When a chopper (registered 9N-ALX) landed on a football ground whilst a match was being contested in Syangja district in Nepal, the passengers who had forced the pilot to conduct this bizarre landing met with a scuffle with spectators who were irate with this show of negligence. David Warner, who had once captained the Australian Cricket Team, had landed at the Sydney Cricket Ground on a chopper. A Black Hawk helicopter of the Australian defence force had landed in ANZ stadium to deliver the match ball.
Photo: Bsk77 | Wikimedia Commons
It might come as a surprise to many that when an airfield more dangerous than Lukla was constructed in the Everest region, not even the civil aviation authority of the nation knew about the airport for months. This was before the supposed most dangerous airport in the world– Lukla had been constructed. Hillary had also said that a large helicopter had landed in Lukla region even before the inception of the airport
Helicopters generally have designated landing spots known as heliports. But when there is a rescue mission to be completed, say for example, in the highest mountain rescue done at an altitude of 7800 meters, there are no heliports to begin with. When a helicopter landing took place at the top of Everest, it is said that not even the Nepalese government knew about it. The AS-350 B3E used in the mission was dubbed as “The Mystery Chopper”.
Photo: Airbus
Shrouded against a backdrop of such extreme examples, the question “can you land a helicopter anywhere?” is a natural curiosity.
The regulations around where you can land a helicopter are different
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a helicopter with a power unit failure can hover at any altitude, however low that may be, as long as there is “undue hazard to persons or property on the surface” if the power unit fails. In other circumstances, the governing body has issued a few notices about how far above one can fly the chopper:
(b) Over congested areas: Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas: An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
However, FAA also says that “A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA”
Photo: Surendra Paudel, a helicopter pilot in Simrik Air
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), in its guide related to offsite landings says:
“…they can land and take-off anywhere: from airfields and helipads, but also from off-airfield sites, including meadows, hotels, golf courses and other natural or artificial confined areas. This is what helicopters are for, after all, and that’s one of their main advantages over fixed-wing aircraft.”
In addition to making an obvious remark that one should operate the helicopter in areas where helicopter take-off and landing is possible, the government of New Zealand establishes the arc of moral compass when it says that just because one “can” land a helicopter land anywhere doesn’t mean that one should, and says “there are rules about where you can land, and sometimes it just comes down to flying neighbourly.”
Landing helicopters in a parking lot isn’t (normally) allowed
The eVTOL market is currently rising, and there are talks about how an aircraft like the Doroni Aerospace flying car. Doroni’s HS1 Hummingbird is one such vehicle that can “fit into your garage and be intuitive enough for four-year-olds to fly them” . So naturally such vehicles would, when their time and regulations surrounding them come, would be able to land in a parking lot.
Photo: airliners.net | Wikimedia Commons
But this isn’t the case for helicopters as of yet. Three of the regulatory bodies whose brief outline on where a helicopter can land or hover over, gives us the impression that a helicopter can more or less land anywhere it is required to. But this isn’t quite the case. The overarching mandates set by the FAA/EASA/CAA are only implemented after taking a look at the local provisions.
A chopper that is looking to land in a parking lot should get the owner’s permission ahead of time. A parking lot is often surrounded by windshields and light posts, which can be easily damaged if the pilot does not have the expertise to land safely. The owner of the parking lot would also be reluctant to allow the chopper to land if there wasn’t an emergency that merited such a case.
A few conditions to consider while landing a helicopter anywhere
Helicopters often embark on emergency rescue missions, as was the case when a Sikorsky S-92 helped two sailors who were caught in the midst of a storm in late November 2018. On 31 July 2020, a Robinson R44 helicopter struck a powerline about 5 metres above the ground after it started to recommence aerial spraying along a property fence. This led to the death of a pilot. The event also showed the importance of wearing a helmet for a helicopter pilot.
Photo: Kecko | Wikimedia Commons
In cases like these, the helicopters won’t have designated landing spots as is often the case with helicopters that have the letter H encased in a circle. So there are quite a few things to consider when landing a helicopter anywhere.
Considering the topography of the region
We had previously mentioned about the forgotten Mingbo Airstrip in Nepal. The airstrip was so dangerous and subject to atmospheric gravity waves and lee waves that when a civil aviation personnel went to the airstrip to see if it was feasible for passenger operations, the plane encountered such astonishing turbulence that after the fixed-wing aircraft landed there, the aviation personnel got out and vomited noisily. He also ordered the airport to shut down.
Due to their light weight, helicopters are subject to greater forces of turbulence than fixed-wing aircraft. Further, as airplanes can cruise at a greater altitude of around 40,000 ft or above, they can avoid turbulence easier than a helicopter can. So pilots must ensure that they are aware of the topography of the region they are flying to.
Photo: Karan Bhatta | aviospace.org
Can you land a helicopter at the top of a mountain?
Surendra Poudel, a helicopter pilot in Nepal who has done rescue missions up to around 7000 meters, said that apart from topography, pilots should also be aware of the performance capabilities of a helicopter:
“Although I pilot an AS350B3E, and this chopper has made it to the top of Mt. Everest, I wouldn’t dare to take it to such an altitude. In all theoretical studies, there has been clear evidence that above 7,000 meters, the performance capabilities of a helicopter is compromised. So we don’t normally carry out rescue missions above this altitude”.
One has to bear in mind that the AS350B3E piloted to Didier Delsalle made it to the top of Everest, was flown to show that the chopper could fly over the maximum certified ceiling. Delsalle had also emptied the aircraft off the other seats making the chopper lighter than usual.
Photo: Chhutin Sherpa | aviospace.org
Regions like Everest Base Camp lie in the Sagarmatha National Park region, and there might be permits one needs to operate helicopters in such regions. So whether one could land a helicopter in such regions which might affect the wildlife of such a region could be dictated by the laws of the park.
Considerations while landing a helicopter on water
There is a special category of helicopters known as amphibious helicopters – ones which can land/ takeoff on water. However, these necessitate floats or buoyant sealed hulls. These choppers have designed & sealed fuselages, or are equipped with fixed or emergency popout floats. Most of these wouldn’t be able to restart in water if shut down completely.
The amphibious helicopter CH-47 Chinook, for instance, is nicknamed “The Boat” as it can land on water but won’t be able to restart on water.
Where can helicopters land in a war affected zone?
In military circles, landing zone (LZ) is defined as an area where aircraft (such as a helicopter) can land. LZs are determined after the ground unit commander coordinates with the supporting aviation unit,after taking the ground tactical plan into consideration. According to globalsecurity.org, “minimum landing space requirements and minimum distance between helicopters on the ground depend upon a number of variables”:
“These requirements are covered by aviation unit SOPs, or they are prearranged by the aviation unit commander in coordination with the pathfinder leader. The final decision concerning minimum landing requirements rests with the aviation unit commander.”
Where do helicopters land in airports?
Most airports have designated spaces within them where helicopters land in and take-off from, and these spaces are different from where regular fixed-wing operations take place. In Lukla Airport, for example, the helipad and the area for fixed-wing operations often overlapped or lied in close proximity to one another. Due to this, a Sumit Airlines Let 410 Turbolet collided with an AS350B3E in 2019. After this incident, the accident investigation commission recommended the construction of a heliport in a different space altogether.
All in all
Closed airfields are often marked with the letter X to indicate that aircraft are not supposed to land there. So it is advisable not to land a helicopter in such places. Perhaps, one of the most succinct pieces of advice for landing a helicopter anywhere was given by the NZ government when it said: “Talk to other property owners that will be affected by your helicopter landing there. Keep the skies friendly and everyone will be happy”