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A heliport is a small
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
suitable for use by
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
s and some other vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff areas and may also have limited facilities such as fuel or hangars. In some larger towns and cities,
customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
facilities may also be available. Early advocates of helicopters hoped that heliports would become widespread, but they have become contentious in
urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
s due to the excessive noise caused by helicopter traffic. In American use a heliport is defined as "an area of land, water, or structure used or intended to be used for the landing and takeoff of helicopters and includes its buildings and facilities if any." A heliport will consist of one or more
helipad A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft. While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
s, which are defined as "a small, designated area, usually with a prepared surface, on a heliport, airport, landing/take-off area, apron/ramp, or movement area used for takeoff, landing, or parking of helicopters." In Canada the term heliport is legally only used for a certified aerodrome for helicopter use.


Heliport airspace

The
airspace Airspace is the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere. It is not the same as aerospace, which is the ...
immediately surrounding the heliport is called the Primary Surface. This area coincides in shape and size with the designated take-off and landing area. This surface is a horizontal plane equal to the elevation of the established heliport elevation. The Primary Surface is further broken down into three distinct regions. These are, the 'Touch-down and Lift-off' (TLOF) area, the 'Final Approach and Takeoff' (FATO) area and the 'Safety Area'. The TLOF is a load-bearing, generally paved area, normally centered in the FATO, on which the helicopter lands and / or takes off. The FATO is a defined area over which the pilot completes the final phase of the approach to a hover or a landing, and from which the pilot initiates take-off. The FATO elevation is the lowest elevation of the edge of the TLOF. The Safety Area is a defined area on a heliport surrounding the FATO intended to reduce the risk of damage to helicopters accidentally diverging from the FATO.


Purpose

In a large metropolitan and urban areas, a heliport can serve
passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...
s needing to quickly move within the city, or to outlying regions. Generally, heliports can be situated closer to a town or
city center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
than an airport for
fixed-wing aircraft A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air flying machine, such as an airplane, which is capable of flight using wings that generate lift caused by the aircraft's forward airspeed and the shape of the wings. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinc ...
. The advantage in flying by helicopter to a destination, or even to the city's main airport, is that travel can be much faster than by surface transport. As an example, the
Downtown Manhattan Heliport The Downtown Manhattan Heliport (Downtown Manhattan/Wall St. Heliport) is a helicopter landing platform at Pier 6 in the East River in Lower Manhattan, New York City, New York. History Downtown Manhattan Heliport opened on December 8, 1960 ...
in New York City provides scheduled service to
John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the Ne ...
, and is used to move wealthy persons and important goods quickly to destinations as far away as
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Police departments use heliports as a base for
police helicopter Police aviation is the use of aircraft in police operations. Police services commonly use aircraft for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, high-speed car pursuits, observation, air patrol and control of large-scale public events ...
s, and larger departments may have a dedicated large heliport facility dedicated such as the
LAPD Hooper Heliport LAPD Hooper Heliport is a city-owned private-use heliport located one nautical mile (2 km) northeast of the central business district of Los Angeles, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. History Hooper Heliport is located on t ...
. Some
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
s feature rooftop heliports to serve the transport needs of executives or clients. Many of these rooftop sites also serve as Emergency Helicopter Landing Facilities (EHLF), in case emergency evacuation is needed. The
U.S. Bank Tower U.S. Bank Tower, known locally as the Library Tower and formerly as the First Interstate Bank World Center, is a skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is, by structural height, the third-tallest building in California, the seco ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
is an example. Helipads are common features at
hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
s, where they serve to facilitate helicopter air ambulance and
MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...
s for transferring patients into and out of hospital facilities. Some large
trauma center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major trauma, major traumatic injuries such as Falling (accident), falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma cent ...
s may have multiple helipads, while most small hospitals have just one. Helipads allow hospitals to accept patients flown in from remote accident sites, where there are no local hospitals or facilities capable of providing the level of
emergency care Emergency medicine is the medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (often called “ER doctors” in the United States) continuously learn to care for unsche ...
required. The
National EMS Pilots Association National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
(NEMSPA) has published multiple white papers, surveys and safety recommendations for the enhancement of hospital helipad operations to improve patient safety.


Heliport markings

While heliports can be oriented in any direction, they will generally have very definitive approach and departure paths. However, heliports are not numbered in the same way that
runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...
s at
airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...
s are. Recommended standard practice by both the
Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
(FAA) and the
International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sc ...
(ICAO) is to orient a H in the center of the TLOF, in line with the preferred approach / departure direction. An information box should also be included in the TLOF area, which provides the
aircraft gross weight The aircraft gross weight (also known as the all-up weight and abbreviated AUW) is the total aircraft weight at ''any moment'' during the flight or ground operation. An aircraft's gross weight will decrease during a flight due to fuel and oil co ...
the helipad is rated for, as well as the maximum size helicopter the helipad has been designed to accommodated, which is based on the
helicopter rotor A helicopter main rotor or rotor system is the combination of several rotary wings (rotor blades) with a control system, that generates the aerodynamic lift force that supports the weight of the helicopter, and the thrust that counteracts aerody ...
diameter and overall length of the largest design helicopter that will service the helipad. Under normal conditions, it is standard practice to paint the maximum gross weight a helipad is designed to support in either metric tonnes, kilograms, or thousands of pounds, along with the maximum helicopter dimensions in metres or feet. Arrows are oftentimes painted on the heliport to indicate to pilots the preferred approach / departure paths. Other common markings can include ownership, radio frequencies, company logo(s), and magnetic north.


Lighting

To conduct night-time operations, a heliport must have lighting installed that meets specific aeronautical standards. Heliport perimeter lights are generally installed around the TLOF area, and may be flush mounted on the TLOF itself, or mounted just off the TLOF perimeter on short metal or concrete extensions. One alternative to lighting the TLOF if certain criteria are met, is to light the area of the FATO instead. Some locations, due to environmental conditions, illuminate the TLOF and FATO. Lighting should never constitute an obstruction that a helicopter may impact, and for this reason, in the U.S., heliport lighting is not allowed to extend above the TLOF or FATO more than . Current standards recommend that all perimeter lighting be green. Prior standards recommended amber lighting for perimeter lights; however this wavelength has been shown to interfere with
night vision goggle A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The devi ...
(NVG) operations, when used with older incandescent lighting. In the past, lighting has been traditionally
incandescent Incandescence is the emission of electromagnetic radiation (including visible light) from a hot body as a result of its high temperature. The term derives from the Latin verb ''incandescere,'' to glow white. A common use of incandescence is ...
, but increasingly,
light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (cor ...
s (LEDs) are being incorporated, due to lower power requirements and increased life. While flood lights may be used to enhance surface operations, they should not interfere with
flight crew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...
night vision, and should be kept off during flight operations, and only used when conducting ground movement operations. To conduct night operations, a lighted
wind cone A windsock (also called a wind cone) is a conical textile tube that resembles a giant sock. It can be used as a basic indicator of wind speed and direction, or as decoration. They are typically used at airports to show the direction and strength ...
is also required. At ground-based heliports, lead-in lights may be incorporated to identify the preferred approach / departure direction. Visual slope
guidance system A guidance system is a virtual or physical device, or a group of devices implementing a controlling the movement of a ship, aircraft, missile, rocket, satellite, or any other moving object. Guidance is the process of calculating the changes in po ...
s (such as HAPI, PAPI, etc.) are recommended options in both ICAO and FAA document. While airports commonly use 6.6A
direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...
power, heliport lighting is normally AC powered. Radio control of the lighting by the pilot via an automated ground-based controller is also common.


Approach / departure airspace

To provide for a safe environment to perform normal helicopter landing and take-off operations, each heliport must have unobstructed approach / departure paths. The minimum recommended separation between flight paths is 135 degrees. A heliport approach path is broken down into two distinct airspace surfaces; the Approach Surface, and the Transitional Surface. The approach surface begins at each end of the heliport primary surface with the same width as the primary surface, and extends outward and upward for a horizontal distance of , where its width is . The slope of the approach surface is 8-to-1 for civil heliports. The Transitional Surfaces extend outward and upward from the lateral boundaries of the primary surface, and from the approach surfaces, at a slope of 2-to-1 for a distance of , measured horizontally from the centerline of the primary and approach surfaces. Approach paths can either be straight or curved to accommodate obstructions and avoidance areas.


See also

*
Helicopter deck A helicopter deck (or helo deck) is a helicopter pad on the deck of a ship, usually located on the stern and always clear of obstacles that would prove hazardous to a helicopter landing. In the United States Navy, it is commonly and properly ref ...
*
List of countries by number of heliports This is a list based on CIA World Factbook, Flightglobal, Vertical Magazine anAinonlinealong with the civil and military helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rot ...
*
List of helicopter airlines This is a list of helicopter airlines. These are airlines which provide transport for passengers or cargo, or both, with fleets that comprise a significant proportion of helicopters. Helicopter airlines In operation Defunct or renamed - O ...
*
List of heliports in Turkey List of heliports References {{reflist, 2 Trabzon location not corrector External linksDirectorate General of Civil Aviation * Heliports Turkey Heliports A heliport is a small airport suitable for use by helicopters and some other vertica ...
*
List of heliports in Canada This is an alphabetical list of heliports in Canada. It includes all Nav Canada certified and registered heliports in the provinces and territories of Canada. They are listed in the format: * Airport name as listed in the Canada Flight Suppleme ...
*
List of heliports in Singapore This is a list of heliports and helipads in Singapore: Heliport *Sembawang Air Base Helipads *Brani Naval Base *Ministry of Defence Headquarters (two) *Tan Tock Seng Hospital *Singapore General Hospital *Swissôtel The Stamford See also *List of ...
*
List of heliports in Washington, D.C. There are 13 heliports within Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, federal capital district of the United States, as of 2021. As of 2002, there are also 32 others in the Washington metropolitan area. Of this total, 22 belong t ...


References


Footnotes


General sources

*de Voogt, A.J. 2007. Helidrome Architecture. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. *ICAO Annex 14 Aerodrome Standards, Aerodrome Design and Operations *ICAO 1995. Heliport Manual. Montreal, Canada: ICAO Publications. *Frost, John B. 1996. British helipads. Chester, UK: Appledore Publications.


External links


UK CAA, CAP 437 Standards for Offshore Helicopter Landing Areas (September 2018)UK CAA, CAP 1264 Standards for Helicopter Landing Areas at Hospitals (First amendment edition, August 2019)National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 418 Standards for Heliports, 2016.International Building CodeNational EMS Pilots Association Hospital Helipad Safety

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Advisory Circular AC 150/5390-2C - Heliport Design.

Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) Airfield and Heliport Planning, UFC 3-260-0,1Nov 2008
* ttp://www.helitecnica.com Helitecnica Light Heliports* ttp://www.pointlighting.com Point Lighting Corporation Helipad/Helideck Lighting - Wind Cones - Obstruction Lighting {{Authority control Helicopters Airports by type