Nomad110 Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 All of this regulatory talk about where you can land a helicopter has my head spinning. How about we start a thread about places where we have successfully landed a helicopter off airport, such as restaurants, hotels, racetracks, beaches, forests, camping, fly fishing, etc? Please include any steps it took to do it correctly and legally. If there was any doubt you were doing something illegal then I wouldn't post it. I'll go first, I have a couple: 1. Location: Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma County, CA Requirements: Additional insured, at least $10 million liability, some phone calls back and forth with track operations, two page minor paper work (time of landing, etc) Description: I flew out to the track from Napa Airport with some friends for a qualifying session and had a great time. They had me hover taxi just off the helipad and land. We tied down and left the helicopter there for the day. It was pretty dusty upon return because of the other helicopters ferrying people back and forth kicked up a lot a debris. Otherwise it was a good experience. I would let NorCal approach know what you are doing, VFR flight following... 2. Location: Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey County, CA Requirments: Additional insured, at least $10 million liability, one page of paper work and three emails... Description: These people are wonderful to work with. They accommodated us very nicely for a vintage race. They even offered your own security guard for $30/hour. I don't really think it's needed though because the area is quite secure. 3. Location: Quail Lodge, Monterey County, CA Requirements: A phone call...so far. Description: This one I am planning but so far it looks good. They do quite a bit of helicopter traffic out of a field along side the lodge. They basically told me that I can only pick up or drop off from their location, twice per day. Understandably, they don't want me parked there as there is no security. The only time they don't allow this is when the lodge is operating their own helicopter, usually race weekends. I'll let you know how this one goes. They haven't much asked for anything from me except for the 4 rooms we booked there. My plan is leave the helicopter hangared at Monterey Municipal Airport overnight and pick up PAX in the morning. I would love to hear from other peoples successful trips off airport in their helicopters in the NorCal and Nevada area but let's make this nationwide. This could be a great resource...maybe even a sticky thread. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic04GT Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Island Fish Company restaurant in Marathon, FL is really neat but all the local pilots already know about that place haha http://www.islandfishco.com/heliport.htm First come first serve basis for their heliport. No arrangements necessary but it's a mile from Marathon airport (uncontrolled) so it's a good idea to announce intentions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Pig Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) Its not off-airport, but never pass up Harris Ranch Airport and steak house 3O8 Edited February 2, 2013 by Flying Pig 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McGavin Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Thornton Winery in Temecula California is a good one. They have a good size overflow parking lot that they block off for a LZ. They obviosly have some insurance requirements and prior approval, but are easy to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whistlerpilot Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) What... helicopters land at airports? How weird... guess I got to get out of the bush more often. I remember flying in the Seattle area and hearing there is a restaurant you can land at on the waterfront just out of Boeing Field's class D. Has anyone been there? Edited February 2, 2013 by Whistlerpilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nomad110 Posted February 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Island Fish Company restaurant in Marathon, FL is really neat but all the local pilots already know about that place haha http://www.islandfis...om/heliport.htm First come first serve basis for their heliport. No arrangements necessary but it's a mile from Marathon airport (uncontrolled) so it's a good idea to announce intentions. I would kill for a place like this in NorCal. Sounds awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic04GT Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 I would kill for a place like this in NorCal. Sounds awesome!It's a great experience. Most of the guys get to do it towards the end or after their Private. It borders the parking lot and a clear view from the patio so you get to show off a little bit haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Pig Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 (edited) I like to see instructors be able to do that. You learn to fly at an airport with planes and even in helicopter training, you spend most of your time acting like an airplane. Yes, I know you go out and do pinnacles, confined areas etc etc but landing at a place where you can actually interact with the public, get out and eat and have fun, I think it drives home why they chose helicopters. Edited February 3, 2013 by Flying Pig 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SBuzzkill Posted February 2, 2013 Report Share Posted February 2, 2013 Yeah that's awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic04GT Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 I like to see instructors be able to do that. You learn to fly at an airport with planes and even in helicopter training, you spend most of your time acting like an airplane. Yes, I know you go out and do pinnacles, confined areas etc etc but landing at a place where you can actually interact with the public, get out and eat and have fun, I think it drives home why they chose helicopters.I completely agree. Towards the beginning of Private they had mentioned in the future taking a 22 down to the Keys for a lunch break. I was sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akscott60 Posted February 3, 2013 Report Share Posted February 3, 2013 Whats an airport? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12-7 Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 Orbic Air in LA has an "exclusive private" peak in Malibu overlooking the sea. 2 minute mark has the location from an aerial and on the ground view. Anyone know exactly where it is? And David- care to share as an example for us all, how you were able to secure the landing permission? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkyMtnHI Posted March 24, 2013 Report Share Posted March 24, 2013 We have had a dedicated off airport practice area for a couple of years now, it came out of a number of issues; we believe a helicopter pilot in training should train like they will fly as much as possible, and that means landing in different environments. We also had a CFII and an FAA rep land at a site that had been used but wasn’t approved and the management there had changed and the new folks threw a fit (they videoed the landing and emailed it to me with some very short words!).. so, we do not land at places without permission. That being said, there are places high up in the mountains that are not an issue, but you still have to be careful not to step on anyone’s toes, and there are some areas around here that are protected for different reasons (animal protection, parks, dedicated open-spaces) and if you plan to land off airport, or are even going to a place that others have said is ok, it would be prudent to clarify for yourself). I have said numerous times; if you do something that is questionable it could be on utube before you get back to base. We just recently gained approval to land at two Denver area restaurants, this took some time as they had bad experiences with other local operators and needed to be assured that things would be better. One of the issues was that they raised their insurance minimums to $4 mil and in order to pay for that you need to do a lot of flights to the sites to justify the extra expense. On that subject, some insurance companies will NOT write a policy for that amount if it’s flown in a piston aircraft, so you have to find someone that can. I believe i have the best insurance guy in the biz and if you want his info just pm me here. We also needed $10 mil to coax our off airport owners into an agreement there but due to our Utility side were carrying that for some of our contracts.. there is just no way we could afford the costs on that policy without the contract side of the biz (we also let other professional companies use our off airport area, but they too must have $10mil coverage which most Utility contracts require anyway). In all instances you should have a signed permission to land form with your respective aircraft tail numbers listed (your pilots in training should be taught about this form asap, because we all have places that we want to land at, they need to know from the start that there are policies in place). You will need an additional insured form from your insurance, this sounds complicated but it takes less than a day from our insurance company and should from yours as well. These forms do not cost in our case, and you just have to call the insurance company with the name and address of the additional insured. When approaching someone to ask for permissions like these having more than the usual $1 mil coverage and offering an additional insured form makes a huge difference (they know immediately that you know what you are doing). Some operators just cannot afford to get this sort of coverage tho due to their loss ratio numbers so keep that in mind. If you plan to land at restaurants go see the operations manager there, talk about safety and how they want YOU to operate, ask what you can do for them, having a helo come and go can offer some marketing benefits for them that they might not realize. Oh yeah, never land there without calling first.. it’s just common sense and courtesy. In the case of our off airport, this took months of searching for the right spot, and even longer in negations with the owners, their lawyers and their insurance companies (i think i went to ten places and was told NO before i found this one). On that subject, this was an area that i had previous experience with, and thru this process we ended up getting the land owners a much better policy and coverage so it was a win-win (when i was doing SWOT analysis on large properties, one of the first things i would look at was insurance policies that had been in place for an extended time). As in many things in this business, one week it was on and the next it was off, it took lots of perseverance to make this stuff happen due to issues that came before, so, if you want this to happen you have to be committed and willing to put in the time and efforts, and in some cases, that’s exactly what the owners want to see. Other points to think about; around here it seems like everyone owns horses and/or cattle.. know that the perfect spot could not be so perfect if there is a ranch or stable near by. Most of the time the animals don’t even know you are there, they don’t even look up, but the owners can be over-protective and give you some challenges, so keep that in mind. A few years ago schools in this area used a strip pit for confined operations, a particular protected bird decided to use the area for a breeding ground and the CFIs that were using the site wouldn’t stay away from the nests, it costs us all the privilege of that site. The site was then sold to another owner and that cemented the loss of even winter usage. Lots to think about, one of the things i say constantly to our team: think of the big picture.. and we still miss stuff. The last thing i will put here, and i separate it for a reason; know that everything you do reflects on all of us... be professional in every aspect as you could take a great opportunity away from yourself and others if not handled correctly. Here are some links to our off airport and the restaurants we are working with now: http://www.coloradoh...ining-area.htmlhttp://s298.photobuc...ing Area?page=1https://www.facebook...=1¬if_t=like sincerely, dp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCM5 Posted March 26, 2013 Report Share Posted March 26, 2013 It's sort of off airport....but there is a public heli-port in downtown Portland that is pretty sweet. Link to it mapped on Google maps: http://goo.gl/maps/zcpUh 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldy Posted March 29, 2013 Report Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) Orbic Air in LA has an "exclusive private" peak in Malibu overlooking the sea. 2 minute mark has the location from an aerial and on the ground view. Anyone know exactly where it is? And David- care to share as an example for us all, how you were able to secure the landing permission?12-7, just because Orbic can land there doesn't mean anyone else can. It's private land with an arrangement with the owner. LA City will not let you land anywhere within city limits, no such limit on LA County land....but...you have to respect private land owner rights. BLM land pretty easy as long as its not some special sanctuary. Fly over state parks in CA no issue, but NPS- no way... There is a restaurant (pie shop) that all the locals fly into, I think it is near Brawley, CA (east of San Diego)......Richard S. could tell us the exact location as I've seen photos of him there! You can pay a couple hundred, plus fill out all the forms and insurance and then you can land.....but not stay, at the Heli-pad on top of the parking structure near the 10 freeway and Figueroa in downtown LA. I think it was $300 per landing last I looked. Edited April 13, 2013 by Goldy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotorhead84 Posted April 6, 2013 Report Share Posted April 6, 2013 Whats an airport? +1 I almost forgot they existed until I opened this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloJunkie Posted April 10, 2013 Report Share Posted April 10, 2013 Santa Ysable, CA - Home of the Julian Pie Factory. We received permission to land there over 10 years ago and have been doing it every since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mprancher Posted May 10, 2013 Report Share Posted May 10, 2013 Great thread, thanks for starting. Brewry Gulch Inn in Mendocino is an excellent stop. Its solid walk to downtown. Call the hotel and they will have you land on their grass lawn. It is a max performance take-off depending upon the wind. Its on the coast and with the gusting winds and fog may be unsafe. Alternative airport is close (KLLR) and the hotel kindly collected us. Note ONLY pay phone at KLLR, my cell phone did not have coverage. http://www.brewerygulchinn.com/helicopter.htm No wind sock last year. Great place, highly recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S9coldfire Posted May 13, 2013 Report Share Posted May 13, 2013 I got to help out with a charity golf ball drop and got to land on the driving range prior to the drop (with permission from the golf course of course!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hovergirl Posted May 14, 2013 Report Share Posted May 14, 2013 http://www.tommee.com/ Here's a link that duplicates the old one from the New England Helipads site that seems to be broken. It's a list of restaurants in the area that let you land there, and while they're called helipads a lot of the descriptions run something like "land in the field across the street from the restaurant." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yzchopper Posted May 19, 2013 Report Share Posted May 19, 2013 I've landed an R22 in my backyard, at a hotel in North Bend just east of Seattle, WA due to weather (fog in front and behind me could not return to Boeing Field in Seattle), and landed at my son's elementary school (he was in the second grade) on a half day and picked him up to take him to town. I got permission to land at the hotel in North Bend after I landed by the factory outlet mall and walked over and talked to the manager on duty. I got permission from the school principle (who is a retired Iraqi vet) to land and pick up my son at his school as long as it was before the school was let out for the day. My kid is still the talk of this little country town and he's almost a freshman now. Always get permission and have a way in and a way out, plus an alternate route in case of an emergency. Also it sometimes helps persuade the land owner (into allowing us to land) by giving him/her/them a ride or two in the helicopter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jester84 Posted August 14, 2013 Report Share Posted August 14, 2013 DT1 is a public rooftop helipad in the heart of downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Just call ahead, its a great experience. Remember your high/low recons, the mechanical turbulence can be tricky some times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 http://nav-a-gator.com. This is a great place to eat. Floatplane or heli. Give them a call before landing. Watch out for the gators! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbo Posted October 5, 2013 Report Share Posted October 5, 2013 Just west of Sebring Florida is lake Jackson. The south shore has a restaurant with a huge beach to land on. See you there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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