Aiming at minimizing the departure time of the last helicopter, a mathematical programming model for multiple helicopters in multiple airports was set up to solve the departure time scheduling problem of multiple helicopters. A heuristic algorithm based on task priority was designed to solve the model, a scheme to deal with the airway intersection was put forward and an algorithm to solve the departure time was also established. Basing on the disaster rescue of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Yunnan Ludian, a departure time scheduling case which includes 24 helicopters in 12 airports was designed to validate the model and algorithms. The influence of airway intersection and the treatment measures were deeply discussed. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the model and algorithms in dealing with the scheduling problem of multiple helicopters.