S'porean pilot delivers helicopter to megayacht docked at Keppel Marina

Some of us deliver food, others deliver helicopters.

Mandy How| April 27, 2021, 11:40 AM

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Although inconceivable to some, delivering helicopters is all in a day's work for Sean Mah.

The 56-year-old has been a pilot for more than 15 years.

And this recent delivery involved manoeuvring the helicopter onto a megayacht, which Mothership understands is privately owned by a wealthy individual.

A spokesperson from Bell Textron Inc — the company Mah works at — said that they are unable to divulge more details due to an agreement they signed.

He does, however, add that the yacht had come from Polynesia, and was stopping in Singapore for maintenance.

A megayacht, or superyacht, is a luxurious pleasure vessel, and those that are for charter come with their own crew to ensure its guests' comfort.

Such a yacht typically ranges from 40m to 80m. For context, a 60m yacht costs about "tens of millions of dollars."

If you're wondering what a helicopter is doing on a yacht, Bell Textron explained that its usually used for transport between the boat and other locations the yacht owners may want to reach, such as locations in the city or scenic but remote areas.

Since their yacht was undergoing maintenance, the owners decided to do the same for their helicopter.

For Mah, one of the main challenges in delivering the aircraft came from space constraints.

The yacht, which was docked at Keppel Marina, meant that Mah had to manoeuvre the helicopter while keeping in mind the prohibited air space, due to the nearby cable cars.

A very precise landing was also needed, as the small helipad on the yacht did not allow for space for mistakes.

Here's the landing, filmed from different angles:

Besides delivering helicopters, Mah also does demonstration and maintenance test flights, as well as manage the delivery schedules and flight planning with the relevant teams and authorities.

For context, Bell Textron Inc is an American manufacturer of helicopters and vertical lift aircraft.

"Our helicopters are used globally by governments, militaries and corporations for various missions such as troop transport, search and rescue, helicopter emergency medical services, corporate and individual travel," the spokesperson said.

You can watch the delivery process here, courtesy of Bell Textron Inc:

Top image via Bell Textron Inc