Vital Ideas Regarding Lighting For Heliport

By Paul Wood


Without lighting, airports functionality is disrupted. The airport becomes a risky place during the night since the light is needed for landing planes or planes taking off. Therefore without lighting, accidents could be caused like crashing while landing. Runways should be lit by lighting for Heliport. When putting up or fixing lights, there are laid guidelines and rules that ought to be followed be it on rooftops, ground or elevated heliports. There are codes to be also followed when installing illumination systems on helipads to ensure uniformity around the world.

Approach lighting can be used by helicopter pilots during the night or dark hours as a guide to its touchdown. Set ups of regular intervals of 30 meters for three rows of light that are 90 meters away from the takeoff area and 18 meters long crossbar as the last approach perimeter should be made. All these adjustments should be made to facilitate safe landing of helicopter pilots. Held at a right angle to the approach lights, the crossbars holds the light. These lights are spaced by 4.5 meters.

Additional light bulbs can be added beyond the crossbar at intervals of 30m if the final approach needs to be made more visible. The light can either be flashing or steady whichever suits the environment best. The light should be at least 210 meters in length if the approach installation for a non-precision final approach and take off area.

For a ground-level heliport, illumination for the Final approach and Take-Off area must be done on the edges, covering the whole area. On the regular, if the area is constructed in a square or rectangular shape, it should have at the minimum, four lights with a 50 meters spacing so that every corner has a light. For other shapes that the Final Approach and Takeoff may assume, the bulbs must be at least 10 and should have a spacing of 5-meter intervals. The lights, of course, is multidirectional and white color.

Pointing lights are usually a vital tool for a safe landing. They differ from the runway light in the sense that they move up and down to show the pilot the specific section on the ground he or she should direct the plane for safe landing. They are usually installed to achieve a wedge shape usually a minimum of 6 bulbs white in color.

Floodlight and perimeter light bulbs are another part of the installation system which is installed in the touchdown and lift-off area. In case the FATO lights are installed then luminescent panel light bulbs should also be used at a spacing of 3m in elevated ones and for the ground ones a spacing of 5m. Green is the color of these lights, and they can be steady with a minimum of 4 light bulbs each side. If floodlights are to be used then, they are placed at 10m intervals on the floor. The light bulbs must be either at the edge or at a maximum of 1.5m away from the touchdown.

Taxiways and apron aside from runways illumination are also very crucial. They come in color blue, and of course, they too are omnidirectional, and they consume a low transformer voltage of 240 volts.

The ICAO contains the heliport installation codes and rules. The brightness must be adjustable. Depending on the weather, the lights can be adjusted to suit the condition. To also ensure safety in heliports, the lighting should also be done professionally.




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