Originally Posted by
JulieAndrews
It never ceases to amaze me how 'amateurish' it all must appear to a potential investor visiting from overseas. ... How come none of these high-rise buildings have an HLS on them?
For interest, how many capital cities of non-cowboy countries – such as those from which the potential investor might come – have city centre rooftop helipads that are routinely usable?
In the past some cities in earthquake zones such as LA and Tokyo put helipads on skyscrapers for emergency evacuation, but not for regular commuting. I think LA at least has given that up, because helicopter evacuation was shown not to be useful in real life emergency scenarios, notwithstanding that famous photo of Air America on a rooftop during the fall of Saigon.
Even without the noise problem, the potential for things to go pear-shaped when operating into and out of a skyscraper helipad in a crowded city centre would put off most responsible authorities and, I would think, most responsible pilots. AFAIR back in the 70s Pan Am used to run choppers from JFK to their downtown Manhattan skyscraper, but gave up after a S-61 fell over on the helipad with rotor turning: people were killed not only on the helipad but by debris falling into the street far below.