List of heliports in Washington, D.C.

Helicopters at Bolling Air Force Base

Heliports in Washington, D.C. include 16 heliports within the district^[1] and, as of 2002, 32 more in the metro area.^[2] Of this total 22 belong to hospitals, 12 to other corporations or private owners, 10 government, three military, and one public.^[2]

The White House does not have its own heliport, but uses the South Lawn, with portable communications equipment brought out for Marine One arrivals and departures.^[3]

Heliports in D.C.

Name[1]	Owner / Operator[1]	Active	Coordinates[1]
Bolling Air Force Base	United States Air Force		38°50′34″N 77°00′58″W / 38.842891°N 77.016087°W
Children's National Medical Center	Children's National Medical Center		38°55′38″N 77°50′55″W / 38.927333°N 77.848567°W
Georgetown University Hospital	Georgetown University Hospital		38°54′41″N 77°04′35″W / 38.911500°N 77.076367°W
Metropolitan Complex (50 Florida Avenue NE)			38°54′37″N 77°00′26″W / 38.910389°N 77.007198°W
Metropolitan Police Department 2nd District	Metropolitan Police Department		38°56′04″N 77°04′28″W / 38.934555°N 77.074422°W
Metropolitan Police Department 3rd District	Metropolitan Police Department		38°55′01″N 77°02′11″W / 38.917056°N 77.036366°W
Metropolitan Police Department 5th District	Metropolitan Police Department		38°54′54″N 76°58′24″W / 38.915111°N 76.973308°W
National Presbyterian Church / WRC-TV (NBC)	WRC-TV (NBC)		38°56′31″N 77°04′48″W / 38.942055°N 77.079978°W
Sibley Memorial Hospital	Sibley Memorial Hospital		38°56′20″N 77°06′50″W / 38.938889°N 77.113889°W
South Capitol Street Heliport	Steuart Investment Company / Air Pegasus of DC (former)[4] / Metropolitan Police Department[5]	Yes - Metropolitan Police Department only, others on case-by-case basis[5]	38°52′07″N 77°00′27″W / 38.868723°N 77.007476°W
Spirit of Washington / Pier 4 / Police Harbor Patrol Branch[6] - Water St SW			38°52′27″N 77°01′17″W / 38.874279°N 77.021366°W
Steuart Office Pad (5454 Wisconsin Avenue NW)			38°57′30″N 77°05′19″W / 38.958444°N 77.088589°W
US Park Police Eagle's Nest	National Park Service		38°51′59″N 76°59′34″W / 38.866501°N 76.992753°W
Walter Reed Emergency	Walter Reed Army Medical Center		38°58′40″N 77°01′39″W / 38.977888°N 77.027477°W
Washington Post Building	The Washington Post	No[7]	38°54′15″N 77°02′04″W / 38.904278°N 77.034421°W
Washington Hospital Center	Washington Hospital Center		38°55′44″N 77°01′00″W / 38.928861°N 77.016639°W

South Capitol Street Heliport

Until 1996, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPDC) operated eight helicopters, including three MD-500s and five Bell OH-58s.^[8] The MPDC had heliports in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th police districts.^[1] The helicopters were sold after budget cuts; the MPDC used National Park Service helicopters as needed. In 2001, the MPDC obtained a new Eurocopter AS350,^[8] and flies it from the South Capitol Street Heliport at Buzzard Point.^[9]

From 1998 until the September 11 attacks, Air Pegasus operated helicopter sightseeing and other transportation services out of the South Capitol Street Heliport, but the federal government has not allowed it to resume operations due to security concerns.^[10][11][4] WTTG Fox-5 also used the heliport from 1999 to 2001, then moved its operations elsewhere.^[9] On November 10, 2010, District of Columbia Congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton asked the TSA to allow the South Capitol Street Heliport to reopen for non-governmental use.^[10]

Inactive heliports

The heliport atop the Washington Post building on 15th Street NW was last used in 1975, when newspaper owners transported printing plates out during an employee strike to have newspapers printed elsewhere.^[7]

References

1. "Airport Facilities Data". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
2. Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (November 2004). "Regional Helicopter System Plan Draft Final Report" (Microsoft Word). Arlington County Civic Federation. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
3. Patterson, Bradley Hawkes (2008). To Serve the President: Continuity and Innovation in the White House Staff. Brookings Institution Press. p. 377. ISBN 0-8157-6954-7.
4. "Air Pegasus of DC Inc v. United States". Open Jurist. 2005-09-21. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
5. "South Capitol Gateway Corridor and Anacostia Access Study". District Department of Transportation. pp. 2–17. |chapter= ignored (help)
6. Wiener, Elizabeth (1992-01-23). "Helipad Plans Face Neighborhood Turbulence; Police Consider Sites To Land During Chases". The Washington Post.
7. Kelly, John (2006-03-19). "Answer Man Wonders Where The Whirlybirds Have Gone". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
8. Stephens, Ernie (2004-07-01). "The $1.5 Million Police Car". Rotor & Wing Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
9. "Future bleak for public-use heliport". The Washington Times. 2002-06-10. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
10. Banks, Kathy (2010-11-10). "Support for D.C. Heliport Takes Off". NBC4. Retrieved 2010-12-11.
11. Lowe, Paul (2002-04-01). "Security curbs ops at D.C. heliport". Aviation International News. Retrieved 2010-05-29.

Further reading

• Edwards and Kelcey, Inc. (November 2003). "Regional Helicopter System Plan" (PDF). Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
• Levine, Samantha (2000-11-03). "Hell-icopters - Chopper noise gets residents all twirled up". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
• Henderson, Neil (1987-08-30). "Helicopters Chopping Through Crowded Skies". The Washington Post.

External links

• Potomac River Rescue Association