Air traveling has so far been considered as the safest method of transport. However, attaining that level of safety needs a lot of planning and consideration. Each and every aspect that is involved in the flight has to be carefully planned starting from takeoff to landing. Several standards have been enacted to ensure the achievement and maintenance of safety in all situations. This is what Lights for heliport are all about.
The FAA is the government body in the United States that is tasked with introduction and also enforcement of laws in the aviation industry. Helicopters are special aircrafts with no fixed wings. Helicopters are able to land and take off using their rotors. The propellers enable them to take off and land without the need of runways.
This ability allow helicopters to land and takeoff from any platform that is large enough to accommodate them. For instance, they can land and take off from watercrafts, buildings, battlefields, and other aircraft among other platforms. However, in order to do that, the area where they land and takeoff from must be demarcated in a special way for this very purpose.
The demarcated area where helicopters land is usually referred to as a helipad or heliport. It is usually designed in the form of a circle, with a capital letter H in the middle. According to standards, a heliport is required to have at least a single touchdown and liftoff area, also abbreviated as TLOF. The TLOF area is usually centered in the Final Approach and Takeoff area, abbreviated 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 safety peripheral areas, the TLOF and FATO should be sufficiently and properly lit so that they are visible to the pilot when they advance or leave from the helipad. It is a must that lights remain on during night time. Lighting fixtures should be installed in FATO area, windsock, taxiways and TLOF area. Visual aids such as flood lights, taxiway lights, heliport identification beacon, landing direction light and heliport approach path indicator are important in aiding the landing process.
The periphery around the TLOF must be demarcated with flush green lights that comply with standards set by FAA. If the TLOF is shaped like a square or rectangle, the sides should have at least four light fittings. All the corners should also have lights. The lights that are placed in between corner lights should be evenly 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.
The FAA is the government body in the United States that is tasked with introduction and also enforcement of laws in the aviation industry. Helicopters are special aircrafts with no fixed wings. Helicopters are able to land and take off using their rotors. The propellers enable them to take off and land without the need of runways.
This ability allow helicopters to land and takeoff from any platform that is large enough to accommodate them. For instance, they can land and take off from watercrafts, buildings, battlefields, and other aircraft among other platforms. However, in order to do that, the area where they land and takeoff from must be demarcated in a special way for this very purpose.
The demarcated area where helicopters land is usually referred to as a helipad or heliport. It is usually designed in the form of a circle, with a capital letter H in the middle. According to standards, a heliport is required to have at least a single touchdown and liftoff area, also abbreviated as TLOF. The TLOF area is usually centered in the Final Approach and Takeoff area, abbreviated 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 safety peripheral areas, the TLOF and FATO should be sufficiently and properly lit so that they are visible to the pilot when they advance or leave from the helipad. It is a must that lights remain on during night time. Lighting fixtures should be installed in FATO area, windsock, taxiways and TLOF area. Visual aids such as flood lights, taxiway lights, heliport identification beacon, landing direction light and heliport approach path indicator are important in aiding the landing process.
The periphery around the TLOF must be demarcated with flush green lights that comply with standards set by FAA. If the TLOF is shaped like a square or rectangle, the sides should have at least four light fittings. All the corners should also have lights. The lights that are placed in between corner lights should be evenly 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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