Sabtu, 17 November 2018

Useful Information Regarding Helicopter Landing Lights

By James Nelson


Helicopters are a special kind of aircraft that does not need a runway in order to land or takeoff from the ground. The aircraft can lift itself up from a landing position without having to go through horizontal movement first. As such, they can land and takeoff from locations with much speed and ease. An area that is specifically designated for the use by helicopters to land and takeoff are referred to as heliports. This is worth knowing about Helicopter landing lights.

Heliports might be on top of a structure like a building, on land, or water. Also, the heliport might be built on water vessels like yachts or ships. The word heliport is used in reference to any building or facility included in the location if any exists. Other terms used in reference to heliports include helipad, helideck, and helistop.

Besides helicopters, other vertical lift platforms such as drones can use heliports for takeoff and landing. A typical helipad with contain one or several liftoff and touchdown areas. It may also contain other facilities such as hangars and fuel stations. Customs facilities are also included in a heliport in cities and large towns. Helicopters make a lot of noise, a factor that has restricted the widespread adoption of heliports.

Helipads are usually oriented in any direction, but they have definitive approach and departure paths. The numbering in these facilities is not done in the same way it is done at airports. According to the recommendations of FAA and ICAO, the TLOF should have an H at the center. The H should be oriented in the preferred approach/departure direction.

It is also required for helipads to have information included in the TLOF location. The maximum amount of weight that can be accommodated by the facility should be included in the information. This means that this weight should not be exceeded by helicopters that land on the facility. The box of information should also have information about the biggest helicopter that is allowed to land on the location included. Before landing, pilots read this information.

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 very important that the lighting should not constitute an obstruction with which the helicopter may collide. To avoid such collisions, the FAA requires all helipad lighting systems not to extend two inches above the FATO or TLOF. Currently, the lights are required to be green as an industry standard.

Before the invention of LEDs, incandescent lights were dominant in this industry. Currently, LEDs are dominating as the initial incandescent lights are being replaced. The reason why LEDs are preferred is because they have lower energy consumption and are cheap too. Also, LEDs have been proven to be able to remain functional for longer than incandescent lighting. The operation cost of heliports is reduced by their durability.




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