Narrative:

I was on a flight in the boston TCA, landing at the nashua street helipad. The controller was one of the local controllers, rather than the dedicated skyway controller, thus his frequency was extremely busy. Because there is no radio coverage on the ground at the nashua street helipad, I always inform the controller of my plans while I'm on final to the helipad. I did that this day, telling the controller that I planned on a wbound departure via the fresh pond route. He acknowledged my transmission, although he did not tell me to call him when airborne, which is standard procedure because of the lack of communications when on the ground at nashua street. After takeoff, I called him when I was about 50 ft off the ground. He answered 'stand by'. I kept climbing wbound, and about a min later he called me. When he realized I was already airborne, he got upset, informed me that I should have called from the ground before departing, and that I was 'not' cleared to operate in the TCA. I informed him that I had tried to call on the ground without success, and had called him when airborne. He told me to visually acquire an aircraft, and after I assured him I had the aircraft in sight, he cleared me to operate outbound on the fresh pond route. The rest of the flight was normal. The things which I think contributed to this problem was: 1) I was used to the controller telling me to call him when airborne, and used this procedure even when the controller didn't specify it. 2) the controller (or FAA) expects the pilot to call from the ground when they know very well that there is no radio coverage on the ground at that helipad. If they want pilots to call before airborne, they should remote a transceiver capable of coverage in that area. In the future, if I can't raise the controller before 100 ft, I'll return to the helipad and try again, rather than continue flight without a clearance. Meanwhile, I suggest that the FAA standardize procedure for dealing with this helipad so that misunderstandings like this don't occur.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HELI TOOK OFF FROM DOWNTOWN HELI PAD. UNABLE TO CONTACT TWR ON GND. IN AIR TWR SAID STAND BY. PLT CONTINUED CLB AND BECAME TFC FOR A COMMUTER.

Narrative: I WAS ON A FLT IN THE BOSTON TCA, LNDG AT THE NASHUA STREET HELIPAD. THE CTLR WAS ONE OF THE LCL CTLRS, RATHER THAN THE DEDICATED SKYWAY CTLR, THUS HIS FREQ WAS EXTREMELY BUSY. BECAUSE THERE IS NO RADIO COVERAGE ON THE GND AT THE NASHUA STREET HELIPAD, I ALWAYS INFORM THE CTLR OF MY PLANS WHILE I'M ON FINAL TO THE HELIPAD. I DID THAT THIS DAY, TELLING THE CTLR THAT I PLANNED ON A WBOUND DEP VIA THE FRESH POND RTE. HE ACKNOWLEDGED MY XMISSION, ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT TELL ME TO CALL HIM WHEN AIRBORNE, WHICH IS STANDARD PROC BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF COMS WHEN ON THE GND AT NASHUA STREET. AFTER TKOF, I CALLED HIM WHEN I WAS ABOUT 50 FT OFF THE GND. HE ANSWERED 'STAND BY'. I KEPT CLBING WBOUND, AND ABOUT A MIN LATER HE CALLED ME. WHEN HE REALIZED I WAS ALREADY AIRBORNE, HE GOT UPSET, INFORMED ME THAT I SHOULD HAVE CALLED FROM THE GND BEFORE DEPARTING, AND THAT I WAS 'NOT' CLRED TO OPERATE IN THE TCA. I INFORMED HIM THAT I HAD TRIED TO CALL ON THE GND WITHOUT SUCCESS, AND HAD CALLED HIM WHEN AIRBORNE. HE TOLD ME TO VISUALLY ACQUIRE AN ACFT, AND AFTER I ASSURED HIM I HAD THE ACFT IN SIGHT, HE CLRED ME TO OPERATE OUTBOUND ON THE FRESH POND RTE. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS NORMAL. THE THINGS WHICH I THINK CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PROBLEM WAS: 1) I WAS USED TO THE CTLR TELLING ME TO CALL HIM WHEN AIRBORNE, AND USED THIS PROC EVEN WHEN THE CTLR DIDN'T SPECIFY IT. 2) THE CTLR (OR FAA) EXPECTS THE PLT TO CALL FROM THE GND WHEN THEY KNOW VERY WELL THAT THERE IS NO RADIO COVERAGE ON THE GND AT THAT HELIPAD. IF THEY WANT PLTS TO CALL BEFORE AIRBORNE, THEY SHOULD REMOTE A TRANSCEIVER CAPABLE OF COVERAGE IN THAT AREA. IN THE FUTURE, IF I CAN'T RAISE THE CTLR BEFORE 100 FT, I'LL RETURN TO THE HELIPAD AND TRY AGAIN, RATHER THAN CONTINUE FLT WITHOUT A CLRNC. MEANWHILE, I SUGGEST THAT THE FAA STANDARDIZE PROC FOR DEALING WITH THIS HELIPAD SO THAT MISUNDERSTANDINGS LIKE THIS DON'T OCCUR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.