Helipad & Heliport Construction
NLS Contractors builds ground-level helipads, hospital rooftop helipads and elevated helidecks in Saudi Arabia: structure, surfacing, markings, lighting, drainage and firefighting provisions, built to the issued drawings and checked against GACAR Part 138 and ICAO Annex 14 Volume II. Construction documents are prepared to support the owner's GACA submission.
A helipad is a short list of defined areas with long consequences if any one is wrong. The FATO is the final approach and take-off area, the TLOF is the touchdown and lift-off area inside it, and the safety area surrounds both. Their sizes come from the design helicopter, expressed as its overall dimension (D-value) and maximum take-off mass, which the owner fixes before drawings are issued. GACAR Part 138 governs heliports in the Kingdom, ICAO Annex 14 Volume II sets the international geometry, and FAA AC 150/5390-2C is often cited alongside them.
The structure decides the cost. A ground-level pad is a bearing pavement in reinforced concrete or asphalt with shoulders, drainage and a fence. A hospital rooftop pad has to be checked against the building frame for helicopter loads, including an emergency landing, and it needs a perimeter safety net, an access route to the emergency department and a way to get firefighting water to the roof. An elevated helideck is a steel structure with a plated deck, and its fabrication follows the same AISC 360, AWS D1.1 and coating rules as any other steel package.
Lighting and markings are installed to Annex 14 Volume II: perimeter lights, floodlights, a lit wind direction indicator, obstruction lights where the study calls for them, the H marking, the TLOF perimeter and the maximum weight marking. Drainage has to carry spilled fuel away from the pad and the building. Firefighting provisions follow NFPA 418 and Civil Defense requirements for the building.
Approval belongs to the owner. GACA grants it on the strength of the consultant's submission, and NLS Contractors prepares the construction side of that file: drawings, material and lighting datasheets, test and inspection records and as-builts. Aeronautical studies and airfield lighting supply sit with Northlane Solutions, the parent company.
To price a helipad from a tender set, send the IFC drawings, the heliport specification and the design helicopter. The offer breaks the work into civil or steel, finishes, electrical and lighting, drainage and fire, so each line can be checked against the bill.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does it take to build a hospital rooftop helipad?+
A structural check of the roof for helicopter loads, a TLOF surface with markings and lights, a perimeter safety net, an access route to the emergency department and firefighting water at roof level. The owner fixes the design helicopter first.
Who approves a helipad in Saudi Arabia?+
GACA, under GACAR Part 138, on the owner's submission through the consultant. The contractor supplies the construction-side documents that submission relies on.
What is the difference between a helipad, a heliport and a helideck?+
A helipad is a landing area. A heliport is an aerodrome for helicopters with the facilities around the landing area. A helideck is a landing area on an elevated or offshore structure.
Can you price a helipad from a tender drawing set?+
Yes. Send the IFC drawings and the heliport specification. The offer splits civil or steel, finishes, electrical and lighting, drainage and fire so each line can be checked against the bill.