Helipad

The building of aluminium helipads is also a much quicker process than constructing steel or concrete ones.

Either for private, commercial, or emergency services, helicopters are of immense help when it comes to quick and safe transportation, especially in hard-to-reach places. The one thing that is extremely convenient when it comes to this mode of transportation is that an airport is not necessary for its take-off or landing. All you need is a helipad or a helideck, depending on whether you are onshore or offshore.

Helidecks are platforms for helicopter landings and takeoffs on large ships, cruisers, and on oil platforms far away in the oceans. While helipads are located on land. Helipads can also be a part of a bigger heliport, where a bigger number of helicopters can fluctuate.

Each helipad needs to be marked according to its purpose. This is not applicable to temporary emergency constructed helipads about which we will talk more later. Standard helipad marking is a large letter H, which can be easily noticeable from the air. For hospitals, H is painted red colour and it also has a cross outline in the background. For all other helipads, the letter H is painted white.

Usually, helipads have also painted the maximum gross weight which can be supported. There should also be information about the maximum helicopter dimensions that can be allowed to land. Sometimes there are also painted arrows present which indicate arrival and departure paths. Depending on its purpose, many helipads have also company logos or hospital names indicated next to the helipad.

Concrete and steel were for years a go-to material when it came to helipad construction. However, aluminium proved itself as a better, lightweight and less corrosive material. Also, no painting of the aluminium helipads is necessary during the span of their lifetime, which makes such helipads much easier to maintain.