Draft 150/5390-2D, Heliport Design

1 Department of Transportation federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular Subject: Heliport Design Date: Draft Initiated By: AAS-100 AC No: 150/5390-2D Change: 1 Purpose. 1 This advisory circular (AC) provides standards for the planning, Design and 2 construction of heliports serving helicopters with single, tandem (front and rear) or dual 3 (side by side) rotors. 4 2 Cancellation. 5 This AC cancels AC 150/5390-2C, Heliport Design , dated April 24, 2012. 6 3 Applicability. 7 The federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends the standards and guidelines 8 in this AC for uniformity in planning, Design and construction of heliports .

2 This AC 9 does not constitute a regulation, is not mandatory and is not legally binding in its own 10 right. This AC will not be relied upon as a separate basis by the FAA for affirmative 11 enforcement action or other administrative penalty. Conformity with this AC is 12 voluntary, and nonconformity will not affect rights and obligations under existing 13 statutes and regulations, except for the projects described in subparagraphs 2, 3 and 4 14 below: 15 The standards and guidelines contained in this AC are practices the FAA 16 recommends for establishing an acceptable level of safety, performance and 17 operation for heliports .

3 18 Use of these standards and guidelines is mandatory for projects funded under 19 federal grant assistance programs, including without limitation the Airport 20 Improvement Program (AIP) and CARES Act Airport Grants program. See Grant 21 Assurance #34. 22 This AC is mandatory, as required by regulation, for projects funded by the 23 Passenger Facility Charge program. See PFC Assurance #9. 24 This AC has no applicability under Title 14 Code of the federal Regulations (CFR) 25 Part 139 due to an exemption for Heliport operators per (c)(5).

4 26 12/16/2020 Draft AC 150/5390-2D ii Other federal agencies, states, or other authorities having jurisdiction over the 27 construction of heliports not funded with AIP, Cares Act, or PFC funds have 28 discretion in establishing the extent to which these standards apply. 29 4 Related Documents. 30 ACs and Orders referenced in the text of this AC do not include a revision letter, as they 31 refer to the latest version. See Appendix D for a list of associated publications. 32 5 Principal Changes. 33 The AC incorporates the following principal changes: 34 Complete reorganization of this AC, including: 35 a.

5 Consolidated Chapters 2, 3 and 4 (General Aviation, Transport, and Hospital 36 Heliport chapters, respectively) into Chapter 2. 37 b. Consolidated Chapter 7 ( Heliport Gradients and Pavement Design ) into 38 Chapter 2. 39 c. Included a separate Chapter 3 on Heliport Taxiways, Taxi Routes, and 40 Helicopter Parking. 41 d. Included a separate Chapter 4 on Heliport Markings and Lighting. 42 e. Included a separate Chapter 7 on Heliport Site Safety Elements. 43 f. Incorporated Engineering Brief #87, Heliport Perimeter Light for Visual 44 Meteorological Conditions, into this AC to address specific Heliport lighting 45 requirements.

6 Heliport lighting Design requirements are included in Appendix F. 46 Revised figures and tables to correspond with the Design requirements and 47 dimensions for General Aviation, Transport, and Hospital heliports . 48 Enhanced the figures to include dimensional, layout, and offset requirements. 49 Updated the format of the document and made minor editorial changes throughout. 50 Included a Heliport evaluation process flow chart in Appendix E. 51 Hyperlinks (allowing the reader to access documents located on the internet and to 52 maneuver within this document) are provided throughout this document and are 53 identified with underlined text.

7 When navigating within this document, return to the 54 previously viewed page by pressing the ALT and keys simultaneously. 55 Figures in this document are general representations and are not to scale. Colors and 56 shading used in the figures are illustrative only. Guidance on specific Heliport markings 57 is provided in Chapter 4. 58 6 Use of Metrics. 59 Throughout this AC, customary units are used followed with soft (rounded) 60 conversion to metric units. The customary units govern. 61 12/16/2020 Draft AC 150/5390-2D iii 7 Where to Find this AC.

8 62 You can view a list of all ACs at 63 You can view the federal 64 Aviation Regulations at 65 8 Feedback on this AC. 66 If you have suggestions for improving this AC, you may use the Advisory Circular 67 Feedback form at the end of this AC. 68 John R. Dermody Director of Airport Safety and Standards 12/16/2020 Draft AC 150/5390-2D CONTENTS Paragraph Page iv CHAPTER 1. Introduction .. 1- 1 69 Background.. 1- 1 70 General.. 1- 1 71 Facilities.. 1- 1 72 Planning.. 1- 2 73 Existing heliports .. 1- 2 74 Location.. 1- 2 75 AC Organization.

9 1- 2 76 Explanation of Terms.. 1- 4 77 Selection of Approach/Departure Paths.. 1- 9 78 Notification Requirements.. 1- 10 79 Hazards to Air Navigation.. 1- 14 80 federal Assistance.. 1- 17 81 Environmental Impact Analyses.. 1- 17 82 Terminal Facilities Design Considerations.. 1- 17 83 Zoning for Compatible Land Use.. 1- 18 84 Access to heliports by Individuals with Disabilities.. 1- 18 85 State Role.. 1- 19 86 Local Role.. 1- 19 87 Related Referenced Material.. 1- 19 88 CHAPTER 2. Heliport Design .

10 2- 1 89 General.. 2- 1 90 Prior Permission Required (PPR) Facilities.. 2- 1 91 Design Approach.. 2- 1 92 Access by Individuals with Disabilities.. 2- 2 93 Heliport Site Selection.. 2- 4 94 TLOF/FATO and Safety Area Relationships.. 2- 6 95 Touchdown and Liftoff Area (TLOF).. 2- 7 96 Final Approach and Takeoff Area (FATO).. 2- 15 97 12/16/2020 Draft AC 150/5390-2D CONTENTS Paragraph Page v Safety Area.. 2- 19 98 Fall Protection and Safety Net Design .. 2- 22 99 Pavement Design and Soil Stabilization.. 2- 23 100 VFR Approach/Departure Paths.