions last Friday when they began the sea-trialing of their Cessna 172 planes in view of the hundreds of spectators that turned up to witness this historic event take place on our own dorstep. Weather conditions couldn’t have been better for this testing period and when all of this gets the go ahead it will no doubt lend further appeal when it comes to attracting tourists to Cobh.

Sea Plane lands near Kennedy Pier

Harbour Flights is an innovative company that will be the first compant to introduce commercial sea plane operations into Ireland. Emlyn Heaps, the CEO of Harbour Flights has been involved at the coal face of tourism in Ireland for the past nine years and has, with the assistance of all the management and staff of Clare Resorts Management, created a vibrant tourism product in East Clare which brings in over 10,000 visitors a year to this region. Harbour Flights fundaments concept is to open up all of the lakes, waterways and estuarys throughout the 32 counties and develop a new and vibrant tourism market which can only be of benifit to an area such as Cobh. You can read all about, and keep in touch with Harbour Flights at their website which is located at http://www.harbourflights.com

Adam Cronin, local business man and owner of Cronin Millar Consulting Engineers, based in Cobh is one of the directors of Harbour Flights Ireland. He is delighted that this project will promote Cobh as a tourist destination and be an added attraction to the town. Adam is delighted with the support shown by businesses and residents and is hopeful that Harbour Fights Ireland will be operational in Cobh by spring of next year.

Some unusual visitors to check out the new flight paths

As a side note, CEO Emlyn Heaps is also a published author and his first book titled ‘Heaps Of Trouble’ (Published by Collins Press) is set to hit the bookshelves in September 2010.  Set against the lively backdrop of Everybody’s toyshop in Inchicore in Dublin, one word sums it up: trouble. But this vivid depiction of boyhood in the 1950s and 1960s, his parents mostly at loggerheads, especially his alcoholic father, as they bounced from sobriety to drunkenness, is never bitter. Emelyn does not ‘look back in anger’. Early schooldays at Goldenbridge Convent, injured at age ten in an explosion, which kills his beloved only sister, and going to court in search of ‘Compo’, are in turn distressing, sad and hilarious. Grief has its consolation when compo is in the offing. Description of this tragedy turning the family upside down is unflinching while mischief as a streetwise gurrier during his years at CUS School is wonderfully madcap. From the start to the heart-stopping finish after a summer working in St James Hospital, we are drawn into his triumphs and disasters with hilarity and sadness never far away. And then there is a love story. You can visit Emlyn’s site and read all about his first book at: http://www.emelynheaps.com/

Sea Plane moored at the Quays Bar pontoon

Is there a more beautiful sight anywahere?