Posted By Matt We have a customer who wishes to visit and land at our site by helicopter. Not having experienced this before, which authorities need to be consulted regarding the suitability of the landing site, permission etc? What other factors need to be considered when preparing the risk assessment? Thanks in advance

Posted By Robert K Lewis Is this the Ld50 for helicopter landings? I have some interesting thoughts on who should make up the bystanders in that case. Bob

Posted By John Donaldson We have an area on our campus which is used occasionally for helicopter landings. When we receive a request we normally charge a fee, which covers our grounds staff setting out an H on the ground and for one of our Patrol Officers to be in attendance to keep any onlookers at a safe distance. We don’t offer any refuelling facility. We stipulate that any clearances required are the responsibility of the pilot. This is particularly important as Colchester is still a Garrison town and the army have a number of ranges in the area. We have discussed from time to time with our local Fire Brigade if the wish to attend, but their line is that with the number of helicopter landings in the area it is not practicable for them to attend.

Posted By John Webster We have a visitor to our Guest House several times a year who uses the farmer's field opposite. The pilot is fully responsible for all activity. He phones the farmer for permission & to check which fields will have livestock. He files his flight plan and arrives, hovering over the landing zone before putting down. No fire cover, no 'H's, no barriers. He stays for a day or two, taking off every morning and back in the evening. As far as I am aware it is all above board and by the book. We did have some concerns about kids running into the field, but in practice, as much as they are fascinated by the helicopter and all turn up when they hear the racket, they are also terrified by the noise and draught, and keep a very respectful distance until they are invited over by the pilot. John

Posted By Ian Waldram In terms of your risk assessment, one of the significant hazards is loose items getting sucked up and damaging the rotor blades. Thus the landing area needs to be cleared of all loose rubbish - the pilot should be able to tell you how large an area to worry about, as it varies with helicopter type. Another obvious issue is vertical obstructions. Although helicopters can do amazing things in extremis, there should be nothing sticking up more than a couple of feet anywhere round the landing and approach area - again the pilot will be able to tell you what sort of clear diameter he needs. There is no point having fire resources unless they are equipped with the right extinguishing agent (alcohol resistant AFFF) - and typical local authority appliances or your site quipment won't normally be. This becomes a significant issue when regular flights are planned, but you should be OK. It may seem obvious, but helicopters are VERY noisy, for passengers as well as those meeting them. Thus hearing protection (ideally foam plugs AND external protectors) is a good idea, even though for a ingle flight you could argue that exposure will be small.

Posted By Roger Denis DEAN As a Lighthouse Service we use ad hoc sites for helicopter operations quite often, and the golden rules are: 1. Consult with the local Fire Authority early. They will almost certainly not attend but may give you advice. 2. Do not attempt to be a fireman as most helicopter companies would not want anyone but their own staff or a Fire Authority to aim a fire extinguisher at they helicopter, but do have either a DP or CO2 unit available to douses a crew member or passenger in an emergency, once they are clear of the aircraft. 3. Prior to the arrival of the flight, remove all loose materials from an area at least 20m around the landing site. 4. Secure the area at least 30m from the landing point if possible...this can be done with two human sentries. 5. Pre-warn those attending of the "downdraft" just prior to the helicopter landing, and the need to turn away at that time. 6. If you have a flagpost in the near vicinity, put a flag on it to assist the pilot with his landing direction. 7. Only approach the aircraft if a crewmenber indicates that you can. Roger Dean FIOSH, RSP 01255 245018