Heliport VFR Airspace Design Based on Helicopter Performance

This document presents results of the efforts to classify helicopters and heliports based on the performance capabilities of a given rotorcraft and the protected ground and airspace available at a given heliport. Current VFR heliport protected airspace requirements are not broad enough to cover the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Anoll, Robert K, McConkey, Edwin D, Hawley, Robert J, Renton, Margaret B
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
AIR SPACE
AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY
AIRCRAFT MODELS
AVIATION SAFETY
CLASSIFICATION
CLIMBING
Commercial and General Aviation
CONFINED ENVIRONMENTS
FLIGHT
GROUND LEVEL
HEIGHT
Helicopters
HELIPORTS
LANDING FIELDS
MANUALS
MARGIN OF SAFETY
Military Aircraft Operations
PERFORMANCE(ENGINEERING)
PILOTS
PROFILES
RANGE(EXTREMES)
REQUIREMENTS
ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT
SURFACES
Terminal Flight Facilities
VELOCITY
VISUAL FLIGHT RULES
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Description
Summary:This document presents results of the efforts to classify helicopters and heliports based on the performance capabilities of a given rotorcraft and the protected ground and airspace available at a given heliport. Current VFR heliport protected airspace requirements are not broad enough to cover the wide range of helicopter models and conditions in which they operate. Additionally, they do not always provide an adequate margin of safety from allowable obstructions near heliports with regard to the performance capabilities of the helicopters using those heliports. A recommendation is made to replace the single heliport imaginary surface with a system of surfaces which allow use of the heliport based on helicopter performance and also provides a safety margin between obstructions and rotorcraft climb capability. Another recommendation encourages helicopter manufacturers to include necessary performance data in their helicopter flight manuals to inform pilots of their aircraft's capability for operations at a confined area heliport or landing site. This is one of a series of five reports that addressed helicopter performance profiles and their relationship to the VFR protected imaginary surfaces of approach and departure airspace at heliports. See also Rept. nos. DOT/FAA/RD-90/3, DOT/FAA/RD-90/5, DOT/FAA/RD-90/6 and DOT/FAA/RD-90/7, ADA243738.