G'day Brian,
Reference your post of 12 Feb....Ouch!
What you describe is circa < 2004 and not present day.
One point to ponder. The term 'alternate' that you refer to and is also used in the Flying Ops manual is inaccurate. AIP dictates the requirements of an alternate and they are required for weather, lighting, and navaids...period.
What you refer to is a land based OEI landing area for the offshore installations that used to be included at the front of the RFM but has now been removed from the RFMs and included in CASA Regulatory Policy CEO-PN029-2005 "Multi - Engine Helicopters Operational Performance Standards" dated July 2005.
The verbage is the same
vis:
Full OEI accountability requires the ready availability of an OEI landing area following engine failure or adequate performance following engine failure, which assures continued safe flight.
An area may be selected as an OEI landing area if it has:- A smooth level surface
- An obstacle free approach gradient of 5 degrees from 500ft AGL to touchdown
- Two directions of approach not less that 150 degrees apart
- A strip width of at least 30 meteres
- Landing distance available in accordance with requirements of the RFM for OEI landings.
The Longford runway meets these requirements. AIP alternate criteria do not apply, CASA confirms this (they most certainly do to IFR and VFR flights with respect to weather, lighting, and navaids). When the Longford runway is nominated as the OEI landing area, a constant weather watch is maintained. If the heliport clags in, the fleet does not fly until it becomes available again. If an advantage can be gained by applying AIP weather minima to the TAF for another unsighted aerodrome such as Bairnsdale, then it can be nominated as the OEI landing area and flights can go ahead.
Also,
New charts have been developed for CAT runway ops taking into account continued takeoff distance and headwind.
New charts have been developed from the RFM HOGE chart for offshore lifting that are dead accurate.
regards,