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Kamis, 06 Juni 2019

Useful And Essential Facts About Lights For Heliport

By Walter Bell


Travel by air has for a long time been considered the safety mode of transport. However, achieving such a level of safety takes a lot of consideration and planning. Every aspect of the flight beginning with takeoff to landing has to be planned carefully. There are several standards that have been enacted to ensure that safety is achieved and maintained at all times. Here are facts regarding Lights for heliport.

In the US, a government agency known as the FAA is responsible for introducing and enforcing standards in the industry of aviation. Helicopters are special types of aircrafts that lack fixed wings like other aircraft. Rather, they are able to take off and land vertically using propellers that make part of their design. A runway is not necessary for horizontal movement before touchdown and takeoff.

This ability enables the landing and takeoff of helicopters from any platform that has enough size to accommodate them. For instance, landing and taking off can happen on watercrafts, battlefields, buildings and aircrafts among other platforms. However, to be able to do this, the intended area for landing and taking off should be uniquely demarcated for this function.

The area that is demarcated specifically for helicopters to land and take off is normally known as a heliport or a helipad. Usually, the area is demarcated in a circular manner with a capitalized letter H at the center. It is a necessity for a heliport to have a minimum of one touchdown and liftoff area. This area is abbreviated as TLOF according to aviation standards. The TLOF area is placed at the middle of the Takeoff and Final Approach area which is abbreviated as FATO.

A safety perimeter area usually accompanies the FATO and TLOF areas. It is mandatory to have at least two or more paths for approach and departure. The area of the TLOF must be same as or exceed the diameter of the propeller of the largest helicopter that is required to land on the helipad. The FATO ought to be a minimal of 1.5 times longer that the length of a helicopter.

The TLOF, FATO, and safety peripheral area must be lit adequately and suitably for them to be visible to the pilot as they approach or leave the helipad. Lighting is mandatory during nighttime. The lighting should be placed on taxiways, FATO, taxi routes, windsock, and the TLOF. Other useful visual aids that are needed include landing direction lights, floodlights, heliport identification beacon, heliport approach path indicator, and taxiway lights.

The perimeter of the TLOF should be defined with flush green lights that meet the standards defined by the FAA. In case the TLOF area is shaped like a square or a rectangle, each side must contain a minimum of four light fixtures. Each corner must have a light and the lights placed between the corner lights must be spaced uniformly.

If the TLOF is shaped like a circle, then there should be a minimum of eight uniformly spaced light fixtures defining it. The same lighting used in the TLOF area should also be used in the FATO area. The lights must be colored green and have a candela similar to that of the TLOF area.




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