This new approval has been introduced to increase the number of available and accessible alternates within the available fuel range.
Compared to the standard regulation, this special approval gives us better operational benefits, including:
- Reduced minimum visibility to 300m. The usual requirement is 550 meters, so the special approval offers a significant reduction.
- With the use of the Instrument Landing System (ILS), we can now descend to 150 feet. If the airport has the capability to use Low Visibility Procedures (LVP), then we are authorised to descend to 130 feet. This is a significant difference from the usual minimum descent altitude on an ILS, which is typically 200 feet.
- Lower weather requirements for alternate airfields when the weather is marginal at our destination. This offers us a substantial improvement in the number of operational days and a better payload for our clients. The weather requirements for alternate airfields are reduced from a 1000-meter visibility to a 600-meter visibility, and the cloud ceiling is reduced from 400 feet to 300 feet.
To obtain this approval, NHV Denmark needed to operate a helicopter with a 4-axis autopilot featuring automatic level-off capabilities, a feature present in all H 175 helicopters. Additionally, the crew needed to undergo theoretical and practical simulator training to meet the approval requirements. All our pilots have completed this training during the most recent training sessions in the simulator in Marseilles.