Thursday, November 15, 2018

Essential Facts About 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.

The heliport can be located on top of structures like a building or on a water body or land. They can also be situated on water vessels like a yacht or a ship. Buildings and other facilities within the heliport can also be considered to be part of it. Helistop, helideck and helipad are alternate names for heliports.

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.

The industry was dominated by incandescent lighting before the LEDs were adopted. Nowadays the LEDs are becoming dominant and replacing the traditional incandescent lights. The LEDs are preferable because of their affordability and low consumption of energy. The LEDs have a longer life in comparison to traditional lighting. Because of this, the operating cost of helistop is reduced.




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