MY 2 CENTS
authority. The result is an increase in ad hoc or unauthorized landings, much like a black market created by the absence of legitimate access.
Emergency medical operations illustrate this risk clearly. Many air medical programs pre-select landing zones for hospitals, accident scenes,
and community response. When those
locations are not used for months or years, they are no longer safe. Vegetation grows, surfaces degrade, obstacles appear, and institutional knowledge fades. When an emergency finally occurs, the risk is higher, not lower.
The argument that helicopters should simply yield space to development or emerging technologies ignores their essential role in public safety and their resilience. Helicopters are not optional accessories to urban life; they are critical infrastructure. Every city benefits from guaranteed helicopter access for emergency response, disaster relief, law enforcement, and infrastructure support.
A healthy helicopter infrastructure benefits everyone when managed correctly. That means clear safety policy, predictable access, maintained facilities, and operational parameters that respect surrounding communities and address legitimate noise concerns. It also means resisting the temptation to sacrifice proven capability in favor of speculative future solutions.
There is a path forward. It requires governments, aviation authorities, operators, and communities to work together, rather than retreat behind the convenient banner of safety while allowing infrastructure to disappear. Helicopter access should be treated as an essential component of urban resilience, not a temporary inconvenience to be designed out of existence.
The helicopters are still coming off the production line. Will we leave them anywhere safe, legal, and effective to land?
Randy Rowles has been an FAA pilot examiner for 20 years for all helicopter certificates and ratings. He holds an FAA Gold Seal Flight Instructor Certificate, NAFI Master Flight Instructor designation, and was the 2013 recipient of the HAI Flight Instructor of the Year Award. Rowles is currently the owner of the Helicopter Institute.
He can be reached at
randyrowlesdpe@gmail.com
FIGHTING FIRES WITH
AROUND THE GLOBE
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