Part 4: Helicopter-Specific Radiotelephony

Designated landing areas are specific spots where helicopters are authorized to land. These might be on the aerodrome (a designated grass area or rooftop), or off-aerodrome (a hospital helipad, a mountain peak, an oil rig, etc.). When you're approaching a designated landing area, you communicate differently from a fixed-wing approach.

Key points:

Identify the landing area clearly in your initial call: "inbound to the heliport on the hospital grounds" or "inbound to the grass landing area north of the field."
Confirm that you have it in sight: "traffic in sight" or "have the landing area in sight."
Request landing clearance specific to the area, not a runway: "request landing at the downtown heliport."
ATC will clear you: "cleared to land at the downtown heliport" (not "cleared to land runway 27").
After landing, report: "OE-HEL, landed at the downtown heliport, engine shutdown."

Helicopter Approach to Designated Landing Area

Vienna Approach · OE-ABC

FREQUENCY: 119.85 MHz

PILOT: Vienna Approach, OE-ABC, helicopter, inbound to the rooftop helipad on the general hospital, 5 miles south.

ATC OE-ABC, Vienna Approach, descend to 500 feet, no reported traffic.

PILOT: Descending to 500 feet, OE-ABC. [2 minutes later]

PILOT: Vienna Approach, OE-ABC, have the hospital helipad in sight.

ATC: OE-ABC, traffic not observed. You are CLEARED to land at the hospital helipad.

PILOT: CLEARED to land at the hospital helipad, OE-ABC. [After landing]

PILOT: Vienna Approach, OE-ABC, landed and shut down at the hospital helipad.

ATC: OE-ABC, acknowledged.