OCEAN CITY — A helicopter landing at the Inlet lot will go off as planned this weekend as part of the Big Toys on the Boardwalk event after questions were raised about the operator’s level of insurance coverage.
A permit request to land a Enstrom F-28F helicopter on the Inlet lot on Sunday was part of the Mayor and Council’s consent agenda during Monday’s meeting. The consent agenda includes a batch of items for approval, typically special events or sports tournaments, for example, that do not require a lot of debate and are usually passed as a collection.
Such was the case on Monday when the consent agenda appeared to be on a path of easy approval. However, questions were raised about the level of insurance coverage for the helicopter’s operator, who would set it down in a section of the Inlet lot.
“In 2018 when this occurred previously, was the promoter required to get special event additional insurance coverage?” said Councilman Mark Paddack. “I have no doubt this will go off just fine, but I think we need to make sure they have the proper level of insurance in case something happens.”
City Solicitor Heather Stansbury said she would look into the insurance issue. For the record, a helicopter landed at the Inlet lot during the Big Toys on the Boardwalk special event in 2018.
“I think Councilman Paddack’s question is a valid one,” she said. “This event is Sunday. I would like to meet with the risk manager and recommend meeting with Special Events Director Frank Miller to make sure the operator is insured.”
As a result, the request to land the helicopter at the Inlet lot was removed from the consent agenda. The council then unanimously approved the remaining four items on the consent agenda.
The F-28F is a small, two-seat helicopter. It will land on the Inlet lot at roughly 9 a.m. on Sunday morning as part of the larger Big Toys on the Boardwalk event. Big Toys on the Boardwalk is an added-value, family-friendly event that allows kids of all ages to get behind the controls of unique vehicles, from exotic cars and race cars, to bulldozers and heavy equipment to fire trucks and ambulances, for example.
The special events department will secure a 120-foot by 120-foot landing zone in the northeast corner of the Inlet lot. A fire truck will be on the site as required during the landing and take-off. The fire truck will also be part of the Big Toys on the Boardwalk event.
