SOURCE: CNN

BY: KIERON MONKS

Legendary stunts

Beyond its basic function, the helipad is better known as a location for stunts that range from death-defying to merely awesome.

Roger Federer got the ball rolling in 2005 when he played an exhibition match with Andre Agassi on a court created for the occasion and filmed by helicopter. The Swiss would return in 2012 with rival Novak Djokovic.

The helipad has also been made over as a golf course to allow Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to tee off over the Persian Gulf.

In 2017, a ring was constructed for British boxer Anthony Joshua to take part in a sparring session.

Costa says the most challenging stunt to date came in 2013, when a Formula 1 racing car was airlifted onto the helipad to allow David Coulthard to spin “doughnuts” on a specially-created surface. Atkins engineers were brought in again to ensure the stunt could proceed safely.

The location has since become an attraction for daredevils of all stripes, serving as a platform for a record-breaking kiteboarding jump, a BMX jump from a helicopter, and skydivers.

Many more stunts are rejected, according to Costa. “Every requested stunt is evaluated from logistical, health and safety and feasibility points of view before it goes ahead,” he says.

Party venue

Stunts made the helipad world-famous, but the hotel has also introduced safer ways to enjoy it.

Since 2014, the helipad has been available for weddings designed by a specialist “wedding architect” with a starting price of $55,000, although some ceremonies have reportedly run into millions of dollars.

The location is also hired out for private parties with bespoke trimmings. Costa says his favorite helipad moment came with a guest’s 50th birthday last year.

“We repainted the helipad to read ‘Happy Birthday’ with her name, which she could see from the helicopter as she landed,” he recalls.

Such lavish occasions and expenditure might seem frivolous, but as one of Dubai’s great icons, there is a responsibility to showcase spectacle and grandeur.

As Costa puts it, the helipad events are “elevating Dubai and its reputation for delivering spectacular experiences.”

Government ministries often partner with the hotel to deliver helipad events, and use it heavily in promotional campaigns.

The Burj al Arab was first commissioned with the intention of establishing Dubai and the UAE on the global map.

Twenty years on from its inauguration that ambition has been realized — with no little help from the world’s most famous helipad.