A '''heliport''' is a small [[airport]] suitable only for use by [[helicopter]]s. Heliports typically contain one or more [[helipad]]s and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a [[windsock]], or even hangars. In larger towns and cities, [[customs]] facilities may be available at a heliport.
The early advocates of helicopters hoped that heliports would become widespread, but they have become contentious in [[urban areasarea]]s due to the unpleasant noise caused by helicopter traffic.
==Purpose==
In a large [[metropolis]], a heliport can serve [[passenger]] traffics needing to quickly move within the city or to outlying regions. Generally heliports can be situated closer to a town or [[city centre]] than an airport for [[fixed-wing aircraft]]. The advantage in flying by helicopter to a destination or even to the city's main airport is that travel can be much faster than [[driving]]. As an example, the [[Downtown Manhattan Heliport]] in New York City provides scheduled service to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]] and is used to move important persons and goods quickly to destinationdestinations as far away as [[Maryland]].
Some [[skyscraper]]s feature rooftop [[helipad]]s or heliports to serve the transport needs of executives or clients. The [[U.S. Bank Tower]] in [[Los Angeles]] is an example. Police departments use heliports as a base for [[police helicopter]]s, and larger department may have a dedicated one such as the [[LAPD Hooper Heliport]].
Helipads are common features at [[hospital]]s where they serve to facilitate [[air ambulance]] emergency transfer of patients to [[Physical trauma|trauma]] units or to accept patients from remote areas without local hospitals or facilities capable of providing the level of [[emergency care]] required. In [[urban area|urban]] environments, these heliports are typically located on the roof of the hospital.
==Numbering==
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==Lighting==
Heliport lighting normally consists of a circle or square of inset lights around the surface called the TLOF (touchdown &and lift-off area) and another around the overall [[landing]] area called the [[FATO]] (final approach &and takeoff area). The later encompasses the TLOF as well and the lights may be elevated or inset. Both sets of lights are now recommended to be green by ICAOthe [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] and FAA[[Federal Aviation Administration]]. Yellow (amber) was the former standard and is still preferred in many locations. There is a great deal of variance in color depending on the owner and jurisdiction. These lights were traditionally [[incandescent]] but are now increasingly LED[[light-emitting diode]]s with brightness control. The TLOF and FATO lights may be supplemented with surface floodlights[[flood light]]s. A lighted [[wind cone]] is necessary. At ground-based locations, a row of [[lead-in lights]] in the preferred direction of approach is sometimes used. Visual slope [[guidance systemssystem]]s (such as HAPI, PAPI, etc) are recommended in both ICAO and FAA documents but are rarely deployed due to the high cost relative to the rest of the lighting system. While airports commonly use 6.6A constant[[direct current]] power, heliport lighting is normally [[AC poweredpower]]ed. [[Radio control]] by the pilot via a groundautomated ground-based controller is also common.{{fact}}
