Tsukuba Heliport Explained

Tsukuba Heliport
Nativename:つくばヘリポート
Type:Public
Operator:Government of Ibaraki Prefecture
City-Served:Tsukuba
Location:Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture
Elevation-M:8
Coordinates:36.1175°N 140.1311°W
Pushpin Map:Japan
Pushpin Label:Tsukuba Helipad
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Japan
Metric-Rwy:yes
H1-Number:H1
H1-Length-F:115 × 98
H1-Length-M:35× 30
H1-Surface:Asphalt concrete

is a heliport in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. It is operated by Japan Airport Consultants Co., Ltd. under the management of the prefectural government.

History

The survey was started in 1988 as the first step to improve the empty public transportation infrastructure in Ibaraki Prefecture, and the construction of the Tsukuba Heliport was started in 1990. It was opened on July 23, 1991.[1] The construction cost at the time of opening the port is about 780 million yen.[2] At the time of formulating the opening plan, heliport construction was formulated together with the Mito area, but due to problems such as securing land, Tsukuba City was prioritized, and as a result, the Mito area was included in the Hyakuri Airfield Private Sharing Plan.

Facilities

Tsukuba Heliport is the first heliport in Ibaraki Prefecture for public use on the northeastern border of Tsukuba, and is located to connect the flight time to Tokyo in about 20 minutes.[3] In addition to administrative applications such as disaster prevention and police, personnel transportation of private operators, aerial photography, pesticide spraying bases, training machines from nearby heliports such as Moriya and Shimotsuma and news helicopters. It is used as a landing site for helicopters for repairing antenna bases.[4] Operating hours are from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. However, takeoff and landing are not possible after sunset.

The facility has a runway with a length of 35m (115feet) and a width of 30m (100feet) and berths for large and small aircraft in a site area of approximately 3.1 hectares, and the runway has a maximum takeoff strength of 9 tons. A helicopter with a total length of 26m (85feet) or less can take off and land.[3] In addition, a terminal building with a pilot rest facility and a passenger waiting area, and a hangar for four helicopters is also installed on the same site.[3]

Notes and References

  1. 市長公室広報課 編(2013):9ページ
  2. 出典:1991年7月24日付朝刊 日本経済新聞
  3. 「飛行20分、東京と直結」つくばヘリポート『Ibaraki Shimbun』、Published on January 3, 1992, 3 pages.
  4. 本書店レポート部 編(2005):25ページ