In the center of every airport stands a rotating beacon.  Just as lighthouses once guided ships to harbor, the rotating beacon guides planes to airports at night.  Once over the airport, there are a multitude of specialized airport lights that guide and direct airport traffic.  These lights include runway lights, taxiway lights, obstruction lights, and lighted signs. 

All of these highly specialized luminaires are essential to the safe takeoff and landing of planes.

PFB-37001 LED Flashing Beacon - OL215PFB
The PFB LED red medium intensity flashing beacon is specified for use on aviation obstructions. All castings are aluminum, all hardware is stainless steel and the lens is glass. There is no plastic. All exterior metal beacon parts are powdercoat painted aviation yellow for corrosion resistance that meets the US Military Standard Salt Fog Test conducted per MIL-STD-810E, Method 509.3, Procedure I. 

PRL LED Rollover Light
The PRL LED Rollover Light is perfect for heliport and small airport applications where an inset light is required. The PRL LED may be serviced without removing the fixture from its mounting base. The PRL is only 8-inches in diameter yet provides better visibility and circling guidance than comparable lights with metal covers and incandescent lamps. 

PEL LED Elevated Light
The PEL AC and DC voltage powered elevated LED lights mark the perimeters of heliports and mark the preferred direction of helicopter approach. They also outline the runways and taxiways on VFR general aviation airports.

PSF Point Surface Floodlight & Perimeter Light
The PSF-57203 elevated incandescent light marks the perimeter (FATO) of a heliport and has a ground level surface mounted helipad floodlight intended to "wash" the landing surface with light. The purpose of the PSF is to provide improved conspicuity and depth perception to the pilot. 

PHL LED Heliport Light
The voltage powered elevated PHL includes an LED heliport perimeter light of and a floodlight intended to "wash" the pad with light. The PHL is a combination of the PEL elevated edge light and a quartz halogen floodlight.

LED Obstruction Lights
The POL POINTSPEC series of red LED aviation obstruction lights presents the highest grade technical features and the most options available in the industry. POL steady-burning obstruction lights are used to mark tall structures that present hazards to air navigation.

PRL LED Helideck Semiflush
The PRL LED Point Rollover Light is a 12-inch diameter semiflush light used for metal helidecks on the TLOF and/or the FATO perimeter. The PRL may be dropped into a hole cut in the metal deck and secured with six screws on a 10-¼ inch bolt circle. 

Airport lights shine at different levels of intensity and are many different colors.  These colors are significant and very important to safety and airport operations.  Some colors designate the type of airport a pilot is flying into.  For example, green and white lights are used at civilian airports, whereas green and white flashing beacons are used at military bases.  Yellow lights that then flash white light are used to guide seaplanes. 

Ordinarily, airport lights are used from twilight at dusk until the following dawn.  If weather conditions become unfavorable in the daytime and visibility becomes challenging, beacons will also be used to signal pilots the need to use their instruments for landing and takeoff (IFR) rather than relying upon visual guidance (VFR).

The most important types of airport lights are runway lights.  The outline of the runway itself, as seen from the air, is marked by blue lights.  Green is normally used to mark the approach end of the runway.  Red lights mark the end of the runway. 

In most civilian airports, lights along the sides of the approach end of the runway are white, but they gradually shift to amber as the plane nears the departure end of the runway.  In order for pilots to see where the center of the runway is, recessed lights are installed down its centerline. 

There is a threshold of approach at the beginning of each runway.  This is the most critical area of the runway because it designates where the plane’s final descent must begin.  Strobe lights are used here to mark its location. 

Air traffic controllers directly control the intensity of these flashing strobes.  In times of poor weather and low visibility, pilots can radio the tower and have the strobe lights adjusted to their maximum luminescence.  In clear weather conditions these airport lights are set to a much lower intensity in order to prevent the pilot from being distracted by too much light. 

Airport signs are also very important to airport operations and safety.  Color coding is used here to designate key areas of transit and boundary.  Direction, destination, and boundary signs are characterized by a black legend on a yellow background.  Mandatory instruction signs consist of a white legend on a red background. 

Most taxiway and runway location signs, for example, are yellow legend with a black background in order to be prominently visible.  Taxiway ending marker lighted signs are also yellow and black.  One-half distance signs have a black background marked by a white legend.

Many types of airport lights are becoming increasingly and more readily available in solar powered and LED form.  Talk to an RLLD Commercial Lighting Designer about the availability and viability of these particular models for your particular application needs.

RLLD Commercial Lighting carries a wide variety of industrial & commercial lighting fixtures. If you can not find what you are looking for call us toll free at 1-866-654-3961 and we will find it for you. Our home office is located in Houston, Texas with warehouses located throughout the United States that enable us to service all 50 states including Sault Ste Marie, MI (CIU), Cleveland, OH, (CLE), College Station, TX (CLL), Port Angeles, WA (CLM), Charlotte, NC (CLT), Columbus, OH (CMH), Champaign, IL (CMI), Hancock, MI (CMX), Cody, WY (COD) and Colorado Springs, CO (COS).