Air travel has been considered for a long time as the safest means of transport. In order to reach this kind of safety, a lot of thought and planning is necessary. All the aspects of the flight are to be planned cautiously from taking off to landing. Many standards have been set in order to realize the safety and ensure that it is sustained always. This is worth knowing about Lights for heliport.
In the United States, the FAA is the government agency that is concerned with the introduction and enforcement of standards in the aviation industry. Helicopters are a special of aircraft that do not have fixed wings. Instead, they have a propeller that allows them to land and takeoff vertically. They do not need a runway for horizontal movement before takeoff and touchdown.
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.
A designated space for helicopters to land is normally called a heliport or a helipad. Normally, it is made in a circular shape with a capital letter H drawn at the center. The set standards require that a heliport should have a minimum of one touchdown and liftoff area which is shortened as TLOF. The TLOF is normally centered in the Final Approach and Take Off area, shortened as FATO.
A peripheral safety area usually accompanies TLOF and FATO areas. There should be at least two or more paths of departure and approach. The longest of the TLOF region should be equal to the rotor diameter or more of the biggest helicopter that is anticipated to use the heliport. On the contrary, the length of the FATO should have a length of at least 1.5 times that of the 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.
As defined by the standards of the FAA, the TLOF perimeter should have flush green lights to define them. If the TLOF area has a square or a rectangle like shape, there should be at least four light fixtures on each side. There must be corner lights on each corner and those put between them must be uniformly spaced.
In case the TLOF is circular in shape, it should be defined using at least eight light fixtures. The fixtures should be spaced uniformly too. The FATO area should also be defined using the same lights as the ones used in the TLOF area. The lights should be green in color and they must have the same candela as the ones used in the TLOF area.
In the United States, the FAA is the government agency that is concerned with the introduction and enforcement of standards in the aviation industry. Helicopters are a special of aircraft that do not have fixed wings. Instead, they have a propeller that allows them to land and takeoff vertically. They do not need a runway for horizontal movement before takeoff and touchdown.
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.
A designated space for helicopters to land is normally called a heliport or a helipad. Normally, it is made in a circular shape with a capital letter H drawn at the center. The set standards require that a heliport should have a minimum of one touchdown and liftoff area which is shortened as TLOF. The TLOF is normally centered in the Final Approach and Take Off area, shortened as FATO.
A peripheral safety area usually accompanies TLOF and FATO areas. There should be at least two or more paths of departure and approach. The longest of the TLOF region should be equal to the rotor diameter or more of the biggest helicopter that is anticipated to use the heliport. On the contrary, the length of the FATO should have a length of at least 1.5 times that of the 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.
As defined by the standards of the FAA, the TLOF perimeter should have flush green lights to define them. If the TLOF area has a square or a rectangle like shape, there should be at least four light fixtures on each side. There must be corner lights on each corner and those put between them must be uniformly spaced.
In case the TLOF is circular in shape, it should be defined using at least eight light fixtures. The fixtures should be spaced uniformly too. The FATO area should also be defined using the same lights as the ones used in the TLOF area. The lights should be green in color and they must have the same candela as the ones used in the TLOF area.
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