Obstruction Lighting Is An Essential Part Of Preventing Aviation Collisions

By Cornelia White


Aviation obstruction lighting initially made an appearance on large structures of assorted kinds in the 1930s. Because of the advent of regular night time flights, it soon came to be a total necessity. In an effort to protect essential equipment, ground personnel and the lives of pilots, warning programs were put in place. Subsequently, enforcement regulations, effective methods and strict rules will continue to be created to assure the protection of everyone concerned.

Essentially, obstruction illumination simply involves signal lights to deter collisions between planes and numerous objects on the earth. For instance, television, cell phone and radio towers are intended to be more noticeable through the employment of devices that produce high-intensity illumination. While these illumination systems are most prominent when used during the night, they will also be utilized on many taller structures throughout the daytime too.

While people on the ground may normally not give it much thought, there are a multitude of hazardous objects that pilots must contend with on a daily basis. In addition to communications towers, there are various other objects that need to be avoided including overly tall buildings, industrial chimney smokestacks and wind turbines. Even some smaller structures require lights when near airports where airplanes fly very low.

Most of the standards for usage are established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. For the most part, their policies are recognized in most countries around the world. By having a system of uniform regulations, it is much easier to prevent dangerous collisions, enforce compliance and protect public safety. By adopting the same sets of rules internationally, the possibility of confusion is greatly reduced.

For decades, various light systems have been engineered. The systems used will vary substantially, based on every different individual purpose. Quite a few obstacles will demand one lone beacon lamp. It commonly is recommended for bigger hazards to be outfitted with a number of lights situated in precise layouts. Many times, a pilot can ascertain the individual type, together with the height, of a harmful object.

These signal beacon devices can be powered by a multitude of light sources. In the past few years, LED technologies have been applied widely throughout the aviation warning industry. Nevertheless, some facilities still depend on lamps which include metal halide, high pressure sodium or common incandescent types. At any rate, they are all exclusively designed to ensure sufficient reliability, high intensity and adequate longevity.

Typically, these beacons will likely be mainly red or white. The coloration is usually determined by a mix of factors that will involve structure type, particular location and overall height. A white-colored light would possibly not be advised in certain urban areas, because it can merge with commercial and domestic background sources. Still, they are frequently used widely in many rural environments.

It is a prerequisite for high structures to possess obstruction lighting that is compliant to standardized regulations. The standards are essential to provide ease of navigation, basic public safety and safe flying conditions. These systems are definitely vital in avoiding potential life threatening injuries, heavy economic losses and severe property damage.




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