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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0247.PDF
JANUARY 30, 1936. FLIGHT. in AG.E.C floodlight, mounted £s a mobile unit, in use at the Brighton, Hove and Worthing municipal airport. It can be assumed that no aerodrome offering less than 600 yards in any important direction will be safe for regular operations at night. Xhe schedule of lighting tquipment regarded as the minimum to satisfy Air Ministry requirements for safety is as follows : — For the smallest of the three classes of aerodromes, boundary lights, obstruction lights and landing flares. For the medium-sized aero drome, the same equipment with the addition of an aero drome beacon. Full equip ment for aerodromes in Class A include also an illu minated wind indicator and a floodlighting system for the landing area itself. Cost The limits imposed on lighting installation by reason of cost are not con siderable when it is remem bered that the operating hours of the aerodrome are doubled by making it avail able at any hour of the day or night. It is not unreason able to suggest that 10 per cent, of the capital cost of an aerodrome should be spent on night flying equip- (Risrtit) The latest type of G.E.C. boundary light. (Below) A typical installa tion of a Chance floodlight with Laminoid housing ; this one is on the roof of the traffic office at Heston. !*^*** ment, so that the smaller aerodromes—costing, say, £10,000—should spend a further £1,000 on lighting, and the largest—costing, say, £50,000—should have £5,000 allo cated for this purpose. Commercial aircraft operators will demand as much light as possible so that pilots shall have no excuse for a bad landing with possible damage to the aircraft and its contents, due to poor definition of the aero drome and its surrounding obstructions. The various types of lighting equipment have been evolved during the past fifteen years, which can be regarded as the experimental period of night flying, and they are now standardised in a form which will undergo no radical change for some years to come. Before giving a few details of each type, it might be as well to consider their uses. Types of Equipment Boundary lights are needed to outline the exact landing area, so that the pilot can see its shape and gauge his glide in order to land as near as possible to the centre. A.l obstacles within the aerodrome itself which are dangerous to flying must be marked with obstruction lights, and obstacles outside, but within 1,000 yds. of the aerodrome and exceeding certain heights above ground level, must be similarly defined. Landing flares offer the simplest means for giving wind direction, at the same time telling the pilot his exact position in relation to the ground when actually making his landing. The disadvantage in their use is that they have to be laid out by hand, and, if the wind changes, then the line of the flare path has to be changed also. As everybody knows, landings must always be made into the wind, and an illuminated indicator super sedes a flare path on up-to-date aerodromes, so that the pilot may know exactly the direction for approach. The reason for an aerodrome beacon is obvious—it is a light house, giving out a distinctive signal enabling pilots to locate the aerodrome from afar and to be certain that they are steering towards the right aerodrome out of several which may be in proximity. Landing area floodlights are intended to light up the surface of the ground, thereby relieving the pilot of any anxiety as to its contour and freedom from temporary obstructions. An aerodrome lighting system should be all-electrical to secure efficiency and economy. Boundary lights must be orange in colour, to a specification approved by the Air Ministry, and must be mounted at a height between two and four feet above ground level. Their spacing should be as nearly as possible 300 ft. apart. It is important to note that the voltage of lamps must be low enough to avoid all risk of fire or shock in the event of an aeroplane colliding with one of the lights, and the whole structure must be such
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