Soon, choppers may ferry critical patients to AIIMS

New Delhi: In a first for India, the government is finalising plans to allow helicopters carrying critical patients to land on top of AIIMS’ trauma centre — that’s right under the flight path of IGI airport. Planes landing and taking off on the airport’s secondary runway pass at a height of 2,500 to 3,000 feet. Now aviation authorities are figuring out the height that choppers can be allowed up to for operating from the rooftop helipad so that the flying machines are always safely apart.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) are jointly working on this plan. ‘‘Aircraft flying over the trauma center are at a height of 2,500 to 3,000 feet. Choppers are likely to be allowed movement in range of 1,000-1,500 feet. An aircraft leaves its impact (like turbulence in air) behind it and not below. Similarly, chopper blades’ wind draft goes below. So we should be able to finalise the flight plans and operating procedures soon,’’ said a senior official.

Luckily, the AAI is cooperating and this will help in making this rooftop helipad operational soon. On the other hand, a helipad cleared in Mumbai for one of the biggest corporate houses has run into trouble following objections from the defence forces that the flight path of choppers would mean passing over some sensitive areas.


26/08/08 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India


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