CAP 437 -2021 Ed-8th Helicopter Landing Area

Safety Regulation Group
Standards for offshore helicopter landing areas
CAP 437

CAP 437
June 2021
Published by the Civil Aviation Authority, 2021
Civil Aviation Authority,
Aviation House,
Gatwick Airport South,
West Sussex,
RH6 0YR.
You can copy and use this text but please ensure you always use the most up to date version and
use it in context so as not to be misleading, and credit the CAA.
First published 1981
Second edition December 1993
Third edition October 1998
Fourth edition September 2002
Fifth edition August 2005
Sixth edition December 2008
Amendment 01/2010 April 2010
Amendment 02/2010 August 2010
Edition 7 May 2012
Amendment 01/2013 February 2013
Edition 8 December 2016
Amendment 01/2018 September 2018
Amendment 02/2021 July 2021
Enquiries regarding the content of this publication should be addressed to:
FSTechnicalS[email protected].uk
Flight Operations Policy, Safety & Airspace Regulation Group, Civil Aviation Authority, Aviation
House, Gatwick Airport South, West Sussex, RH6 0YR
The latest version of this document is available in electronic format at www.caa.co.uk/CAP437

CAP 437 Contents
July 2021 Page 1
Contents
Contents ..................................................................................................................... 1
Revision history .......................................................................................................... 7
Foreword .................................................................................................................. 12
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 12
General ............................................................................................................. 13
Inbound Flight Preparation ................................................................................ 18
ICAO ................................................................................................................. 15
Helideck Licensing/Certification ........................................................................ 15
Glossary of terms and abbreviations ........................................................................ 20
................................................................................................................. 25
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 25
History of development of criteria for offshore helicopter landing areas, 1964-
1973 .................................................................................................................. 25
Department of Energy and the Health and Safety Executive guidance on the
design and construction of offshore installations, 1973 onwards ...................... 25
................................................................................................................. 32
Helicopter performance considerations .................................................................... 32
General considerations ..................................................................................... 32
Safety philosophy .............................................................................................. 32
Factors affecting performance capability ........................................................... 33
................................................................................................................. 34
Helicopter landing areas – Physical characteristics ................................................. 34
General ............................................................................................................. 34
Helideck design considerations – Environmental effects................................... 35
Temporary combined operations ....................................................................... 52

CAP 437 Contents
July 2021 Page 2
Multiple platform configurations/location of standby vessels ............................. 54
................................................................................................................. 70
Visual aids ................................................................................................................ 70
General ............................................................................................................. 70
Helideck landing area markings ........................................................................ 72
Lighting .............................................................................................................. 81
Obstacles – Marking and lighting ...................................................................... 88
................................................................................................................. 91
Helideck rescue and fire-fighting facilities ................................................................ 91
Introduction ....................................................................................................... 91
Key design characteristics – Principal agent ..................................................... 92
Use and maintenance of foam equipment ....................................................... 100
Normally unattended installations ................................................................... 102
The management of extinguishing media stocks ............................................ 103
Rescue equipment .......................................................................................... 104
Personnel levels .............................................................................................. 106
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)............................................................. 106
Training ........................................................................................................... 108
Emergency procedures ................................................................................... 108
............................................................................................................... 110
Miscellaneous operational standards ..................................................................... 110
Landing area height above water level ............................................................ 110
Wind direction (vessels) .................................................................................. 110
Helideck movement ......................................................................................... 110
Meteorological information .............................................................................. 114
Location in respect to other landing areas in the vicinity ................................. 118
Control of crane movement in the vicinity of landing areas ............................. 119

CAP 437 Contents
July 2021 Page 3
General precautions ........................................................................................ 119
Installation/Vessel helideck operations manual and general requirements ..... 120
Helicopter operations support equipment ........................................................ 120
Aeronautical communications and navigation facilities ................................... 121
............................................................................................................... 123
Helicopter fuelling facilities – Systems design and construction ............................. 123
General ........................................................................................................... 123
Product identification ....................................................................................... 124
Fuelling system categories .............................................................................. 124
General design considerations ........................................................................ 125
System component design requirements ........................................................ 127
............................................................................................................... 150
Helicopter fuelling facilities – Maintenance and fuelling procedures ...................... 150
General ........................................................................................................... 150
Fuel quality sampling and sample retention .................................................... 151
Maintenance schedules ................................................................................... 160
System breakdown .......................................................................................... 183
Fuel movement operations .............................................................................. 184
Long term storage of aviation fuel & system inactivity ..................................... 190
Aircraft refuelling ............................................................................................. 191
Quality control documentation ......................................................................... 194
............................................................................................................... 197
Helicopter landing areas on vessels ....................................................................... 197
Vessels supporting offshore mineral workings and specific standards for landing
areas on merchant vessels ............................................................................. 197
Amidships helicopter landing areas – Purpose-built or non-purpose-built ship’s
centreline ......................................................................................................... 198
Ship’s side non-purpose-built landing area ..................................................... 203