Useful And Essential Facts About Helicopter Landing Lights

By Stephanie Howard


For operations at a heliport to move smoothly and safely, there must be a way for pilots to communicate with people on the ground. Pilots also need to receive directions/instructions from the heliport regarding how to land and take off. The instructions are conveyed in the form of lights. Different lights pass different kinds of messages to pilots regarding how to land and take off from a helipad. Here are facts regarding Helicopter landing lights.

One important lighting fixture that is installed on helipads is the light beacon HP-50/A. This light beacon is usually designed in the form of white flashing light that is used as a distance visual guidance. The beacon is used in situations where ambient light in the location is making it hard for the pilot to see the helipad. The FAA requires every helipad to have a minimum of one light beacon.

The installation of the light beacon should be done above or close to the helipad. Installing the beacon in an elevated location is more preferable. Light from the beacon should not cause glare to the pilot when they are nearing the helipad to land or to take off. The material used to make the lamp should have excellent impact resistance. Its level of transparency should be high as well as the level of transparency.

Apart from the beacon light, the other vital lighting fixture is the approach light. Normally, it produces white flashing light. The light is used to guide the approach of the helicopter as it lands on the helipad. The light is important as it aids the pilot to see the direction of approach. The fixtures can be installed in the outer region of the heliport in one-way or two-way installation. In each group, there must be 5 lighting fixtures of this kind.

Another important light fixture on a helipad is the upright perimeter light. It is customarily set up in an upright position to produce a constant green upright light. Green light is emitted in all directions at night and during the day and with low visibility. The low visibility is necessary to indicate the landing and take off perimeters for the pilot.

The perimeter light shows the pilot which part of the helipad is safe to land on. Landing outside the perimeter lights can be dangerous to both the aircraft and people or buildings in the area. The area outside the perimeter of the helipad is usually not lit, which means that the pilot will have no visibility at all if they decide to land there. The lamp should be able to remain functional in harsh environments.

All light fixtures that are used in heliports should have high service temperature so that they do not malfunction when they are most needed. Low service temperature may also cause the lamps to fail to often, which may raise the maintenance cost of the helipad. The lamps should also be made out of material that offers good aging resistance and a good flammability rating.

The FAA strictly regulates the kind of lighting features that can be used at heliports across the country. The lights usually remain on most of the duration they are in use. As such, it is important that they have a low level of power consumption. They must also be very efficient, with a long lifespan.




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