Aerodromes used also at night and in reduced visibility conditions rely on a variety of lights to guide aircraft on the ground and on approach to the runway. These lights must meet extremely stringent requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The requirements range from color temperature and light intensity to the horizontal and vertical spread of the beam. The light fixtures and in-pavement light units must also comply with mechanical standards that ensure their safe operation in the airport environment.If we look around an aerodrome at night, the sea of blue, green, red, flashing yellow and white lights and lighted signs give a good idea of the power consumption they represent and then we have not even mentioned the floodlights creating near daylight conditions on the appron.
Installing a modern aerodrome lighting system is an expensive but unavoidable requirement and maintaining the system is also a high ticket item, a major cost to the airport’s operator.
Airports cannot afford to turn dark if the power feeding its systems and lighting is cut. Sophisticated emergency power sources make sure that essential elements, like the Instrument Landing System (ILS) and the approach and runway lights do not even blink when the primary power fails and they are kept in operation by this first-response facility until the stand-by generators can take over. Obviously, the power consumption of the lights determines the size of the built in bridging supply and emergency generating capability while costs are directly proportional to the power required.
Being able to deploy lights with lower power and maintenance requirements would save huge amounts of money for the airport operator and hence also the users of the airport.
The new generation of lights based on light emitting diode (LED) technology has brought both long life and low maintenance costs to aerodromes able to invest in their lighting system. The savings are impressive and go beyond the benefits inherent in the lights themselves.
LED lights typically last 50.000 hours and their power consumption is up to 85 % lower than traditional halogen light bulbs. If large and small airports move to LED technology, the saving in CO2 emissions is considerable. Possibly less significant, but the fact that LED lights are completely mercury-free helps airport operators meet the European Union mandate to eliminate mercury light sources by 2015.
Manufacturers of LED aerodrome lights have also taken the opportunity of the switch-over to introduce innovative features. One of these is the decoupling of the light module and the housing. This enables the replacement of the light source at any time with a minimum of effort but also ensures that in the case of new standards coming into effect, the light can be brought into compliance with a simple change of light source.
The choice of lights is already wide and the number of suppliers increases all the time. Of course the quality and solidity of the design, reliability and price also varies widely. It is good practice to choose a manufacturer that has good references or use a dealer that can support you in selecting your equipment.
LedStore International Limited, for instance, works with the Korean company Youyang Airport Lighting Equipment Inc. and they offer excellent quality and support, combined with very competitive pricing.
LED lighting is the future. The sooner you change, the more you gain!
