PremiAir Aviation Services Limited of Denham has commissioned McAlpine Helicopters – the Oxford-based UK distributor for Eurocopter – to undertake the essential testing programme for the UK CAA approval of a Group A operations variable decision point for the Eurocopter AS355 series Twin Squirrel.

The flight tests were completed at Oxford and Blackbushe airfields and the flight manual supplement has now been approved by the CAA.

The variable decision point enables safe Group A operations to a helipad where surrounding obstacles would have previously negated its use. The original flight manual approved Group A takeoff decision point (TDP) was at 90 feet but the new variable takeoff decision point increases TDP to a point equal to the height of an obstacle 165 metres upwind of the takeoff point plus 90 feet but up to a maximum height of 190 feet. Similar benefits apply to the variable landing decision point.

PremiAir’s operations director Christopher Forrest commented: “The company is delighted with this enhanced operational capability for the Twin Squirrel. It now means that we can fly from sites with qualifying obstructions of up to 100 feet and given that a large number of these flights stem from the London area, our directory of Group A approved helipads for the Twin Squirrel will now increase considerably.

“We operate nine Twin Squirrels and the AS355Ns will find this profile particularly beneficial with their high Group A helipad gross weight.”

In order to make use of the variable decision point, it is a CAA mandatory requirement that the flight manual supplement for ‘Group A operations to and from ground level helipads using a variable landing or takeoff decision point’ is incorporated in the specific helicopter’s flight manual.

PremiAir says it is hoping to recover some of the considerable expense incurred in the approval of this profile and therefore the supplement will be available for sale.