Queenstown helicopter company put into liquidation

A former Over The Top chopper outside Queenstown's Airwork hangar. Photo / Mountain Scene

Celebrated Queenstown chopper company owner/pilot Louisa 'Choppy' Patterson's in
dispute with an international company over two choppers she's leased from it.

Matters came to a head in the High Court at Dunedin yesterday when Associate Judge Dale Lester placed Heli Lease SI Ltd, formerly known as Over The Top Helicopters Ltd, in liquidation.

Patterson wasn't present and didn't respond to Mountain Scene's sister paper, Otago Daily Times, for requests for comment yesterday.

"Our doors remain open": says Over The Top boss Louisa 'Choppy' Patterson. Photo / Mountain Scene

Patterson, who's operated high-end Over The Top in Queenstown since the mid-'80s, had been leasing an EC130 and a BK117 from Heli Holdings Ltd (HHL), a subsidiary of Airwork NZ.

In December, HHL filed liquidation proceedings against Heli Lease SI Ltd, a Patterson company.

''The application was in response to unpaid lease debts relating to two helicopters,'' HHL states.

It says the date for Heli Lease SI Ltd to file a statement of defence had passed.

Meanwhile, HHL says it's repossessed both the EC130 and, two weeks ago, the BK117,
from Over The Top's Tex Smith Lane premises.

The latter's been sitting out side Airwork's nearby hangar.

Repossessed choppers were 'nonairworthy'

Speaking to Scene prior to yesterday's hearing, Patterson claimed both choppers became ''nonairworthy'' last year, as Airwork hadn't done the required maintenance.

''Who pays for an unairworthy leased helicopter?''

She says Airwork had agreed a reduced lease, ''with ongoing reduced tourists and other challenging Covid-driven circumstances''.

But later ''we were told they required the helicopters to be returned to full lease'' by October.

''With circumstances like borders closed to tourists, it was not commercially or financially
prudent to continue such a lease, so naturally we advised Airwork accordingly.

''We repeatedly asked Airwork to pick up their helicopters freely stored at our hangar and remove the Over The Top livery and parts belonging to Over The Top Ltd at our cost.''

Patterson alleges Airwork's claim to liquidate Heli Lease SI Ltd is for less than $100,000 ''for leases that did not work''.

In turn, her operating company, Over The Top Ltd, had a claim for ''$197,000 of its equipment that Airwork are still in possession of in the leased helicopters they eventually collected in bizarre circumstances''.

She says this matter will be dealt with by the liquidators.

Meantime, Patterson says Over The Top continues to be ''the premier helicopter company in New Zealand aviation, specialising in tourism with a fleet of its own modern Airbus helicopters''.

''Our doors remain open, and we look forward to NZ opening to the world again soon to provide guests with our wonderful Over The Top experiences,'' Patterson says.

When Covid first hit two years ago, Patterson was a driving force behind a newly-formed national lobby group seeking government support for the general aviation sector.

- Mountain Scene