mercredi 11 janvier 2017

What To Know About Aircraft Warning Lights On Buildings

By Sarah Smith


Aircraft warning lights are lighting devices of high-intensity that are installed onto structures to avoid collision. They are a measure of collision avoidance. They make structures more visible to incoming aircraft at all times. Mostly, they get used at nighttime even though they are sometimes used during daytime. Aircraft warning lights on buildings are made to be visible to incoming aircraft from several miles away. They shine very brightly whenever they are in use so as to be useful and effective to pilots.

In general, there are two types of these lights in use today, that is, red and white lamps. The red lamps may be constantly on or they may turn on and off at a slow rate. The rate is usually predetermined and does not accelerate or slow down. White varieties are usually xenon discharge flashers. In most countries such as the UK, white flashers are being replaced, with red ones being adopted more.

Red lamps have incandescent filament bulbs installed into them. Red lamps have a very short lifespan, something that has made their design to be ruggedized to improve lifespan. Operating power used in them is also lowered in order to achieve a higher lifespan. Incandescent bulbs are in the recent past started to be replaced by high-power red LEDs.

LED-based lamps have a much longer lifespan. This increases reliability while reducing maintenance costs. Some manufacturers have started to produce medium-intensity strobes basing on LED technology as a replacement for xenon flashers. This has made xenon flashers still desirable in the US. Thus, white flashers are used during the day while red lamps are lit at night.

Highly populated and urban areas tend to have red lamps installed more commonly. Red lamps are preferred because they can be seen more easily from a height and distance. White flashers are also used in urban areas but not very commonly. The ability of white flashers to blend with background lights makes them less effective for the purpose they are supposed to serve. Since rural areas does not have background lights that may cause interference, white flashers are used more commonly.

These warning lights can be placed on any tall structure in general. Some of the structures they are commonly attached to include water tanks, electricity pylons, broadcast towers and masts, tall buildings, wind turbines, chimneys, and cranes. If the structure is shorter, but located near an airport or airstrip, these lamps may still be attached to them to serve as warning to aircraft that is trying to land on the field.

Usually, the structure has the lamps organized in a set of twos or more lamps. Typically, the top is installed with the first set of lamps with the rest of the structure having other sets. Sets are placed at given intervals. A set is comprised of a variable number of lamps depending on the height of the structure. The number of sets and interval between them is also dependent on the height of structure.

Major concern related to these lamps is that they contribute to light trespassing. Most people located in places with the lamps usually complain of light trespass. Light pollution has also been reported together with towerkill of birds.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire