A heliport can consist of several application to aid the safe landing and take-off of aircraft.
One of the applications is a final approach and take off area (FATO) which surrounds the Touchdown and Lift-Off (TLOF) zone. The relationship in design between the FATO to the TLOF and the Safety Area can be found in several FAA / CAA publications.
The size of a FATO is dependent on the type of helicopter that will use the pad. Commonly, the FATO should be square or rectangular in shape and the minimum length of which should be the rotor diameter multiplied by a factor of 2 but suggested not to be less than 60 meters.
From a lighting perspective, white lights should be used to define the FATO edge, with a minimum of 4 light fixtures per side of the square or rectangle, with a light being installed at each corner of the FATO area. The lights along each edge should be uniformly spaced but the distance between each fixture should next exceed 50 meters. The light fixtures used to illuminate the edge can be either of the inset or elevated type.