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Useful Facts About Helipad Lighting

By Jody Leach


Helicopters that are located on the ground are known as surface level helicopters. They are known to use larger space. Typically, a heliport has several helipads. These are smooth and flat areas which are designed for take-off and landing of helicopters. Helipads are located adjacent to conventional airports, though in the lesser used areas. Helipad lighting is essential as it ensures safety of not just pilots but also passengers and personnel working around the heliport.

Beacon lights are used in case pilots have difficulty identifying the heliport. Heliport beacons are supposed to be provided in cases where long-range visual guidance is considered necessary. They should be located next to the heliport, ideally at locations that are elevated so that pilots are not dazzled at short range. The beacon light emits repeated series of white flashes that are equally spaced. The flashes are in the format of the letter H of Morse Code.

Beacon lights show at all angles of azimuth, with the intensity being greater than 2500 Cd. The brilliancy control setting should be 3, 10 and 100 percent. Floodlights in helipads are for the illumination of touch down and the area of lift off. These lights are so located as to avoid glare to pilots or the personnel working around the area. The horizontal luminance should be averagely 10 lux. Floodlights also help in illumination of obstacles. Floodlights for obstacles should have a luminance of at least 10cd/m2.

FATO lights are supposed to be placed at the edges of the FATO (final approach and take-off area). The lights should be steady, white, omnidirectional with an intensity of 100 cd and more. The brilliancy control setting ought to be 10, 30 and 100 percent. They normally are placed along the edges of the FATO at uniform spacing.

The touchdown and lift off areas, TLOF, also needs lighting. This is where TLOF lights come in handy. These are green, steady and omnidirectional. Their intensity has to be 30 candelas and more and are placed at the TLOF edges. A distance of 1.5m is left on the edges. For surface-level helicopters, lights ought to be uniformly placed at intervals that should not exceed 5m. Lights that are rectangular in shape should be 12 in number and the circular ones around 14.

The direction of approach is displayed using approaching lights. These are placed on a straight line on the preferred direction. They are supposed to be steady and omnidirectional. They should be flashing in case the helipad cannot be easily identified because of lots of light around.

Aiming lights come in handy when it comes to approaching particular points before going to the TLOF. They are usually steady, white and omnidirectional. Their intensity is above 100 candelas. Their brilliancy control is similar to other lights.

For the display of the windsock and direction of the wind, windsock lights are used. Heliports are supposed to have at least one indicator of wind direction. The one to be used at night has to be illuminated.




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