(En Català: )

A helicopter moves restoration activities in es Barranc

In the Barranc de Biniaraix, we keep on beating about the same bush.... On Wednesday March 13, 2002 four owners decided to try out new methods to facilitate the tasks which usually take away our sleep:

• transporting materials for the maintenance work on the traditional cottages in the Barranc - locally called"porxos"orches -
• deliver the different materials (tools, wire netting to enclose animals, wood stoves..),
• the removal of olive wood to a place accessible by lorries for private use or possible sale.
  
  
  To carry out the trial, thanks to the indications from Joan Juan, responsible for the Trapa property and Secretary of the Sustainable Tramuntana Association, on Friday 8th March we contacted Heliswiss, operating a helicopter from Helitrans, an Andorran helicopter company,  and the helicopter has opened new perspectives for our work.  
  On Monday 11th we decide to go ahead with the experience.

And therefore we left for the Ofre cottages, leaving behind the aerials of Puig Major

and the Cúber plain...

We must give thanks to Marcel·lí, of Suliar SA,
who resolved the preparation of sacks of building materials in record time. 
Also Doña Antonia, the owner of l'Ofre,

who gave us the permits (and a key!!!)

to enter the Ofre property.

Miquel Oliver 'Roc', tenant of the property, who has such wonderful bulls as can be seen below, also helped us as much as he could.

It is from up there (750 m) that we lowered the material to our houses (450m height over 800m distance).

Obviously we would not have transported anything if Pau Català had not driven the lorry twice to the arranged place as a true and humorous professional.

Josep Maria Giral, a volatile with a word, flying efficiently an ECUREUIL AS 350 B2 (more information here) resolved the task of delivering 2 tons of material each in only 40 minutes in all, despite a strong wind making the job more difficult. He has promised us that the next time he will do it faster! 

The pine tree beside Can Pruna experienced a process of pollination by helicopter!

We had planned for the helicopter to land before Coll den Sé to let Jordi out.....

but he had to jump unto a rock after realizing that the Barranc was so full of olive trees that there was not a single place for safe landing.

We delivered materials to Can Silles:

Can Pruna:

Can Pa i Peix:

and Can Garbulla:

From Can Garbulla we took advantage of getting out two sacks, a total of one ton, of olive wood. If the green wood is left in the olive grove the olive bark beetle breeds. Normally the proliferation is avoided by removing the green wood. That is impossible in the Barranc and therefore often the wood is sprayed with pesticides or is burnt. Removing it by helicopter taking advantage of the return trips made it worth while.

Salvador from Can Pa i Peix, now retired, used to harvest olives when he was eight years old in that grove.
Now the sight of the helicopter in a place where he used to cart sacks in threes...




...on his donkey, "Suares", enthused him. .

Diego Villalonga filmed a mini DV of the operation and gave the film to A3TV, and the story was broadcast on Mach 15th at mid-day, with interviews of the owners who promoted the experience.

To see more photos of that day, click here. If you wish to see a photo with more resolution send an email.

Enthusiasts of www.airliners.net have photographed later editions of helicopter transports in Es Barranc.

Look here

English translation by Anne Kay (thank you Anne!)