Landing at a private site

Hotels, estates and racecourses are common landing places. They all depend on the same chain: landowner permission, the CAA's off-airfield procedures, the pilot and the operator.

The rules in brief

• 1 Nov 2024, quoting Rules of the Air Regulations 2015 r5(1)): an aircraft must not take off or land within a congested area of any city, town or settlement except at an aerodrome in accordance with CAA-notified procedures, or at a non-aerodrome landing site in accordance with CAA permission. Congested area defined (ANO 2016 Sch 1) as any area substantially used for residential, commercial or recreational purposes.
• must not land/take off within 1,000 m of an organised open-air assembly of more than 1,000 persons except at an aerodrome per CAA procedures, or at a non-aerodrome site per CAA procedures AND with the written permission of the organiser. Relevant to racecourses, circuits and festivals.
• CAA recognises estimated sites (non-congested, by day only), measured and surveyed sites; congested-area sites are day only and need helicopters operating to Performance Class 1; night off-airfield use has limited regulation.
• gov.uk, GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Part 4 Class B): use of any land for any purpose for not more than 28 days in total in any calendar year is permitted development, of which not more than 14 days for markets or motor car/motorcycle racing; not permitted if the land is a building or within its curtilage, or for camping (except festivals) etc. The page text does not mention aircraft or helicopters.
• every helicopter flight in the London and London City CTRs needs ATC clearance.
• Noise: no UK statute reviewed here sets a private-site helicopter noise limit; individual sites set conditions (e.g. Brands Hatch: avoid overflying West Kingsdown, steep approaches).