A helipad on Eurocopter EC-155 pontoons.

We tell you about implementing floating helipads on the example of the helipad on pontoons for Eurocopter EC-155 helicopters implemented by our company in 2020 in St. Petersburg.

The most non-trivial pads for helicopters are floating pads and helidecks.

These are sites that are located in river and sea areas either as part of ships or yachts, or as part of drilling rigs, or as independent floating objects.

In contrast to land and roof pads, floating helipads and helidecks have their own requirements.

One of such objects is a pontoon helipad located in St. Petersburg. The customer was the Imperial Yacht Club LLC. The yacht club is located on the Martynov embankment in St. Petersburg. It uses the water area of the Middle Nevka river to accommodate a floating helipad, among other things.

As part of the implementation of this facility:

How is the floating helipad implemented?

STAGE 1

We performes a pre-project study

We developed pre-design solutions and formed a roadmap for commissioning the facility.

We started business correspondence with the Russian River Register to begin interaction with the supervisory authorities, determine the sequence of works, and send preliminary conceptual decisions of the facility.

STAGE 2

We developed design documentation for the helipad arrangement

The development was carried out in compliance with the Rules of classification and certification of floating objects of the Russian River Register in terms of a floating facility and ICAO in terms of an aviation infrastructure facility.

STAGE 3

We received approval from the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation documentation

We obtained the conclusion of the State Research Institute of Civil Aviation, confirming the possibility of the above-water part of the object to perform the functions of the helipad.

The conclusion is a mandatory attachment when applying to the RRR for approval of documentation for a floating object due to the absence of requirements in the RRR for helipads.

STAGE 4

We constructed a helipad

We performed welding, painting works.

We marked the helipad with the identifications and installed the lighting equipment.

As required by the RRR, an inspector was summoned to the site lay-down and each critical construction stage.

Documents confirming that the material used complies with the RRR requirements must also be provided to the RRR inspector.

Otherwise, upon completion of construction at acceptance, the RRR inspector will require hull cutouts to be submitted to a laboratory recognized by the RRR for physical and mechanical testing of the materials.

STAGE 5

The constructed facility was submitted to the Russian River Register

The works were performed to confirm the compliance of the agreed design documentation with the actually built floating facility.

The acceptance procedure can be carried out either at the shipyard or directly afloat.

STAGE 6

We commissioned the landing pad in the RRR as a floating facility

Upon approval of the floating facility, we formed an application to the Russian River Register and received a certificate of compliance - the main document for commissioning the helipad as a floating facility.

STAGE 7

We commissioned the helipad at Rosaviatsiya as an aviation infrastructure facility

As part of the works:

In compliance with the requirements of the Order No.449 of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation dated 05 November 2020:

We surveyed high altitude obstacles within 5 km radius of the helipad;
We developed and registered the Aeronautical Helipad Certificate;

In accordance with the requirements of the Order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation No. 1 of 18 January 2005 and the Order of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation No. 297 of 20 October 2014:

We performed ground and flight checks of the process equipment.

STAGE 8

We handed over the completed and commissioned facility to the customer

It's worth noting

In addition to performing all of the above approvals, it is necessary to obtain the initial data for the development of the section of civil defense and emergency situations, to form this section and perform the required activities. In our case, it was sufficient to perform a risk calculation and no additional measures were required.
Since the facility will be permanently located in the water area, it is also necessary to obtain a water use agreement to locate the site legally. In our case, the pad is located within the water area leased to the customer for the placement of the yacht club, so additional approvals for the water area was not required.
Also, when placing the pad in the water area, it is necessary to consider the navigation of ships in the area of the planned location. Again, in our case, the pad is within the boundaries of the existing yacht club and does not interfere with navigation, so no additional approvals were required.
The list of approvals also includes the need to coordinate with Rospotrebnadzor and the Territorial Office of the Federal Agency for Fisheries. To obtain these approvals, it is required to develop relevant sections of documentation, which will also calculate the negative impacts, develop programs and methods of impact control, describe a set of compensating negative impacts and other descriptions necessary to obtain these approvals.

Decisions

Other solutions