Thursday, May 23, 2019

Useful Information Regarding Helicopter Landing Lights

By Stephanie Howard


For operations at a heliport to move smoothly and safely, there must be a way for pilots to communicate with people on the ground. Pilots also need to receive directions/instructions from the heliport regarding how to land and take off. The instructions are conveyed in the form of lights. Different lights pass different kinds of messages to pilots regarding how to land and take off from a helipad. Here are facts regarding Helicopter landing lights.

One important lighting fixture that is installed on helipads is the light beacon HP-50/A. This light beacon is usually designed in the form of white flashing light that is used as a distance visual guidance. The beacon is used in situations where ambient light in the location is making it hard for the pilot to see the helipad. The FAA requires every helipad to have a minimum of one light beacon.

The installation of the light beacon should be done above or close to the helipad. Installing the beacon in an elevated location is more preferable. Light from the beacon should not cause glare to the pilot when they are nearing the helipad to land or to take off. The material used to make the lamp should have excellent impact resistance. Its level of transparency should be high as well as the level of transparency.

One more vital light fixture apart from the beacon light is an approach light. This is normally a white sequence flashing light. The light is employed as a guidance for approach when helicopters are landing at a helipad. The pilot relies on this light to instruct them on the direction of approach. These fixtures can be situated outside the circumference of the heliport in one-way or two-way installations. The lights should be five in every group.

Upright perimeter light is another very important lighting fixture in any helipad. This lamp is usually installed to be upright and to emit constant green upright light. The green light emitted is usually omni-directional during both day and night, with low visibility. The low visibility light is meant to show the pilot the perimeter of the land and take off area.

The pilot knows which side is safe to land with the help of perimeter lights. It is dangerous to the plane, building, and people around the heliport area if the pilot lands outside the perimeter lights. The area surrounding the perimeter is normally not lit, and as such, it has no visibility for the pilot to land there. These lamps ought to remain functional in harsh environments

All light fixtures that are used in heliports should have high service temperature so that they do not malfunction when they are most needed. Low service temperature may also cause the lamps to fail to often, which may raise the maintenance cost of the helipad. The lamps should also be made out of material that offers good aging resistance and a good flammability rating.

The FAA strictly regulates the kind of lighting features that can be used at heliports across the country. The lights usually remain on most of the duration they are in use. As such, it is important that they have a low level of power consumption. They must also be very efficient, with a long lifespan.




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