Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Useful Information Regarding Helicopter Landing Lights

By James Nelson


A helicopter is a special type of airplane that finds no need of a runway for it to take off from the ground or land. This aircraft can take off from the ground without going through horizontal movements first. Therefore, they are able to take off or land on the ground with much ease and speed. A heliport is the name given to the area that is specially designated for use by helicopters to take off and land. This is what Helicopter landing lights are all about.

This area may be on land, water or on top of a structure such as a building. Similarly, the area may be constructed on a water vessel such as a ship or yacht. The term heliport is used to include any facilities and buildings included in the area if there are any. There are other names that are used to refer to heliports, that is, helistop, helideck, and helipad.

It is not only the helicopters that are made to use heliports for landing and takeoff, but also all other kinds of vertical lift platforms such as a drones. There are usually many landing spots and liftoff areas in a typical helistop. Other structures like a fueling station and a hangar may be present as well. There are also customs facilities in some helistops within large towns and cities. The idea of heliports has not been adopted broadly as the aircraft normally produce a lot of noise.

Usually, the orientation of helipads is in any direction although they have definite departure and approach paths. Numbering done in heliports is not similar to that of airports. It is recommended by ICAO and FAA that TLOF must have an H at its center. The orientation of the H should be in the preferred direction of departure and approach.

The helipad is also required to include information in the TLOF area. The information should specify the maximum amount of weight the facility can accommodate. That means that helicopters that land on the area should not exceed this weight. Also, the information box should contain information regarding the largest size of helicopter that can land on the area. Pilots read this information before they land.

It is very important to include lighting in any heliport facility. There are certain aeronautical standards that should be followed when installing lighting in the facility. The TLOF area is usually fitted with perimeter lights. These lights could be installed flush on the TLOF itself. However, they can also be installed on metallic or concrete extensions placed off the perimeter of the TLOF.

It is crucial to avoid incorporating the lighting with an obstruction which could be hit by the helicopter. The FAA requires all lighting systems of heliports not go over two inches over the TLOF or the FATO. Today, industry standards require the lights to be green.

Incandescent lighting used to dominate this industry before LEDs were invented. Today, LEDs are taking over and traditional incandescent lights are being replaced by them. LEDs are preferred because they are cheap and have lower energy consumption. These products have also been determined to be capable of remaining functional for several years compared to traditional lighting. Their durability therefore reduces operation costs for heliports.




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