ACS at Cheltenham Festival

Each year in March, the Air Charter Service Helipad welcomes hundreds of helicopters to the Cheltenham Festival, a four-day jump racing event in the UK where the best horses, trainers and jockeys go head-to-head. This year was no exception, with almost 350 helicopters and approximately 1,000 movements at the helipad during the event, with the busiest day being Friday – the day of the Boodles Gold Cup. 

Edward Mayhew, Senior UK Helicopter Specialist, oversees this technically challenging operation. “Set-up for the event usually takes two weeks and involves turning a field into an airfield ready to welcome clients from all over the world. It’s an event in its own right,” marvels Edward.  

Preparations involve building a weather station, an air traffic control tower, and a runway with runway headings, markers and lights.  

The guest experience 

Dedicated teams welcome passengers off their aircraft and escort them to the bespoke terminal, where passengers mingle with other attendees.   

“Visitors were offered tea, coffee and snacks from the complimentary bar before heading to the exit, where a chauffeured Bentley was waiting to drive them to the racecourse, dropping them off right at the heart of the action between the Parade Ring and the Guinness Village,” recalls Edward of this year’s event. “Guests could reach the grandstand within 10 minutes of landing.” 

“The ACS staff are super friendly, chatting to new and returning customers,” continues Oli Foss, Global Director – Private Clients. “There were smiles and handshakes all round, and a sense of comfort knowing they were being looked after by the best in the business.” 

The whole experience was particularly attractive this year as rail strike action saw an increase in road traffic to the event. The journey from London to Cheltenham took three to four hours by road, but just 45 minutes by helicopter.

Event highlights 

For Oli, there’s nothing quite like ‘The Cheltenham Roar’ – a tradition where more than 65,000 racegoers in the grandstands cry out when the starter raises the tape for the first race. “It’s the unofficial start to the festival and makes your hair stand on end. I also love seeing the first helicopter arrive on day one, and meeting our regular clients who fly into other Jockey Club race meetings with us throughout the year.” 

Queen Camilla and The Princess Royal visited Cheltenham this year, leading to Edward’s highlight: “The Royal Family’s operations team commended us on the level of professionalism at the ACS Helipad.” 

Until next time…  

When it was time to leave, guests were chauffeured back to the helipad and welcomed back to the terminal by the ACS team. Once their pilot confirmed the aircraft was ready to depart, they were escorted to their helicopter. 

“After the last helicopter took off, the planning had already begun for 2024,” says Oli. “We also run other helipads throughout the year, and we are always looking to improve and expand our offering for the clients who fly in. Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the Gold Cup race, so we’ll be making everything bigger and better to celebrate a truly historic moment.” ]

The ACS Helipad also operates at the QIPCO Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse, Aintree Racecourse for the Randox Grand National and Epsom Downs Racecourse for the Epsom Derby. 

Did you know? 

This year’s most popular helicopter choice for flying into the Cheltenham Festival was the twin engine AgustaWestland 109SP GrandNew. This in-demand aircraft can carry six passengers with two pilots.