An Cosantóir

14 Flying the London helicopter routes is not for the faint-hearted and requires specialised training. The core routes traverse either side of the River Thames right through the city centre, with all helicopters flying exactly at the same heights and only separated by the width of the river. The heli-lane route in from the West passes directly under landing aircraft on finals into Heathrow Airport with minimal separation, and involves flying exactly along ground features at various stepped heights, which change frequently. When we say precision is required, Air Traffic Controllers in London monitor the helicopters flying the routes. If they see a minor discrepancy of a helicopter being say 30 feet higher or lower than it is supposed to be, or 50 metres from the exact ground track, a warning will be given. If the helicopter is either not seen to improve accuracy or commit a repeat offence, the helicopter is given a radar heading and instructed to immediately leave the airspace. Helicopters being ordered to leave the airspace occurs regularly, with the standards of precision demanded ensuring separation of aircraft in this busy airspace, including in poor weather. An alternative route for twin-engine helicopters starts from the North of the city and then joins the River Thames. The route to be flown depends on ATC requirements at the time. London Heliport at Battersea is located in the city centre on the South bank of the River Thames, and flying to it requires using the helicopter lanes. Over the years I had brought quite a lot of Air Corps pilots into it for training. A condition of being accepted to use the heliport is that the pilot flying there for the first time must be accompanied by another pilot who has previously been there. When requesting permission to land there, you must give the name of the pilot on board who has been there previously, and you then wait while they check their database. Even after landing, the new pilot must attend a mandatory area and procedures brief to better equip them for the next occasion when they may be flying there by themselves. Only then is their name added to the list of approved pilots. An advantage of London Heliport for Air Corps Air Ambulance purposes is the distance from the heliport to the two main children's hospitals in London: Great Ormond Street and King's College Hospital. Both of these hospitals are approximately 15 minutes under 'blue lights' from the heliport, which is a vast improvement when compared to the more usual landing locations of either RAF Northolt or Heathrow, which are both approximately 1 hour 15 minutes to the hospitals. For a critically ill child or baby requiring emergency transport to a specialist hospital for life-saving treatment, this NEONATAL AIR AMBULANCE NEONATAL AIR AMBULANCE THE FIRST EVER IRISH AIR AMBULANCE TO LONDON HELIPORT By Lt Col David Browne Photos provided by Lt Col David Browne An aerial view of London Battersea Heliport beside the Thames river 'Irish 277' on the pad Buckingham Palace from a different view

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