[NMCAVER] Helicopter charters?

[DONALD G. DAVIS]

>      Donald Davis said:
>
>>More recently I believe the rules are much tighter, but it has still been =
>possible for authorized research teams to land in remote parts of the Park
>
>      A few years ago Bill Stone and a small group of us considered trying =
>to dive the sump at the back of Thunder River Cave in the Grand Canyon.  Bi=
>ll thought the only practical way to approach the problem would be to have =
>a helicopter bring in the dive gear and a compressor.  Although we never ma=
>de a formal application to do the dive, we got the impression from people w=
>e talked with that a helicopter would never be allowed there.
>
>      On the other hand, extraordinary circumstances allow for extraordinar=
>y privileges.  During Emily's rescue at Lechuguilla back in 1991, a few of =
>us got flown from Carlsbad Caverns park headquarters out to the Lechuguilla=
> entrance.  The feds picked up the tab for that one.  I remember commenting=
> on the ride as we swept low over the ridges that that would be the ideal w=
>ay to look for caves.
>
>Mark Minton

        Yes, I was on one of those Emily flights too (or properly post-
Emily, since my team was flown back out there to backpack out trash as the
rescue event was winding up).  I don't recall that you were on the same
flight; I don't know how many flights there were.  The agencies, of
course, can always do this sort of thing if they deem it necessary,
whatever their rules for other folk.
                                                        --Donald