Accidents don’t choose the places they occur, whether it be the land, sea, or even in the air. This is the reason why it is important to have warning signals or lights placed on buildings and tall establishments. These warning signals are known as aircraft warning lights, which are used in making tall structures more visible to aircrafts, during both day and night. Aircraft warning lights must have particular specifications or features, in terms of its light colour, beam pattern, as well as its light intensity, which is approved by the national standards and the international regulations.
What are Aircraft Warning Lights?
Aircraft warning lights are devices that are used on tall structures or buildings, to alert aircrafts of its existence and whereabouts, therefore, minimising danger.
More often than not, these lighting systems are often known as obstruction lights. Furthermore, they are designed with various colours, light intensity as well as in different shapes. This is made to create a more suitable safety level. Moreover, the main reason why these warning signals are made is to prevent any risk that may occur to flying aircrafts near any structures or buildings.
Commonly, there is no standard that explains the least necessary requirements, which governs the installation and the design of the warning signal. However, on the other side, there are still some governing bodies that are regulating the usage and installation of it strictly, most specifically in the United Kingdom. One of these governing bodies is the International Civil Aviation organization or ICAO.
What is ICAO?
ICAO, or the International Civil Aviation Organization is actually a specialised agency, which codifies the techniques as well as the principles of the international air navigation. Furthermore, it is also responsible for fostering the planning as well as the development of the international air transport to make certain of the orderly and safe growth.
ICAO adopts the standards and the recommended practices that concern air navigation, as well as the facilitation of the border-crossing procedures, unlawful interference prevention, and the infrastructure flight inspection for the international civil aviation. Not only that, ICAO is also responsible for defining the protocols on any air accident investigation that is followed by the transport safety authorities.
ICAO is also the governing body that is responsible for the regulation of various types of aircraft warning lights or signals that are installed on infrastructures.
What does it take for an Aircraft Warning Signal to pass ICAO?
According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the standard light signals must be easily distinguished by specific parameters, these include: light colour and intensity, beam pattern, as well as flash rates.
Furthermore, ICAO divides the classification of the warning signals into three main types. These should be the basis of any aircraft warning signals/lights.
- Low-intensity warning lights/signals: these particular warning lights must be used if a particular object in a specific height that is above the ground is lower than 45 meters.
- Medium-intensity warning lights/signals: these particular warning lights are recommended if the height of an infrastructure that is flying above the ground level exceeds 45 meters.
- High-intensity warning lights/signals: these specific warning lights are beneficial in indicating the presence of a particular aircraft. Furthermore, it is also used if a certain aircraft is flying above the adjacent ground level exceeds 150 meters.
In a more detailed manner, ICAO defines the different types of lamp within the above-mentioned types. The low-intensity warning light, on a fixed object, must be red in colour, which are divided into two different types:
- Type A: minimum intensity of about 10 candelas.
- Type B: minimum intensity of about 32 candelas.
Furthermore, there are two more types of low-intensity warning lights; Type C and D, which are used mainly on vehicles.
The medium-intensity warning lights have three types:
- Type A: intensity of about 20.000 candelas during the day and about 2.000 candelas during the night. Furthermore, it should also have a white colour flashing lights.
- Type B: intensity of about 2.000 candelas and must have red colour flashing lights.
- Type C: intensity of about 2.000 candelas and must have red colour fixed lights.
The high-intensity warning lights have two types:
- Type A: intensity of about 200.000 candelas during the day, 20.000 during twilight, and 2.000 during the night, which has white colour flashing lights.
- Type B: intensity of about 100.000 candelas during the day, 20.000 during twilight, and 2.000 during the night, which has white colour flashing lights.
To gain approval from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a specific warning signal must be one of the above-mentioned types and classifications. If not, then it should not be placed on any structures because instead of giving safety, it might just end up causing hinderance.
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