Bi-Lateral GLA Aviation Services Project

Key Requirements:

-Capable of landing on a helipad with a safe loading of four tonnes on a footprint of 250mm x 250mm.

-Capable of operating from the helidecks of the GLA vessels.

Task examples:

• A smaller task would be to carry two technicians with small tools and emergency overnight kit to a lighthouse in the morning and return later the same day; the radius of action is likely to be between 5 and 100 nm.
• A larger task might require twelve workers, their baggage and several tons of underslung material to be carried out in several trips from a vessel close by or an onshore location nearby and brought back a few days or weeks later. In practice there are a wide variety of tasks in terms of size, distance and complexity.

A task may change to include underslung loads at any time Underslung loads represent between 15 and 32% of the operational flying tasks per year (averaging 22%). They are usually flown from a GLA vessel close by or from an accessible point on the nearest mainland to reduce the distance and duration of the operation. The support of building and renovation tasks at lighthouses creates the requirement for a great variety of weights, shapes, sizes, and natures of underslung loads with different aerodynamic characteristics.

The helicopter service will be required throughout the operating areas of the two GLAs (except Gibraltar). Additional information: The GLA Helicopters are to be twin turbine helicopters equipped, certified and capable of operating single pilot Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations and to operate under Sub-Part HOFO, capable of:

• operating from legacy helidecks of GLA vessels
• operating from sub-1D elevated lantern top helipad
• operating on rough and uneven ground (including ground with bird nesting holes and burrows).