Helipads,Heliports

Helipads,Heliports

 Permanent, approved heliports at  hospitals are essential for safe and efficient transport of patients.BNN  Aviation  is highly experienced in  working with hospitals in establishing heliports which are close to patient  treatment areas, safe for pilots, minimize noise impact on the community, yet  which are affordable.

FEASIBILITY AND SITE  SELECTION

  • Flight Safety
  • Noise Impact
  • Assessment
  • Passenger Ground Accessibility
  • Security
  • Permanence vs. Obsolescence
  • Construction Cost

 REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

  • DGCA.
  • AAI
  • Environment Clearance.
  • MOD Clearance.

 HELIPORT SAFETY  AUDITS

  • Compliance with DGCA.
  • Survey flight paths for obstruction clearance
  • Heliport Lighting
  • Heliport markings and signage
  • Fire protection

 Helipad Engineering.
·  Specialists in  rooftop heliport engineering
·   Structural  analysis of building
  ·   Modular designs in  Concrete, Steel or Aluminum
·   Means of egress
  ·   Specialized fire  protection
·   Hangar and fueling  design
  ·   Drawings prepared in AutoCAD by registered professional engineers.  Specifications in
  Business Helipads.

BNN Aviation understands the  business uses of helicopters and the importance of heliports to realize the  point-to-point capability that only the helicopter provides. We also understand  the resistance by some communities to business helicopters and therefore we are  experienced in making professional presentations

Offshore Helidecks.

  Offshore Helidecks

Heliport

Rooftop  Helipad

   Elevated  and Rooftop Helipads and Heliports

Relevant documentation here include  Annex 14 (Volume II Heliports Third edition July 2009) and the Heliport Manual  (9261-AN903-Third Edition 1995) and appendices. These ICAO SARPs prescribe the  helipad physical characteristics, obstacle control criteria, visual aids  requirements and guidance on elements such as site selection and structural  design. The discussion below relates more to helipads built to ICAO and  European standards, which are somewhat more stringent, than the US FAA  standards.

  Determination  of Helipad Size – ICAO Criteria

  Helipad size determination in  accordance with the current ICAO SARPs is based on a number of factors, notably  the helicopter greatest overall dimension (D) and the Performance  Classification of the helicopter operations.

  The staff at AOPL was extremely professional,  very efficient and timely in all their dealings with us, from negotiations to  design details and construction, and right through to certification.

  For conventional helicopters with a  single main rotor, D is the overall length with the main and tail rotors  turning. The ICAO SARPs assume that for elevated heliports, the FATO and TLOF  are coincidental.

  The following discussion refers to  elevated heliports which are the principal application of the XE range of heli decks.

  The size of a FATO intended to be  used by helicopters operated in Performance Class 1 shall be as prescribed in  the helicopter flight manual (HFM) except that, in the absence of width  specifications, the width shall be not less than 1 D of the largest helicopter  the FATO is intended to serve.

  The size of a FATO intended to be  used by helicopters operated in Performance Class 2 or 3 shall be of sufficient  size and shape to contain an area within which can be drawn a circle of  diameter not less than 1 D of the largest helicopter when the MTOM of  helicopters the FATO is intended to serve is more than 3 175 kg or 0.83 D of  the largest helicopter when the MTOM of helicopters the FATO is intended to  serve is 3 175 kg or less (with a recommendation that 1 D is applied for the  smaller helicopters)

  The FATO is surrounded by a safety  area which extends beyond the FATO by nominated distance criteria including  having a minimum external dimension of 2D. A notable change introduced in the  third edition of Annex 14 is that the safety area need not be solid.

  As an example of the application of  the criteria for a Sikorsky S76 operating in Performance Class 2, the FATO  needs to be of sufficient size to accommodate a circle of 16.00m, the S76 D  value. The S76 PC2 FATO would be surrounded by a safety area with an external  dimension of 32metres, (2D).

 The Bell 412EP has a D value of  1`7.1 metres and a minimum FATO size of 22.9m by 26.5m as prescribed in the  flight manual for operations in Performance Class 1 from an elevated helipad  with restricted adjacent drop down height. That FATO would be surrounded by a  (non-solid) safety area the minimum external dimensions of which would be 34.2  meters (2D) by 35.05m (26.5m + 0.5D).

  Safety  Considerations

To understand the need for adequate  rescue and fire fighting services at the helipad, it is helpful to look at a  couple of different Code requirements. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)  has assessed the level of risk from fire following an accident on elevated  heliport sites as being potentially catastrophic and all flights for which  permissions are necessary under Rule 5 of the Rules of the Air (which covers  flight below 1000 feet AGL) are necessary will attract a condition that the  recommended levels of protection and response for operations to elevated  helicopter landing sites are in accordance with ICAO Annex 14, Volume II,  Chapter 6 (Table 6-3) and the ICAO Heliport Manual Chapter 6. This condition  will be applied to all flights.

It is also important to consider the  safety case relating to a crash situation and the potential free release of fuel from the helicopter’s fuel tanks. Current helicopters have a longer range  over older models and therefore carry more fuel. A 1000l fuel discharge which  is on fire is not easy to contain and can be expected to make its way down the  building pipes , with potentially disastrous consequences to those below. The  XE Enhanced Safety helideck has a passive fire suppression system which ensures  that any fuel discharge is entrapped and extinguished within the helideck and  drained away as raw fuel, which of course can be safely collected at a remote  location.

Rescue and Fire Fighting Provisions – UKCAA Guidance

The UK Civil Aviation Authority is a regulator that produces regulatory and  advisory publications in a range of formats including the Civil Aviation  Publication (CAP) series. Annex 3 to Chapter 21 of CAP 768 Guidance Material  for Operators (1st edition August 2008) provides the following comments in  relation to and Rescue and Fire Fighting Services (RFFS) for onshore helicopter  landing sites and references the technical guidance for presented in CAP 437  Offshore Helicopter Landing Areas – Guidance on Standards (6th edition, Dec  2008) which strongly encourages consideration of the use of a Deck Integrated  Fire Fighting Systems (DIFFS) on elevated facilities.

Particular problems arise from the operation of  helicopters at elevated heliports that require special attention with regard to  the RFF provisions. One important aspect is the confined and restricted space  available on the average elevated heliport. This will impose restrictions on  foam monitor and/or hose positioning and general fire fighting tactics. It is  feasible that an accident could result in a fuel spill with a fire situation  which could quickly cut off or reduce the already limited routes of escape to a  place of safety for the helicopter occupants. In addition the accident or fire  may involve RFF facilities located adjacent to the landing area. As a result  the requirement for the amount of extinguishing agent at elevated heliports is  based on a fire fighting action which may be required to last much longer than  at surface level heliports. In addition, at an elevated heliport, RFFS should  be immediately available on or in the vicinity of the landing area whilst  helicopter operations are being conducted in order to achieve a rapid  ‘knock-down’ response.

At an elevated heliport, at least one hose line,  complete with nozzle/branch pipe and capable of delivering foam in a jet  spray/aspirated pattern at 250 L/min, should be provided. It is also considered  essential at an elevated heliport to be able to apply the fire fighting agents,  both principal and complementary, to the entire landing area irrespective of  the wind direction. To achieve this and to overcome the possibility of a  monitor being involved in the accident, it is necessary that at elevated heliports  in Category H2, that at least two monitors be provided each having a capability  of achieving the required discharge rate, and positioned at different locations  around the helideck so as to ensure the application of foam to any part of the  landing area under any weather conditions. Alternatively, a system of hand  controlled branch lines or a deck integrated fire fighting system (DIFFS) may  be considered. Further technical guidance is available in Chapter 5 of CAP 437;  Offshore Helicopter Landing Areas – Guidance on Standards. To further ensure  the application of the agent to the entire landing area, monitors should  preferably be operable from a remote control position located clear of the  landing area and easily accessible.

Rescue and Fire Fighting Provisions – Application of ICAO SARPS

  • ICAO provides relevant SARPS and associated  guidance material in relation to the provision of RFF facilities in Annex 14  Volume II and the Heliport Manual. The ICAO provisions are essentially the same  as those detailed by the UKCAA in CAP 768 and 437 as discussed above.
  • The ICAO SARPs classify the levels of protection  needed for elevated helipads by dividing them into H categories according to  the size of the helipad. H1 helipads are up to 15m in diameter, H2 up to 24m  and H3 from 24m to 35m. As an example, an H2 helipad will require (a)  performance level B foam applied at 500lpm for 10 minutes plus (b)  complementary agents which are usually hand held fire extinguishers to be  situated at the helipad area.

  • ICAO also cautions that ‘although the amount of  fuel carried by helicopters is generally less than that carried by aeroplanes,  a more serious fire situation can occur as the fuel tank is located underneath  the occupied portion of the fuselage and close to the engine. In other words,  burning fuel in a helicopter crash is more likely to remain within the area  adjacent to the helicopter and thus the resulting fire situation may be more  serious than one involving an aeroplane of similar size.’ (Heliport Manual,  1995, para 6.1.7)
  • The best way to meet these requirements and to  afford the maximum fire protection for helicopter crew, passengers, building  occupants and third parties adjacent to the building is to instal a DIFFS  system to the helipad. The helipad itself should be of the Enhanced Safety™  type which contains a built-in, automatic fire suppression system.
  • In November 2008, representatives from  international organisations including the UK CAA and members of the ICAO  Heliport Design Working Group attended live fire tests on the XE Enhanced  Safety helideck with a DIFFS capability. The tests were organized by Aluminium  Offshore and the overwhelming response from senior representative in attendance  was support for the passive helideck with DIFFS option as a world best practice  for helipad fire control.
  • The UK CAP 437 guidance material was revised in  December 2008 following the demonstration of XE Enhanced Safety Deck with water  based DIFFS capability. Although the current version of Annex 14 Volume II does  not included reference to the benefits of helidecks with a passive fire  suppression system and integrated DIFFS capability, it is anticipated that  discussion of the option will be included in future revisions of the Annex and  the Heliport Manual in a similar manner to the CAP 437 guidance.

Practical Considerations

AOPL recommends consideration of the following practical issues when  planning your elevated helipad

  • Size of the helipad (discussed above) and  connected with which type of helicopter you intend to operate
  • Loading considerations- more critical for  existing buildings than new structures, can the roof columns take the dynamic  and static loads from the helicopter
  • Structural considerations- how will the helipad  be supported? A trussed support frame may be best as this can allow reaction  loads to go directly into the building columns rather than the roof
  • Turbulence and placement of helipad- this is a  complex topic and cannot be discussed at length here. “Preferably, the helipad  should be elevated such there is a clear space of at least 6ft (2m) in height  between the pad and the supporting roof. This will prevent additional turbulent  flow from being generated and allow more streamline flow over the helipad”  (“Evaluating wind flow around buildings on heliport placement”- Federal Aviation  Administration, USA, DOT/FAA/PM-84/25)

Maintenance – design for minimal maintenance. This  is especially critical when the helipad is cantilevered out of the building  top. Again, an aluminium helipad requires virtually no maintenance.

    Your  Safety Requirement

        XE    Enhanced Safety Helideck

XD    Standard Helideck

Installations that require    enhanced Safety for heli-operations Installations with no special    safety requirements
Frequent landings Occasional landings
Safety as paramount consideration Cost effectiveness as key    consideration
Unmanned triggering of safety    measures (when coupled with DIFFS)
Helideck located above living    quarters / wheel house / bridge
Helipads located above hospitals /    buildings

Add-ons For Additional Weight  Savings

  We can also supply other aluminium  structures to further reduce weight and minimize life cycle maintenance while  maintaining the same level of safety and reliability.

  Upgrade existing helidecks with:

  • Support structures
  • Walkways
  • Stairs and platforms
  • Antennae towers
  • Slip resistant floor decking
  • Handrails
  • Bridges
  • Mudmats
  • Stair towers
  • Living quarters
  • Other custom-made structures

Standards  and Regulations

  Our aluminium helidecks can be  designed in accordance with various international and national rules and  standards. Choose the rules that apply to your installation, and we’ll help you  find the best solution for your needs.

  CAP 437

  • Helideck size: 1 x D-value
  • Perimeter safety net
  • Zone 1 lighting
  • Water DIFFS allowed for XE Enhanced Safety helideck

Enhanced  Safety Helidecks

  A crash and burn scenario is always  a frightening possibility – the intense, fuel-based fire will quickly spread on  a flat helideck, making passenger rescue extremely hazardous. Vital time is  lost in combating the fire on the helidecks when all attention should be  concentrated on the blazing helicopter instead and on getting crew and  passengers to safety.

  On unmanned platforms, this problem  is even more acute as fire-fighting facilities are limited to start with;  outside assistance may simply not be available. Civil Aviation Authorities  around the world recognize this risk and require extensive fire-fighting and  crash safety equipment to be available and positioned around the deck.

XE  Enhanced Safety Helideck*

  A patented, passive fire-retarding  system

  The XE Enhanced Safety helideck was  developed to reduce these risks and make passenger safety a top priority. This  deck incorporates a patented, passive fire-retarding system which works by  allowing burning fuel to atomize through an aluminium mesh screen. The mesh  screen is installed inside the punched heli-decking which comprises the landing  surface. A full-perimeter drainage system ensures that liquids are channelled,  sub-surface, from heli-decking to drain.

  Burning fuel is starved of oxygen  and rapid heat dissipation occurs in the mesh. The fire is retarded  immediately. Spilt fuel is quickly and safely drained away unburned and any  remaining vapour burn-off can be extinguished in seconds with minimal water  spray. Up to 97{f32dc76102757d19df9131cdc28115d9989856b4a44e5e08e1d600a023141750} of spilt fuel is recovered unburned. The atomizing process breaks  down the fuel spraying through the decking to such an extent that only a simple  water spray is needed to extinguish the remaining minor vapour flaring.

  The XE Enhanced Safety helideck has  been rigorously tested with multiple fire tests in the presence of Det Norske  Veritas, Lloyds Register, the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority,  International Civil Aviation Authority, ABS, various helicopter operators and  manufacturers, public safety groups, offshore safety crews, pilots and user  bodies.

  The deck is currently installed on  numerous offshore vessels, FPSOs and drilling platforms, hospitals and other  locations. It can be fitted to a new-build structure or retrofitted to existing  locations which require additional safety. For retrofitting, the existing steel  structure can be utilized to the maximum extent by only laying down the safety  decking and drainage system.

  The XE Enhanced Safety helideck is a  fully modular design: the deck is pre-fabricated and shipped to you in  containers. Site assembly involves bolting only and can be completed within a  couple of weeks. The deck is then installed under our supervision.

This model of helideck does not need  foam or other extinguishing agents to deal with a fire on its surface and only  water is sufficient to extinguish the residual fire vapour burn after the bulk  of the fuel has been drained off. In recent tests on this helideck attended by  representatives from UKCAA, ICAO, DNV, LRS, ABS, a 450l jet fuel fire was  controlled[1] in the following times:

  • Purely passive basis , i.e with no intervention: under   90 seconds
  • Using a water DIFFS unit: under 4 seconds

 LATEST: UKCAA CAP437 7th edition,  2013, Ch5 allows installations with an XE Enhanced Safety helideck to use  seawater instead of foam for the foam monitor or DIFFS systems. This means a  huge reduction in cost, complexity, testing, maintenance and renewals.

  This helideck has a subsidiary  advantage in reducing bird guano build up on unmanned offshore platforms. Its  unique deck surface punch pattern replicates the random walk of large sea-gulls  who find it difficult to walk on these decks with webbed feet. Users have  reported substantial reduction in bird activity with these decks and birds  prefer to roost elsewhere on the platform.

  [1] “A fire is deemed to be under  control at the point when it becomes possible for occupants of the helicopter  to be effectively rescued by trained firefighters” (UKCAA)”

  * Previously known as the Astech®  Safety helideck

  Modular  Design

  Weld free, modular construction  ensures faster fabrication. Bolted connections allow quick assembly, fewer  inspection hold-points and easy replacement of damaged sections. We manufacture  the deck, trial fit it for you and then dismantles it for shipping to wherever  you like. Our supervisors will make site assembly an easy task.

  Easier  Handling

  Modular sections mean the deck is  easier and lighter to transport, assemble and lift into place.

  Light  weight

  The standard helideck weighs about  40{f32dc76102757d19df9131cdc28115d9989856b4a44e5e08e1d600a023141750} of an equivalent steel helideck

  All the pilots at our heliport have  unanimously expressed praise for this new helideck, especially the fit and  finish of this product, which replaces an old rust-pront deck. We trust the  high standards of design and manufacture will be upheld…

Helicopter

Helideck    Diameter

Aluminium    (Pancake)

Steel    (Pancake)

S-76 16m 16m 13MT 34MT
AS332l 19.5m 18MT 50MT
S-61 22.2m 24MT 70MT

Faster  Installation

  A typical large helideck can be  assembled in approximately three weeks. Contrast this with a usual steel  helideck assembly time of three months.

 Fire  Resistant

  Complies  with all offshore fire requirements and SOLAS 194, Ch 11-2. There are no  restrictions on using aluminium helidecks on any offshore or marine location.  IMO MODU Code, Section 18 contains a requirement for the fire testing of  aluminium helidecks which are to be situated directly on top of living  quarters, bridges and similar spaces so that they be ‘equal to steel’.  Classification bodies usually prescribe specifications for this fire test. Both  models of our helidecks have been live fire tested in the presence of major  Classification bodies and certified ‘equal to steel’. In fire performance, to  find out more about this steel equivalence fire test, please see Commentary on  SOLAS Regulations.

  Stay  Dry, Non-slip Surface

  No weld distortions on surface; the  aluminium decking top is serrated and cross-milled to provide a permanent  non-slip grip exceeding UK CAA CAP437 requirements. This non-slip surface is  excellent and will last the lifetime of the deck. However, if you foresee the  helideck working extensively in slushy or extremely slippery conditions, we  recommend that an additional non-slip grit be applied to the top painted  surface. We will be happy to include this as an option if you should require  it.

Cost  Effective

  An aluminium helideck is a good  investment. Not only will its residual value appreciate over time, it can be  reused several times, as it will usually outlast the structure it is initially  placed on. The purchase of an aluminium deck is also low in comparison to steel  since the higher per-ton cost of aluminium is offset by the lower tonnage used  and the savings in fabrication time.

Helideck Support Frames

Aluminium alloy support frames offer great advantages:

  • 60{f32dc76102757d19df9131cdc28115d9989856b4a44e5e08e1d600a023141750} weight savings over steel equivalent
  • Completely maintenance free
  • 1 week assembly (against several months for  steel)
  • Light weight reduces lift requirements
  • Cost effective against steel
  • Re-usable and recyclable
  • he pioneer in the design and production of  aluminium alloy structures
  • Aluminium Offshore is a pioneer in the design  and production of aluminium alloy structures. The company and its subsidiaries  have built up a reputation for impeccable design, flawless execution and solid  customer service.
  • As one of the largest, specialist design-and  build companies in the world, we offer a complete design, supply and assemble  package to customers who are looking to upgrade traditional steel and concrete  designs to a lighter and corrosion resistant metal.
  • The Aluminium Offshore story began – like all  good stories – with an idea. That idea was to use aluminium instead of steel in  the construction of offshore marine structures. At the time in 1987, such an  idea might have been considered unconventional to say the least, but two  decades and a lot of hard work later, it has proved to be rather visionary.
  • So, why aluminium? At the most basic level  aluminium has a unique combination of characteristics; structurally robust  while at the same time lightweight and low maintenance. These qualities are as  true now as they were when we started 25 years ago, but have become ever more  important in recent years as the demands of both offshore and onshore  construction have evolved.
  • Offshore, as remaining oil reserves are  discovered at ever greater depths and in increasingly inhospitable  environments, the benefit of lightweight structures and reduced maintenance  costs is being felt more than ever. Onshore, the dramatic growth in helipads  for both the public and private sector has created new demands on flexibility,  modularity and aesthetic integrity – demands which aluminium can deliver better  than any other material.
  • Of course it takes more than just a great idea  to create a world-leading company. As Thomas Edison said, “genius is 1{f32dc76102757d19df9131cdc28115d9989856b4a44e5e08e1d600a023141750}  inspiration and 99{f32dc76102757d19df9131cdc28115d9989856b4a44e5e08e1d600a023141750} perspiration” and the team at Aluminium Offshore continues  to work as hard as ever to ensure complete satisfaction for our clients  worldwide. At the heart of our philosophy is a deep commitment to both  integrity and innovation. It’s in our blood and what makes us acknowledged  leaders in our field. We have never just built structures. We innovate,  research, refine, test and then do it all over again with a kind of divine  discontent that drives us to deliver cutting edge solutions and constant cycle  of iterative improvement.
  • We have never and will never copy designs or  ideas from anyone else. Our location in Singapore makes logistical sense and  allows us to export not only our products but our innovation and know-how  around the globe. We thrive on challenge. In the beginning it was the challenge  of bringing aluminium to a steel-locked industry. Since then it has seen us  consistently redrawing the boundaries of what can be achieved using aluminium;  from building Asia’s first aluminium helideck in 1988, developing the world’s  first Enhanced Safety helideck in 1989-93, to successfully installation of the  world’s largest helipad in Hong Kong in 2008 and to numerous other ‘firsts’.
  • The Aluminium Offshore story is based upon  taking an innovative idea and, through hard work and complete honesty bringing  it into reality. This has set the tone for our business over the subsequent 25  years. It is why we have never lost a customer or missed a project deadline and  why even our competitors admire and respect us. From that very first idea,  Aluminium Offshore has grown to become probably the largest helideck builder in  the world with close to 400 helidecks installed worldwide. We like to see it as  a vindication of our beliefs and a reflection of our continued hard work.

Rooftop Helipad with Night Landing Lights