Thanks for the reply. I will flesh out some of the details.
1.The pads we operate to are inshore.
2.Most of the pads are in congested / urban areas
3. We utilize the Ezweigh software programme during flight planning. This programme (when fuel/crew/pax and cargo variables are inputted) provides us with COG and loading data. We also input atmospheric data before every flight and the programme gives you detailed performance data (OEI hover, OEI + AEO climb performance etc). It will also calculate rejected takeoff distances etc. It is a very thorough and useful tool.
4. The aircraft we operate are CAT A certified and for the majority of our ops, our loadings enable us to operate within the CAT A envelope.
5. We will always plan to attain PC1 when operating into or out of built up area however our regulations do not make such performance mandatory.
6. We have surveyors equipped with laser range finders and integrated GPS, they will travel with us to survey our pads. They, however, have no experience in this type of surveying, and I have no experience in how to represent the info in a simple pictorial format.
The unknown variable in all this are the obstacles around the pad. At the moment we are using the old mark one eyeball to estimate the distance and heights, for example.. "that building is about 80m away and is about 40ft high therefore my TDP will be ...". In order safely elect a departure path (or approach path) and type i need to provide the crews with info on the obstacles surrounding them, especially when the departure is a climbing rearward departure at , say, a 25 degree rearward gradient.
I dont want to re-invent the wheel, i just want to ensure we are operating in as safe a manner as possible, so if anyone has experience in carrying out such surveys to frequently used pads i would like to get some advice.
Cheers.