Helipad: Check Out Its Uses And How It All Started - Photos

One of the first thing the federal government did when Pres. Buhari won the presidential election was to construct a helipad at his residence in Duara. Even though this cause for public debate as many can not differentiate between a helipad and an airport but which was cleared by the federal government.

A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft.

While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where such aircraft can land safely.

Larger helipads, intended for use by helicopters and other vertical take-off and landing aircraft, may be called vertiports.

A helipad is a specially designated landing pad for helicopters. They usually follow a standard design of a round circle with a large letter ‘H’ on it. Helicopters are vulnerable to obstacles when landing, so a clearly marked landing space is necessary. Helipads can be found at hospitals, hotels, and a variety of businesses and venues, either in the grounds or on top of buildings. They are also widely used at military installations and on ships.

The first helipads were used in the Korean War in the early 1950s when the US Army used helicopters to evacuate wounded soldiers from the frontline battlefields. Without a clear landing area, the helicopters would not have been able to land safely in the country’s mountainous terrain. The use of helipads for helicopters was further expanded during the Vietnam War when they were used to move troops and military supplies around the country.

Most times you either see a helipad with letter H in a circle or in a triangle but many do not know what this means. A triangle is used when environmental or safety concerns demand helicopters to land into a certain direction, a circle when the pilot is free to choose based on wind direction (you want to land into the wind when possible).