Helicopters land on pads or platforms especially designated for them. These areas must have helipad lighting to aid in safe and accurate landing. The landing areas are flat, hard surfaces with clear markings to signal correct information to helicopters in the air.
Landing area lighting is usually arranged in a circle or square around the touchdown and lift-off area, known as TLOF. Around this area is another set of lights that encompasses the TLOF. This is overall area is called the final approach and take-off area, or FATO. The International Civil Aviation Organization, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, recommends that all the lights be white. Years ago, lights were standardly yellow or amber, and are often still preferred in certain places.
Jurisdiction and ownership choose the color, but must provide a lighted wind cone as well. Although these lights were once incandescent all around, they are now offered in light-emitting diode form and allow owners to control the brightness levels. More options of lighting, if the owner chooses to implement, includes surface flood lights on the TLOF and FATO areas, and lead-in lights on ground pads.
Lighting systems can also have visual slope guidance systems such as HAPI and PAPI installed. Although they are recommended by the authorizing organizations, many people don't choose to use them due to the high costs. Lighting systems usually utilize AC power instead of the common 6.6A direct current. Pilots can radio control the lighting as well with an automated ground-based controller.
Helipads can be located in all sorts of places. They can be on heliports or airports that have fuel, air traffic control, and service facilities. Most helipads, however, are placed in remote areas away from these larger places because of costs and spaces available. Many office towers have them as well on their roofs for air taxi services or for evacuation purposed in case of an emergency. Police departments use dedicated police helipads at heliports as well. Naval structures like ships and oil rigs also often have helipads for quick transport. These are called helidecks.
Most hospitals have helipads on the premises for MEDEVACs and air ambulances to come and go. These are useful in transferring patients to trauma units, and also patients from remote regions where capable hospitals are not available. Most hospitals in urban areas install these pads on the roofs.
Some helipads require location identifiers. Authorized agencies in the U. S. That issue these identifiers are the FAA, ICAO, TC, and IATA. If needed, helipads can have more than one identifier that all have different formats and names.
A large letter "H" is usually marked inside a circle and placed right in the middle of a helipad. This way, they are visible high up from the air. Helipads, however, aren't always concrete-based, as forest fire fighters will often build temporary timber ones to receive supplies. Helipads can also be built with rig mats, but only if it can withstand situations like ice accumulation. A rooftop helipad will also provide a two-digit number representing the weight limit, and a second number representing the maximum rotor diameter.
Landing area lighting is usually arranged in a circle or square around the touchdown and lift-off area, known as TLOF. Around this area is another set of lights that encompasses the TLOF. This is overall area is called the final approach and take-off area, or FATO. The International Civil Aviation Organization, along with the Federal Aviation Administration, recommends that all the lights be white. Years ago, lights were standardly yellow or amber, and are often still preferred in certain places.
Jurisdiction and ownership choose the color, but must provide a lighted wind cone as well. Although these lights were once incandescent all around, they are now offered in light-emitting diode form and allow owners to control the brightness levels. More options of lighting, if the owner chooses to implement, includes surface flood lights on the TLOF and FATO areas, and lead-in lights on ground pads.
Lighting systems can also have visual slope guidance systems such as HAPI and PAPI installed. Although they are recommended by the authorizing organizations, many people don't choose to use them due to the high costs. Lighting systems usually utilize AC power instead of the common 6.6A direct current. Pilots can radio control the lighting as well with an automated ground-based controller.
Helipads can be located in all sorts of places. They can be on heliports or airports that have fuel, air traffic control, and service facilities. Most helipads, however, are placed in remote areas away from these larger places because of costs and spaces available. Many office towers have them as well on their roofs for air taxi services or for evacuation purposed in case of an emergency. Police departments use dedicated police helipads at heliports as well. Naval structures like ships and oil rigs also often have helipads for quick transport. These are called helidecks.
Most hospitals have helipads on the premises for MEDEVACs and air ambulances to come and go. These are useful in transferring patients to trauma units, and also patients from remote regions where capable hospitals are not available. Most hospitals in urban areas install these pads on the roofs.
Some helipads require location identifiers. Authorized agencies in the U. S. That issue these identifiers are the FAA, ICAO, TC, and IATA. If needed, helipads can have more than one identifier that all have different formats and names.
A large letter "H" is usually marked inside a circle and placed right in the middle of a helipad. This way, they are visible high up from the air. Helipads, however, aren't always concrete-based, as forest fire fighters will often build temporary timber ones to receive supplies. Helipads can also be built with rig mats, but only if it can withstand situations like ice accumulation. A rooftop helipad will also provide a two-digit number representing the weight limit, and a second number representing the maximum rotor diameter.
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