Heliports : Make Room for Choppers

Gone are the days when the helicopter was dismissed as clumsy, noisy, ungainly and a poor cousin of the fixed-wing aircraft. Today, the chopper is carving out a niche for itself worldwide as a versatile mode of transportation—not only in the regime of military operations, but for a wide range of civilian requirements, as well.

India has been late in appreciating the benefits of helicopters and it is only of late that the civil helicopter fleet has begun to grow. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that within the next decade the fleet strength would double. This assessment is based on the fact that India is home to a growing number of billionaires and the count is bound to go up, the global economic meltdown notwithstanding.

Need For Heliports
Helicopters, at present, share operational infrastructure with fixed-wing aircraft. With swelling numbers, fixed- and rotarywing aircraft operating from the same location will inevitably give rise to serious difficulties and frequent conflict of priorities. Enforcement of procedures applicable to commercial fixedwing aircraft on helicopter operations tends to undermine the inherent attributes of the machine which does not require runways and taxi-ways to operate. Also, the modern helicopter is in no way inferior to the sophisticated commercial jet in respect of avionics, instrumentation and all-weather flying capability. The flexibility of the helicopter is best exploited when its operations are clearly demarcated from those of the fixed-wing regime.

Conscious of this fact, most developed countries have infrastructure in place to facilitate helicopters operations without hindrance from fixed-wing aircraft. In India, there are several helipads from where single helicopters can take off and land, including on high rise buildings sporting roof-top helipads. But this arrangement is inadequate for sustained commercial operations. This is where the concept of heliports becomes relevant.

Heliports: Detailed Outlook
Heliports are designated obstruction-free areas for helicopters to operate. These areas can vary from flat, open fields to structured locations which can support scheduled air services, with hangars, maintenance and turn-around facilities. As opposed to this, there is the heli-stop, which need not be a dedicated spot for helicopter operations. When not in use, it can be used for other purposes—a parking lot, a football field or a golf course. A heli-stop does not have any support facilities.

Size and standards: The dimension of the helipad is governed by the size of the helicopter. He helipad should be large enough to accommodate the track and wheelbase of the helicopter and there should be sufficient clear area around so that the main and tail rotors are clear of obstructions. It is quite common to have the tips of the main and tail rotor protruding beyond the extremities of the helipad. The area of clear airspace around the facility is principally dependent on the size of the largest helicopter expected to use the heliport. The facility must have the stipulated approach slope available for at least from one direction for arrival and departure.

Types of heliports: There are several types of heliports, each determined by its usage. Some of these are:
  • Private heliport: These are privately owned, maintained and operated. Not available for public use, these are financed by individuals, companies or corporate houses and are classified as Prior Permission Required (PPR) facilities.
  • General Aviation (GA): Here all facilities are open to GA. With varying capacities, GA heliports generally form part of a hub-and-spoke system, feeding major airports or operating from one city centre to another.
  • Transport heliport: Government-owned and operated, these cater to high capacity transport helicopters and have the trappings of any modern airport with passenger lounge, ticketing facilities and security infrastructure.
  • Hospital heliports: Located in the hospital campus, on the roof top or in the vicinity, these are exclusively for medical evacuation or emergency medical service. Handling small and medium helicopters, they are scaled to cater to patient handling and care.
  • Official-use heliport: Catering exclusively to government departments, like police, fire and other official central or state government agencies, special permission from the controlling department is essential for utilisation of such facilities.

Location of heliports: As compared with a conventional airport, the requirements for setting up a heliport are relatively fewer. Designed for aircraft capable of vertical-flight, heliports can be planned at almost any location, provided that there is sufficient space available. Heliports can be constructed on plain ground or in mountainous terrain, at ground level or elevated with the help of stilts and columns. These can be located on top of buildings, bridges or piers and can even be set up on water for helicopters equipped with floats, too, operate. The prime considerations for locating heliports are:
  • Availability of airspace so as not to conflict with existing airports.
  • Practicality of building over available real estate
  • Requirements of expected passenger profile, for instance, corporate clients and hospital patients.