Helicopter guidelines for land seismic & helirig operations - OGP

Helicopter guidelines for land seismic & helirig operations
6 Base camp ground infrastructure and equipment
requirements
6.1 Location
6.1.1 Where possible, the siting of a base camp should allow for the bulk delivery of large
quantities of aviation fuel; sites located adjacent to arterial communications such as
roads, or rivers navigable by flat-bottomed barges, are ideal.
6.1.2 The alignment of landing strips and aircraft operating areas must take account of the
prevailing wind and the need to avoid over-flying populated areas during take-off and
approach to landing. Government or mission airstrips can be used to good effect;
6.1.3 Local topography affects the aviation aspects of base camp selection and for this
reason the following locations should be avoided:
1. Valley and bowl locations, which present obstacles on take-off and unacceptably
steep approaches. Early morning mist is slow to clear from such sites in jungle
areas and may, especially in mountainous areas, give rise to excessive turbulence.
2. Un-grassed areas that are likely to give rise to excessive dust during dry periods.
3. Sites close to population centres, which could cause undue nuisance to local
population and/or risk exposure.
4. Sites which cannot easily and economically be made secure. The local security
situation should be fully assessed. While this aspect affects the entire seismic
operation, aircraft and Flight crew are particularly sensitive to threats such as
sabotage and hijacking and tampering with fuel supplies.
5. Low lying areas susceptible to flooding which can affect aviation fuel storage,
aviation fuel quality control and aircraft maintenance. Mosquito nuisance may
affect evening and night maintenance.
6. Power lines and other high obstacles such as towers, are a particular hazard,
especially near the heavily utilised base camp helipad. Therefore and depending
on the proximity of these cables, the position of the base camp helipad must be
considered with regard to approach and departure routes. Where power lines or
high obstacles are present in any seismic area the following is recommended:
a. All power lines and other high obstacles such as towers etc. (or at least those
within 500m of any helipad) should be clearly marked on hazards map.
b. Every pilot joining an operation for the first time should be fully briefed and
area airborne familiarisation checked on the position of overhead cables and
other hazards, with pilots’ topographical maps marked accordingly. All maps
should be checked for validity on subsequent periods of duty.
c. Where appropriate and in particular for power lines/high obstacles close
to the base camp, efforts should be made to get these marked (marker balls,
flashing lights) by the owner of these installations.
6.2 General layout
6.2.1 A prime requirement is that pedestrian and vehicular traffic should be separated from
helicopters when they are parked, being refueled, maneuvered or operated. Helicopter
landing, parking and refueling areas should be declared “Restricted Area”, with
authorized access only. Warning notices, advising personnel not to proceed beyond
appropriate points should be prominently displayed and, if necessary, a traffic-flow
control system introduced to halt vehicles during helicopter arrivals and departures.
6.2.2 An area adjacent to the Party Chief or flight planner office should be allocated to a
logistics office/radio room.
© OGP
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