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lundi 20 mai 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.

The light beacon HP-50/A is an important lighting fixture which is installed on heliports. The beacon is a white flashing light which functions as a system for distance visual guidance. The purpose of the beacon is to enable the pilot to view the helipad in locations where ambient light is not enough. The FAA stipulates that every helipad should have at least 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.

Apart from the beacon light, the other vital lighting fixture is the approach light. Normally, it produces white flashing light. The light is used to guide the approach of the helicopter as it lands on the helipad. The light is important as it aids the pilot to see the direction of approach. The fixtures can be installed in the outer region of the heliport in one-way or two-way installation. In each group, there must be 5 lighting fixtures of this kind.

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 perimeter light indicates the safe area in which the pilot can land. Landing outside these lights can be hazardous to the aircraft, people, and buildings around. The area past the perimeter of the helicopter is normally not lit, which means that should the pilot land there, there would be no visibility at all. These lamps should be able to maintain their functionality in harsh environments.

The lighting fixtures used in heliports must have high service temperatures to avoid inconveniences in case they malfunction when they are needed the most. In case they have low service temperatures, they may fail most of the time which may in turn increase the maintenance cost of the heliport. In addition, the lamps should have good flammability rating and aging resistance.

The FAA has strict regulations concerning the type of lighting fixtures that can be used at heliports countywide. The lights are mostly kept on the entire duration of their use. Therefore, it is vital that they have low power consumption. They also must be long lasting and efficient.




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