Innovative Airfield Lighting Ideas
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airfield equipment and lighting systems
Today, airport lighting and equipment is important for pilots and their passengers, but the earliest aviators were left to fly in the dark. The airplane was invented by the Wright brothers in 1903, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that airports began using rotating beacons, also known as aerodromes, aeronautical beacons, or rotating lights. Similar to the function of a lighthouse, airport rotating beacons notify captains of an airport’s location at night, a necessary visual aid to ensure a smooth landing. Additional equipment, such as windcones, beacon poles, and closure markers, soon followed suit. Trusted and certified, Hali-Brite’s innovative FAA compliant lighting systems and equipment have been helping pilots safely land since 1979. Allow us to assist you with your airport lighting requirements and needs.
Browse our line of FAA and ICAO certified rotating LED beacons for airports and heliports.
What is Aerodrome Certification?
ICAO aerodrome certification is a way of ensuring safe aerodrome operations by examining the aerodrome’s components to verify its compliance with international standards and recommended practices. Hali-Brite is proud to have completed the ICAO certification process.
Airport Lighting and Equipment
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an airport’s rotating beacon operated during daylight hours indicate?
When an airport located in Class D airspace is running its beacon during daylight hours it indicates that the weather is less than VFR minimums (Less than 3 SM or the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet.).
Are rotating beacons always supposed to run at airports?
Rotating beacons help indicate the location of the airport to pilots in the air. The rotating beacon should be running at night or when ground visibility is below VFR minimums during the day.
Are rotating beacons required on airports by the FAA?
Yes, rotating beacons are required and must meet very specific specifications as to the color, flash duration, and light intensity among many other requirements. You may see the requirements by viewing the Specification For Airport and Heliport Beacons document from the FAA.
Are small airports required to have a rotating beacon?
All airports with runway edge lights and heliports are required to have a rotating airport beacon. The color of the beacon indicates what type of airport it is.
- A flashing white and green beacon indicates a civilian airport on land.
- A flashing white an yellow beacon indicates a water airport.
- A flashing white, yellow, and green beacon indicates a heliport.
- A beacon emitting two quick white flashes alternating with a green flash is for a military airport.