Heliport Design - AC 150/5390-2C - Standards for single-rotor heliport design

Oct 23, 2026

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Advisory Circular AC 150/5390-2C establishes design standards for heliports serving helicopters with single rotors, while noting that many standards may not apply to tandem or dual (side-by-side) rotor configurations. It cancels AC 150/5390-2B and provides FAA recommended guidelines for construction materials and methods, with mandatory use for federally funded projects under AIP and certain PFC-funded work. The update includes revised definitions, added guidance on loads, pavement areas, turbulence effects, marking and lighting, and new appendix coverage for emergency landing facilities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages196

Reading Time8 h 14 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

101. Background

102. General

103. Facilities

104. Planning

105. Existing heliports

106. Location

107. AC organization

108. Explanation of terms

109. Selection of approach/departure paths

110. Notification requirements

111. Hazards to air navigation

112. Federal assistance

113. Environmental impact analyses

114. Access to heliports by individuals with disabilities

115. State role

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular | Subject: Heliport Design | Date: 4/24/20 12 | AC No: 150/5390-2C | | --- | --- | --- | | | Initiated by: AAS-100 | Change: | 1. Purpose. This advisory circular (AC) provides standards for the design of heliports serving helicopters with single rotors. Apply basic concepts to facilities serving helicopters with tandem (front and rear) or dual (side by side) rotors, however many standards will not apply. 2. Cancellation. This AC cancels AC 150/5390-2B, Heliport Design, dated September 30, 2004. 3. Application. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends the guidelines and specifications in this AC for materials and methods used in the construction of heliports. In general, use of this AC is not mandatory. However, use of this AC is mandatory for all projects funded with federal grant monies through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and with revenue from the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) . See Grant Assurance No. 34, Policies, Standards, and Specifications, and PFC Assurance No. 9, Standards and Specifications. For information about grant assurances, see [http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grant_assurances/](http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grant_assurances/. The use of )[. The use of ](http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grant_assurances/. The use of )terms implying strict compliance applies only to those projects. Other federal agencies, states, or other authorities having jurisdiction over the construction of other heliports decide the extent to which these standards apply. 4. Principal changes. a. Changed the term for the helicopter overall length (OL) to ‘D’ or ‘D-value.’ b. Added definitions for design loads for static and dynamic load-bearing areas (LBA) . c. Added guidance for pavement or structure larger than the touchdown and liftoff area (TLOF), but less than the size of the final approach and take off (FATO) . d. Added guidance for turbulence effects. e. Added guidance to provide adequate clearance between parking areas and taxi routes and within parking areas. f. Added guidance for minimum dimensions of curved approach/departure airspace. g. Added guidance for Touchdown/Positioning Circle (TDPC) Marking. h. Added guidance for Flight Path Alignment Guidance markings and lights. i. Added an appendix providing guidance for Emergency Helicopter Landing Facility Requirements (EHLF) . j. Added FATO to FATO separation distance for simultaneous operations. k. Revised standards for size of“H” for general aviation heliports. l. Added increased TLOF size when the FATO of a hospital heliport is not load bearing. n. Combined chapter 6, Non-Precision Instrument Operations and Chapter 7, Precision Approach Operations into chapter 6, Instrument Operations. Reference FAA Order 8620 series. o. To improve the legibility of the AC, changed the format to a single column and nested the tables in the text. p. Deleted requirements for load bearing capacity of a FATO at general aviation and hospital heliports when the TLOF is marked. q. Changed color of landing direction lights from yellow to green. r. Added references to Engineering Brief 87, Heliport Lights for Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) . 5. Use of metrics. This AC includes both English and metric dimensions. The metric conversions may not be exact equivalents, and the English dimensions govern. 6. Copies of this AC. This and other advisory circulars published by the Office of Airport Safety and Standards are available on the FAA Office of Airports web page [at www.faa.gov/airports](at www.faa.gov/airports). MICHAEL J. O’DONNELL Director of Airport Safety and Standards TABLE OF CONTENTS Paragraph Page Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 101. Background.......................................................

FAQs

What is the purpose of AC 150/5390-2C?

It provides standards for the design of heliports serving single-rotor helicopters, and explains how basic concepts apply to certain other rotor configurations.

When is the use of this advisory circular mandatory?

The AC is not generally mandatory, but it is mandatory for projects funded with federal grant monies through the Airport Improvement Program and for projects with revenue from the Passenger Facility Charge, subject to the terms implying strict compliance.

What major changes were introduced in this version?

Key updates include revising the helicopter overall length term to D-value, adding definitions for static and dynamic load-bearing areas, expanding guidance on larger areas than TLOF, adding turbulence and clearance guidance, updating markings and lights, and including an appendix on Emergency Helicopter Landing Facility Requirements.

Oct 23, 2026

Upload by Ophelia