View Full Version : UK Hospital Landing Sites
Here is one for the Air Ambulance guys - when you use a hospital landing site, does it have to be approved/licenced by the CAA and do you have to comply with performance restrictions (Cat A) when you do so. Is there an Air Ambulance HLS directory or do you use the AIDU military directory?
There is no hidden agenda here - I had a LS faff in S Wales on Monday and a chap from ambulance control said that a particular LS had not been approved for use by the CAA which is why our military documents had not been amended despite the hospital having been built and operational for 6 years.
Bertie Thruster
14th Jul 2005, 17:16
Several (4) questions here Crab.
For HEMs approved operators:
Q1. Elevated (rooftop): yes. Non elevated; no. (company approved)
Q2. a, Air ambulance flights (CAT); yes.
b, HEMs flights; elevated, yes. Non elevated, whenever possible.
Q4. There are several. (Each operator will have their own)
Q4. Sometimes immediately, when out of the operators usual area (for HEMs flights only) (also perhaps used by an operator, in slow time, for one off company site approval, when preplanning a CAT flight out of area.)
But if a listed mil site is also one of the local operators HLS, cleared by that company for CAT, then that operator could use it immediately for CAT flights, without waiting for company approval)
Hope this helps! BT
Bertie Thruster
15th Jul 2005, 10:12
Crab, was your "LS faff" like this one?!-------
Helicopter draught ruins gardens
Residents on a Lincolnshire housing estate have been left shocked after a low-flying military helicopter caused damage and havoc in their gardens.
The downdraught snapped trees, overturned garden furniture and dislodged hanging baskets.
The MoD has apologised for the upset caused and pledged to carry out any repairs required in gardens.
Safety concerns
Resident Ann Hempsall said: "I dread to think because normally I have my grandchildren and if it's nice we're in the garden.
"The youngest is two and if he'd have been out when that helicopter did this, it would possibly have killed him.
"It if can snap a tree in half what can it do to a two-year-old child.
"I'm absolutely gutted - I'd just got my garden looking nice.
"There's hanging baskets, ornaments, tubs all been broken and all my garden furniture's been broken.
"I still get choked when I look at, I could cry, but nobody's been hurt and that's the main thing."
Locals are familiar with helicopters - they live close to Lincoln's County Hospital and often see the air ambulance - but say this was much lower.
Freda Goodall, another resident, said: "We saw it coming over, we could hear it me and my daughter, we said that's a bit of a noise coming over.
"It obviously wasn't the ambulance one because it was so noisy."
The aircraft was on a training mission from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire when it caused the damage.
It was landing at the hospital as part of the exercise.
In a statement the MOD said: " It is deeply regretted that the downwash from the helicopter caused disturbance and distress to local residents, including some damage to property.
"The Ministry of Defence will consider all claims for any losses suffered as a result of this incident."
OOOPPPPS......that'll be the Merlin downwash that Westlands said wouldn't be a problem for SAR work then!!!
"It if can snap a tree in half what can it do to a two-year-old child. Depends if your 2 year old is rooted into the ground and wearing a large bushy hat at the time I suppose:)
Bertie, thanks for the info - my faff was the usual 'no ambulance at the HLS' faff but it was because we were at the old LS and they were at the new one - doh! The LS in question is not elevated and therefore doesn't seem to need CAA clearance although the Ambulance Control guy had been told it did (mind you he had also been told it wasn't big enough for a Sea King - we probably could have got 2 in side by side!)
Bertie Thruster
15th Jul 2005, 15:48
It wasn't so much the downwash as the decision to carry out a very shallow approach, at rooftop height, over the residential area! Best approach (clear of houses) is from the East (noted in the RAF AIDU Flip)
I've spent years keeping those residents informed and content with regard to helicopter downwash around that HLS, (the main hospital HLS in Lincolnshire) This incident literally blew that goodwill away!
Several hospitals would dearly like to get rid of their HLS's and build on the valuable land. (Some already are: QMC, the biggest trauma centre in E. Midlands, builds over its HLS next month. Helicopters bring in expensive trauma from a wide area. Hell! we bring them work they don't want!!
Events like this one simply give extra ammunition to the anti HLS lobby.
Has anyone complained to Benson yet - if only to stop it happening again.
As to building on the HLS - less patients means shorter waiting lists;)