So I was at a golf tournament recently when I noticed a helicopter flying dangerously low…until I realized that the pilot was actually making a landing. It was without a doubt, the coolest ‘entrance’ I’ve seen anyone make. But it got me wondering, once I get my own personal helicopter, how easy will it be for me to find places to land it? If I have a 20,000sqr foot mansion in the middle of the city, can I land it there? What about on top of buildings with helipads (can I make a helipad on any buildings I own?).
Where can the owners of personal helicopters legally land in urban environments in North America?
Basically: If you have the property owner’s permission and can take off and land safely, and there is not a local ordinance against it, you can land. Helipads on top of tall buildings are tempting, but if you land without permission you may be arrested for trespassing.
When I lived in Lancaster what is now clogged with houses was then open desert across the street from my friend’s neighbourhood. This guy came down in a UH-1 just because he could. Several people in this country with a few acres land their helicopters by their modest houses (not 20,000 sq. ft. mansions!). On the other hand, I was chatting with an old busybody… I mean a longtime resident of my current community… who said that a guy once wanted to build a helipad and was not issued a permit. (This same woman is a strong supporter of lowering the speed limit on the shore road to 20 mph year-round, and not just during the summer.)
When I was training we landed on state land away from houses. The river bed south of Lake Piru was popular.
So to reiterate: You need the property owner’s permission, and there need to be no local laws against it. Good luck with that in an urban area. Of course you can land just about anywhere legally in case of an emergency. But it has to actually be an emergency.
The FAA has detailed airspace regulations but you should be able to have a private helicopter pad almost anywhere you want without much trouble. You just have to deal with other airspace in the area and obey the rules. Being in an urban area doesn’t have much to do with it other than the fact that there is most likely regulated airspace nearby. You might have to comply with noise abatement procedures in some area as well.
I fly small planes but it is the same basic idea. I knew one CEO who had a helicopter pad at his house and he commuted to work that way sometimes which is expensive as crap but he had the money. I worked closely with a VP that commuted to work via small plane from Maine to Massachusetts. He was an ex-fighter jock.
Airspace rules probably aren’t as restrictive as you imagine. You just have to follow the airspace charts and communicate with Air Traffic Control when required. You can fly a private helicopter almost anywhere other than forbidden airspace like over the White House.
BTW, a private helicopter can bankrupt a small scale millionaire in short order. They are extremely expensive to buy and operate even for a rich person.
Depends on the helicopter. A Robinson R22 Beta II with standard equipment is $240,000 MSRP. Fuel, maintenance, insurance, etc. probably runs around $150/hour (fixed costs would be less the more it’s flown or course). If I didn’t have a mortgage and a car payment I could probably fly once a week on my salary.
There’s a guy that lands his helicopter on top of his boat dock, on a busy lake right near downtown Orlando, about halfway between 2 airports. I know his neighbors were not happy about it, but I’m not sure they could even do anything. I took a picture of it from the boat one day, back in 2006.
