What are the latest developments in helipad design, and how do these enhance operator safety? Jennifer Ferrero finds out from those who create and those who use them
In an emergency, you can land a helicopter just about anywhere. However, most operators are interested in where they can land legally and safely. For emergency medical operators, landing on hospitals or in a location where you are picking up an injured person means finding a helipad. Helipad Lighting System
Chief Pilot Karl Wellfare of Life Flight Network said security and safety are the most critical factors when landing on a helipad: “We land on a lot of different helipads, elevated and ground-based pads. Ensuring the helipad is secure is critical to the safety of those receiving the patient, and important for those who work in the area, so that we don’t hurt them, and they don’t hurt us.” He prefers to land on an elevated helipad on top of a hospital as the location adds a natural layer of security.
Two additional factors he is looking out for are lighting and loose materials on the helipad, which can affect the safety of those on the ground and in the aircraft.
Helipads can be made of anything from dirt to cement to aluminum and other materials. They can be rudimentary – a dirt pad with an H in the middle out in the jungle or the woods – or a high-tech version on top of a hospital with ramps, a safety net, and lighting.
A helipad/helistop is a place to land a helicopter and drop off passengers or patients. But a heliport is where the helicopter is stationed and has parking, buildings, and facilities for pilots and staff, fueling, and more.
Every second counts in an emergency situation when a sick or injured patient is being transported via air ambulance to hospital. Effective comms are linked to quicker response times and…
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), 6,154 heliports and 6,943 helipads are registered in its Airport Data and Information Portal (ADIP) in the USA, as of October 2023. What trends and innovations are occurring in their creation, and what are manufacturers working to accomplish?
In Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5390-2D – Heliport Design FAA, the basic elements of a heliport are said to include:
The FAA provides information that is not mandatory but will help ‘engineers, architects, and city planners to design, locate, and build a suitable heliport’. While it may not seem complicated, many elements should be considered in the design and development of the heliport landing area. These include the overall length and width of the helicopters using the facility, along with the load. If the landing location is elevated, such as on top of a hospital, there are considerations for the structure where the TLOF is located relative to the surrounding surface.
We design our structures not only to meet code but to exceed the minimum requirements set by those codes
There are worldwide helipad manufacturers who offer updates to improve the experience for pilots. Helidex is a helipad and heliport manufacturer established in 1998 in New Jersey and owned and operated by Chawki Benteftifa. His company has supplied over 400 helipads with 50 hospitals worldwide.
He explained what makes the helipads unique: “Our helipads are made using aluminum extrusions. There are about three or four suppliers worldwide for these types of helipads. The products from these suppliers are very similar. The difference is that engineers run our company, and we design our structures not only to meet code but to exceed the minimum requirements set by those codes.”
Helidex creates a deck that is the lightest and strongest in the industry, he said, which can minimize vibration and increase serviceability because of its geometry.
FEC Heliports has built over 500 rooftop helipads and designed and provided equipment for helipads worldwide. Kim Swisshelm has been a consultant and project manager with FEC Heliports for 25 years. She expanded on the different types of helicopter landing pads: “A helipad/helistop is a designated landing area for a helicopter. It typically consists of a marked landing area, perimeter lights, and a wind cone, and is used to pick up and drop off patients. The helicopter is not stationed at a helipad/helistop. A heliport has all those same items and may include additional landing or parking areas, buildings/facilities for pilots, and fueling capabilities. Helicopters may be stationed at and serviced at a heliport.”
Both companies provide aluminum helipads and favor aluminum because it is lightweight, sustainable, and location-flexible. Helipads have a main deck called a ‘pancake’ with support framing, explained Benteftifa, and ‘one of the current innovations is using aluminum framing for the pancake support framing’.
The aluminum itself is a permanent material that is sustainable and eco-friendly. You will never have to replace this surface
Swisshelm said: “The aluminum itself is a permanent material that is sustainable and eco-friendly. You will never have to replace this surface. The flexibility of the lightweight material allows us to explore location options that may not have been considered before.”
Aluminum is low maintenance, she said, adding that they have helipads that have been in service for 30 years and look brand new. When hospitals expand, which Wellfare said is very common, they can move the helipad and reuse materials. Plus, Swisshelm said, they can install snow melt systems ‘to ensure safe operations in inclement weather’.
Another update is to lighting systems on helipads. Many helipads and towers are shifting to LED lights because these last longer than their incandescent counterparts. Wellfare, who has been flying air medical missions for 20 years, said he preferred the ‘old incandescent bulbs with a certain infrared spectrum’, which can be seen with night vision goggles (NVG) and without. These newer LED lights can be challenging to see through even the most advanced NVGs, he said, and pilots may need to look under their goggles to locate helipad perimeter lights. With the new NGVs, he added: “It is compatible, the intent is good, but it doesn’t always work.”
Wellfare cited an occasion when flying for a former employer in San
The FAA is aware of this issue affecting the aviation industry and is investigating
Antonio, Texas, where new LED lighting had been added to a 2,050ft tower he often passed. The tower operator turned off the older, incandescent lighting, and the tower was no longer visible through his NVGs. Thankfully, he was familiar with his flight path and knew to look for this hazard under his goggles. The FAA is aware of this issue affecting the aviation industry and is investigating.
Benteftifa said there were frequent changes in requirements for lighting systems, especially for the lighting around the helipad and the ‘H’. “The requirements for the fire suppression systems are also constantly made to provide adequate fire protection,” he added. “More efficient systems like the DIFFS [Deck Integrated Fire Fighting System] are used instead of conventional monitors.”
Swisshelm said that FEC also designs LED lighting for helipads with infrared technology to accommodate NVGs. “Energy efficient and with an anodized coating, these lights are also built for long-lasting use. They allow the pilots to operate easily at night and during inclement weather.” She suggested using solar and wind-powered packages, which offer cost efficiencies to hospital systems.
The FAA requires perimeter lights to the following specifications for a TLOF: “Three light fixtures per side of a square or rectangular TLOF. Locate a light at each corner, with additional lights uniformly spaced between the corner lights. Using an odd number of lights on each side will place lights along the centerline of the approach. Define a circular TLOF using an even number of lights, with a minimum of eight, uniformly spaced. Space the lights at a maximum of 25 feet (7.6m).”
There are also requirements as defined in the 2023 FAA Advisory Circulars (AC) that are shown in Figure 2-9:
Wellfare said that when landing a helicopter on a helipad with a patient onboard, ‘the condition of the patient does not affect how the helicopter is landed’ – they follow standard operating procedures whether they are landing with a patient or not. Life Flight Network pilots, who safely transport 15,000 patients annually across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, are diligent in their safety efforts, including during landing and takeoff. For example, they will perform what is known as ‘high recon,’ taking a lap around the helipad before landing to ensure the area is clear of hazards. Additionally, they are ‘assessing wind, establishing communication with contacts on the ground, and confirming that the environment is safe before landing’.
Natalie Hannah, Public Relations Specialist with Life Flight Network, said the organization offers routine training with partners such as hospitals, police and fire professionals on how to maintain a helipad for safety. Training is not a one-time event: “We have very close relationships with our healthcare partners’ hospitals and regularly train with them on how to properly maintain the helipad and interact with our aircraft and crews, ensuring everyone’s safety.”
Fencing and local police security onsite are also critical to Wellfare. Hannah added that ‘keeping random community members away from [getting near] the helicopter to touch it and push buttons’ is also essential.
From a manufacturer’s perspective, Benteftifa said: “Our products do not provide any extra help in an emergency. A properly designed and maintained helipad, be it aluminum, steel, or concrete, should offer the same features to the safe operation of the helicopter it was designed for.”
Another perspective from Swisshelm regarding helipad safety offers FEC Heliports’ take on what the FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prescribe for the safe use of helipads. “The FAA has a published set of safety recommendations for all types of helipads built in the USA, most notably addressing the clear airspace and flight paths for the landing area(s). It also addresses lighting, markings, and many other items to provide the safest possible landing space for the aircraft, its pilots, and passengers.
It also addresses lighting, markings, and many other items to provide the safest possible landing space for the aircraft, its pilots, and passengers
“ICAO has an international code designed for the same reason but with differing requirements per country,” she added. “FEC Heliports designs our helipads to meet or exceed the requirements of these publications. We also offer assistance for filing paperwork, when applicable.”
Helipads and, more broadly, heliports can be made of various materials and have standards for lighting and maintenance. From helicopter pilots to onsite police and fire personnel to the manufacturers and regulators, all parties put safety first. Innovations in materials and lighting are always developing but the most critical role in using the helipad is doing what matters: saving lives.
Jennifer Ferrero owns Ferrero Agency. She focuses her writing on feature stories for aerospace and manufacturing trade publications. She also provides marketing and public relations services. She has been an entrepreneur and writer for over 25 years. She lives in Spokane, Washington.
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