CAP 2538 and UK Vertiport Design: A Developer's Guide
What CAP 2538 and the CAA's vertiport design consultation mean for anyone planning a London vertiport — FATO sizing, obstacle limitation and aerodrome licensing.
CAP 2538 sets out considerations for aerodromes and vertiports planning to operate VTOL aircraft, and the CAA's subsequent design consultation extends that thinking to existing licensed aerodromes.
The design envelope
Guidance is framed around the aircraft's controlling dimension: final approach and take-off area sizing, safety area margins, obstacle limitation surfaces and the funnels that determine whether an urban rooftop is viable at all.
Where London sites succeed or fail
Riverside and dockside locations tend to clear obstacle surfaces easily. Rooftop sites in the City and Canary Wharf are constrained less by structure than by approach geometry and downwash over occupied space.
Sources & further reading
- UK CAA — CAP 2538: Considerations for aerodromes and vertiports operating VTOL aircraft
- UK CAA — Vertiport design proposal for existing aerodromes (consultation)
- UK CAA — eVTOL operations a step closer in the UK
- EASA — Rotorcraft & VTOL domain hub
- Aviation Week — eVTOL vertiport template gaining international traction