West Coast Helicopters has the contract to hoist construction materials to the top of the 27-storey Beacon highrise to allow roof repairs in the 14-year-old building.

Saywell Contracting hired the Nanaimo-based helicopter company to so it can quickly get materials to the top of the 76-metre-tall building. The job is tentatively booked for July 29.

An elevator could have been used. But the project manager chose a helicopter to reduce the negative impact on residents of the building, located at 54 Promenade Dr.

"The amount of roofing material would take them a long time to get up in the elevator," said Jim Vallance, the pilot.

A Eurocopter Astar capable of lifting loads weighing up to 725 kilograms will be used.

"It won't take very long," Vallance said.

Vallance, who has experience hauling air conditioning units to rooftops and on similar commercial installation jobs, said it usually takes time getting all the paperwork signed for such a task.

"We get involved in stuff like that all the time. Transportation Canada has to approve it, the city has to be notified, the landowners have to approve it, we have to notify the RCMP," Vallance said.

Because of this, he said there is a chance the job could be moved to another date.

"The date has moved a few times already, and it's all weather permitting, of course."

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