Officials, Chase Clarify Rumor About Possible Helicopter Landing Site on Avon Mountain

West Hartford town officials and a homeowner are putting rumors to bed about a possible helicopter launch pad being built on an Avon Mountain property at present.

West Hartford resident Arnold Chase said he has no formal plans to build one at his 123-acre Albany Avenue property – of which about 35 acres, including a pond, are located along Deercliff Road in Avon. But he did say that LifeStar approached him asking if he would let them land on his property.

"This would allow anyone in the Deercliff Road or Route 44 areas to access LifeStar in those emergency situations,” Chase said.

Chase said that LifeStar approached him about using his property as a landing site about two years ago because medians added on Route 44 as part of the Avon Mountain construction prevented LifeStar from making emergency landings on the state road. If LifeStar could land on his property, he said it would provide more access to the area during hurricanes or ice storms when it's tough to access them otherwise.

While Chase ponders the steps to take to get the proper permissions for LifeStar, he also has had a conversation with Connecticut State Police about the possibility of letting them land there in the event a search arises for a lost person in the woods.

If allowed, Chase said the helicopter landing site would not be for personal use.

“I don’t have a helicopter license or a helicopter," Chase said.

West Hartford does not have regulations that allow emergency landings via helicopter on a homeowner's property, Chase said.

“The assumption is I can’t see anyone opposing it because we’re talking about saving someone’s life," Chase said.

As he nears completion of final grading on his property and putting down top soil to prepare for planting grass, Chase is thinking ahead and revisiting the LifeStar landing site idea. While the projects are unrelated, the lawn needs to be completed for a landing site to be possible, he confirmed.

Deputy Corporation Counsel Pat Alair, a town attorney for West Hartford, said Tuesday that Chase has approached town officials about the idea before. In fact, he said that Chase called him about it on Monday.

“Mr. Chase has talked off and on talked about wanting to be able to have LifeStar land on his property as a result of the accidents on Avon Mountain," Alair said. "We have told him that would probably require an ordinance amendment."

That would require West Hartford Town Council approval, Alair said. He confirmed that Alair has not submitted any applications for a launch site or ordinance amendement at this time.

That's what Alair said the town told Chase in 2010. He's asking West Hartford officials to revisit the options.

"He knows that he can't, right now, land helicopters there," Alair said.

When asked about his timeline for pursuing the possibility of allowing LifeStar to land on his property, Chase said, “It’s totally up to West Hartford."