Before moving on to the implementation of his grandiose plans, the owner of the successful construction corporation NDV-Nedvizhimost learned how to fly a helicopter. But for its purchase, conditions were required to maintain and store the aircraft. The issue was resolved in an original way: the entrepreneur decided to build an "air hub" - a center where you can buy a helicopter, book a flight from one point to another and put your own device in the parking lot. 200 units of air equipment - this is the capacity of the Heliport Moscow boxes. The following describes how the business was built for people with a special status and special preferences.

A business that started out of passion

It all started with the fact that Alexander Khrustalev from early childhood, like many children, dreamed of becoming a pilot. When the financial situation made it possible to fulfill an old dream, he took flight courses and acquired his own helicopter. A serious problem immediately arose: the nearest sites for basing ships were located too far from the city. It turned out that for the sake of an hour of helicopter flights, it was necessary to first survive several hours of Moscow traffic jams. From that moment, Alexander decided to build his own helipad five hundred meters from the Moscow Ring Road. And, as soon as the idea was realized, numerous friends turned to him so that he would be allowed to park there.

The entrepreneur planned to involve the head of the Aerosoyuz corporation Alexander Klimchuk in the project of building his own multicenter. However, even at the initial stage, their views radically diverged: Khrustalev habitually calculated future trends and wanted to create a complex whose services would be relevant for decades to come. After some time, their paths diverged.

The fact is that helicopter owners are a very self-sufficient caste of people with special claims and needs. It will not be possible to build a barn and focus services on the elite segment. Alexander did not want to give up his intentions, and he began to gradually build the infrastructure of the hub, introducing innovations.

Girls and technology

Previously, there were several monopolists on the Moscow market with their own fleets of helicopters: Aviamarket, Uralhelicom and Heli-Drive. At a certain moment, Heliport Moscow appeared and boldly challenged the rest, declaring plans to turn the industry around. Alexander's company completely changed the format of providing services, and proved that they can be on board "from scratch", the take-off area is comfortable, and the girls at the reviews are nice and pretty.

The entrepreneur set out to expand the list of services provided by competitors. First of all, he combined in his center the sale of helicopters, maintenance, flight courses, the sale of accessories and equipment, air tourism, aircraft tuning, basing and rental. Now the business has more than twenty points of growth.

According to the entrepreneur, the main source of income in this business is the sale of helicopters. On average, sales volumes of competitors do not exceed 15-18 boards per year. Heliport Moscow sold more than 20 aircraft last year, and this year it expects to increase its turnover. As for the cost, for example, in the United States, one board can cost the buyer 450-500 thousand dollars. For a Russian client, the amount will be increased by at least 45%. No, this is not because Khrustalev decided to return the invested funds as soon as possible. It's all about Russian taxation and the cost of transporting components. The helicopter arrives in Russia disassembled, after which it is assembled on the spot by experienced engineers and tested.

Flights over Moscow

To breathe life into Heliport Moscow, Alexander invested more than one hundred million dollars, which were directed from the turnover of his construction corporation NDV-Nedvizhimost. The lion's share of investments went to the acquisition of luxury helicopters, part - to pilot training, the rest - to marketing promotion and to cover operating costs. The company has a special attitude towards pilots: internships are held mainly in France and the USA, where the sphere of private aeronautics is most developed. Each of them was bought an apartment in Moscow and created optimal conditions for efficient work. Such investments in pilots are fully justified, because they are responsible for the lives of high-ranking people, and air, as you know, does not forgive economy and negligence.

As it turned out, the difficulties in this niche are not only the need for large investments. At the stage of formation, Khrustalev's company encountered the most frank manifestations of state bureaucracy and chicanery. The number of checks was sometimes so great that the entrepreneur gave up and thought to leave all undertakings. But Alexander saw positive aspects in this state of affairs. In his opinion, if the threshold for entering the aeronautics business was too low for everyone, then with increased competition, profitability would go to zero.

According to the current legislation, flights over the capital are strictly prohibited. Therefore, Khrustalev's company flies through the Moscow Ring Road, and from there it goes to other regions. In order to take to the air, previously it was required to coordinate this with the administration. For now, a notice of intent to fly is enough, indicating the date and time.

Taxi for the elite

The purpose of aircraft is very wide. They differ in passenger capacity, tonnage, dimensions, number of engines, flight range, as well as the type of fuel consumed - with gasoline and kerosene engines. When choosing a helicopter, the buyer must be clearly aware of the purposes for which he needs it and whether such an aircraft will satisfy his needs. According to the field of application, the boards are divided into those involved in rescue operations, tourist, transfer or tourism devices, as well as for hunting.

The cost of maintenance directly depends on the operating conditions of the device, the degree of wear of parts, and the internal "stuffing". For Robinson R44 models, which are the majority among the entire Heliport Moscow fleet, the maximum allowable flight hours should not exceed 2200 hours. After development, it is urgent to carry out serious overhaul, which is expensive for the owners. But, as an alternative, you can carry out scheduled inspections every 500-600 hours, which will save a significant amount.

Multicenter flow

Every day, Heliport Moscow receives over forty helicopters to its site, and thirty more devices are based on the territory. According to Alexander, the hub is less than half loaded, since it is designed for 200 units. Based on his plans, a luxury hotel, a business center and a marina for private yachts will be built near the runway.

Only at the current stage, the founder of Heliport Moscow realized all the specifics of the market. The company has recently been joined by a new asset in Istra - the Aviamarket helicopter complex, which is already loaded with personnel. In the next few years, it is planned to deploy more than a dozen of the same complexes throughout the country.

The entrepreneur believes that aeronautics needs to be widely popularized, since there are many people in Russia whose fortune allows them to get involved in such expensive pastimes. But for this it is necessary to build infrastructure: only in the Moscow region, based on their superficial calculations, it is required to build more than forty landing complexes. There is another paramount component of this business - flight safety. Some enterprises are irresponsible in terms of certification or training of their pilots. Then they wonder why the growth of accidents is increasing and the client base is sharply decreasing.

Khrustalev thoroughly intends to change the rules of the game in the domestic market - to remove the schemes and make it transparent, civilized. Despite the fact that this is a relatively new segment for Russia, we need to take an example from Western countries, where the culture of the aeronautics industry has been formed over decades and clear dogmas have been developed for each participant. Savings on safety, ecology and the introduction of new technologies are absolutely unacceptable for a company that expects to win positions in the competition.

Passing directions

Heliport Moscow takes an active part in social projects and has the necessary equipment to provide assistance in non-standard situations. In particular, they cooperate with the police, rescuers, and various medical services. A few months ago, each helicopter of the company was equipped with special stretchers for transporting people.

There are situations when a sick or injured person simply cannot be transported around the city due to the likelihood of traffic jams or because of the need to protect them from the slightest vibrations. And it happens when only the fastest possible delivery to a medical facility can save a life. In such cases, a helicopter is ideal. Recently, Alexander signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Liza Alert rescue service. In the past month alone, more than ten people have been saved by such interaction. Support is also provided in cases where it is necessary to put out fires or search for people. The entrepreneur does not take money for all this.

It is impossible to overestimate the possibilities of using helicopters when searching for people, because it is easiest to find the missing person from a height. The helicopter can literally "freeze" over the place where the object is supposed to be. In comparison, an airplane is not able to land on a narrow patch of land or on the edge. As for the helicopter, it will land there without any problems, pick up the patient and take him to a medical institution or to another safe place where it is possible to provide assistance.