Landing Anywhere ?

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MitchellW
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Landing Anywhere ?

Postby MitchellW » Tue Aug 29 2017, 00:47

You can land your helicopter anywhere as long as you have permission from the land owner .

This isn't 100% correct is it ?

Do local councils have a say ? Even if you have enough room on a small acreage (3 acres) what restrictions would I encounter.
arrrj
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby arrrj » Tue Aug 29 2017, 07:11

Hi Mitchell,

Your statement is sort of true.

You can land and take off from anywhere with pilots and landowners permission. Both are important. Pilots permission covers all the issues that CASA may have with the process - which might be plenty if a nimby complains.

Many councils in Australia have tried to prevent casual landings. Ones that come to mind are Gosford, Bega and Vic Great Lakes. The matter is very complex, as Mr K Packer found out when even with all his power and money, he was prevented from having a floating helipad in Pittwater (yes, that is a long story...). Each council is different, as is the interpretation of the law - local, state and federal.

One thing is for sure though. A casual landing and take off is completely different to leaving the machine there overnight. Many councils, and not even the aggressive ones, will take that action as meaning that you are running a helipad (private) or heliport (public) and you must have council permission to do that. You need to lodge a development application, spend a fortune on your submission (I have done this numerous times) and then hope that sanity prevails. A mate of mine was fined $30k for keeping a machine at a Sydney site without permission. And it was nowhere near any houses.

My view of the world (formed over 10 years of landing all over Australia) is to behave properly, seek permissions (when that IS possible to do so) and try not to piss anyone off. For that reason, I have never had a complaint.

As for running a helipad (which sounds like you want to do) get ready to spend $100k...and all the best !

In your case, call the local council, meet with planners and find out what they really think. Don't take the matter lightly.

Arrrj
MitchellW
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby MitchellW » Tue Jun 19 2018, 01:01

Thanks for that. I’m on a 2.75 acre property and just wanted to land and keep it there for private use to save on storage fees. No commercial opps.
NZHelo
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby NZHelo » Tue Jun 19 2018, 21:56

Just land it and throw a camo net over it. Wa la “what helicopter” :cool_slp:
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VBlade
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby VBlade » Mon Jul 2 2018, 10:47

Just curious , Would the above mentioned regs still apply on a 200 acre rural farm/property near mudgee?

Would you still need council permission if being used for agricultural work?

VB
Gonsky
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby Gonsky » Mon Jul 2 2018, 20:28

Yep been going through the process and logistics for a long time in various locations and you hve two options, either tell then and then go through 100's of hoops, or just do it and hope you don't get found out.

it is not just about the landing it is now all about the health and safety and also fuel storage, splills and the list goes on and on. Even if you have a property with an existing ag strip for instance and it has not been used for a while you will have issues.

The councils are not really then biggest issue it is all the tree huggers and the moment you get a complaint from anyone the fun begins.

Regards,
'Mankind has a perfect record in aviation - we have never left one up there!'
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hoverthrust
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby hoverthrust » Tue Jul 3 2018, 04:47

There is a court ruling that set a precedent by a doctor in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, where he argued that he was using his helicopter as a method of transport, to and from work. The ruling said that because he was using it as a legitamite mode of transport that he couldn't be prevented from using it. Some other court cases against owners hangering their chopper in other parts of NSW have won against councils due to this precedent. Check it out. It is worth using it as a draw card.
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VBlade
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby VBlade » Tue Jul 3 2018, 11:19

Thats good to know, will look into that court case and do some research.

I understand the difficulty you would have in a suburban area, due to safety, noise, storage, fuel e.t.c but you would think it would be Alot more leniant in a rural area in properties where Ag spraying, and mustering is conducted with fuel already stored in large tanks within these properties.

How do private contractors that own helicopters for AG work conduct a business? Do they need to store them in a local airoprt hangar and pick them up every day?
You would think it would be different if conducting a business compared to private use...

Just trying to het my head around the whole process.
Gonsky
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby Gonsky » Tue Jul 3 2018, 22:43

Also in regards to hangers, tell the local council it is a farm shed not a hanger and you can also use systems they are removeable for landing pads/runways.

http://www.perfo-uk.com/airfields.html, this system is solid enough and can be painted and removed if need be.

Regards,
'Mankind has a perfect record in aviation - we have never left one up there!'
BendyChoppa100
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby BendyChoppa100 » Sun Dec 8 2019, 10:00

Interssting thread. Bit late on this topic, not sure if anyone is still active here.
I have a large rural estate in the new england, huge area for a pad. My quetion is, wtf isnt there roof top helipads in Sydney CBD? I want to fly from the CBD to my estate. Seems Aust is in a zombie zone with this stuff.
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Eric Hunt
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby Eric Hunt » Mon Dec 9 2019, 03:37

You can answer this by looking at a bunch of rooftops. What do you see?
Solar panels
radio antennas
mobile phone antennas (good income from these)
angled rooftops, not flat
aircon units
the occasional penthouse

Have you ever tried to access a rooftop? Locked doors, prohibited areas due to RF emissions and Elfin Safety stopping you from stepping off the edge.
Do you think the building owners / lessees want people wandering up their lifts to access the roof? No. You would need a specific lift direct to the roof. Costly. Then you need somebody to be security to vet who goes up there.

You need insurance for the helipad, to cover choppers falling off the top or bumping into parts of the building. Fuel spillage bunds and special drains. Firefighting equipment.

But above all. you must have a NEED to build a rooftop pad. Even Kerry Packer decided not to put one on his own building.
Vortexsting
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby Vortexsting » Mon Dec 9 2019, 10:23

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fixedwingconvert
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Re: Landing Anywhere ?

Postby fixedwingconvert » Mon Mar 14 2022, 09:42

Restarting this thread:

I notice that NT Supreme Court ruled in 2017 in favour of private ops helicopter use:

https://supremecourt.nt.gov.au/__data/a ... 14-Jun.pdf

I'm interested in any South Australia anecdotes in particular if anybody can share - specifically legalities around what power Councils and CASA have to stop private ops on semi-rural properties?

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