City Planning Board Approved The Landing Facility Last Week

The City Planning Board of Portsmouth, NH, has approved the construction of a helicopter landing pad at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The vote to approve the helipad was unanimous.

The proposal is for a 50-by-50-foot concrete pad adjacent to the Emergency Room entrance. Building the helipad at the hospital will eliminate ground transportation of trauma patients from Portsmouth International Airport ... a ride of 10 to 15 minutes according to a report appearing on seacoastonline.com.

The project has already been approved by the state DOT and the FAA. Statistics show about 50 patients are transported by helicopter each year, with 38 percent of those flights occurring at night. Planners said the approaches to the helipad would be along an Interstate highway which cuts through a neighborhood, and the aircraft should not present any significant noise issues for residents. The hospital plans to add additional lights on its buildings to assist pilots in night approaches. Operational plans also call for constant FOD sweeps of the helipad to keep it safe for takeoffs and landings.

Hospital executive William Duffy said the addition of the helipad would expand the level of trauma care it would be able to offer patients. Medical helicopters operating in the area include an AgustaWestland A-109, a Eurocopter EC-135, a Sikorsky S-76, and the USCG's HH-65 Dauphin.

No firm cost estimate for the project has been determined. The hospital recently completed a $70 million expansion project.

(Image from official FAA document)

FMI: http://portsmouthhospital.com/