Monday, February 1, 2016

Importance Of Aviation Warning Beacon

By Karen Williams


Aircraft warning lights are mainly attached to tall structures so as to avoid any collision that may arise due to obstruction by such structures. They mainly produce light of high intensity. They are mainly used during the night though they can help during the day too. Aviation warning beacon help pilots in determining the best way to follow because they help in warning for any obstructions that may be on the way.

Breakages are very normal for any installations. If any repairs are needed to the installed beacons on the buildings, the owner is responsible. If no repairs or re-installation the owner of building or the structure concerned is responsible. The obstruction indicators are of certain intensity that ranges from medium to high for efficient visibility. Beacons are expected to be detectable some distance from the location of structure.

Initially beacons were usually made using incandescent filaments. This initial type had many disadvantages such as the short lifespan. To increase on durability great advancement has been made. This include introduction of LED type that is more efficient with intention of replacing incandescent bulbs. This is indeed a great advancement.

Many merits that come or brought about by LED type make it the best choice of many people. The other reason is the durability. They can serve for longer period of time without the need of replacement. They assist in maintenance cost reduction. They produce quality illumination that is clearly visible to pilots. This means that they are able to communicate efficiently. They give the pilot the confidence he deserves during the flight. They are designed in such a way that they consume less energy which makes them very efficient.

In urban places, red lights ought to be used because are conspicuous hence high visibility during the night. It is recommended to use xenon white flashes during the day. However the white strobes are not usually used in densely populated areas because they combine with other types of light around making the work of pilot a bit challenging. This does not only endanger the life of pilot but also that of passengers in plane.

Despite the low energy consumption by the white strobe, many people especially the residents close to the lit structure complain that it affects them negatively. On the air crafts there are also lighting systems that helps in avoiding any collision that is likely to occur by warning its presence. In this case they include wingtip probes, flashing beacons that are mainly white, landing and the wingtip lights. It is required that when a plane is about to land should indicate with use of landing ones.

Those for aircraft navigation are required to be placed as those of marine vessels. It is required that red navigation type ought to be placed on left wing tip while green on the right wing tip. White navigation type is normally located on the tail end of each wing.

During the flight, the navigation indicators ought to be on, whether, it is day time or night time. Before restarting the beacon should be put on to indicate that the engine is almost starting. Landing ones are put off once a pilot is flying at an altitude above 10000feets.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment