Obstruction light types
An obstruction light used for aviation is meant to enhance the visibility of buildings or other fixed obstacles which may cause a distraction for an aircraft.
Such obstruction lights are often placed on towers, fences located near heliports of airports.
There are two common obstruction light types.
- A red lamp that blinks or constantly shines
- White flash lamps that flash 40 times per minute
In some parts of the world, it is only allowed to use a red lamp. The white xenon lights are less and less common.
Red obstruction light
The red obstruction lights or beacon lights used incandescent filament bulbs. Holland Aviation uses a high-power LED. This is what we do to improve the life cycle of the lights. This also has a beneficial effect on energy consumption. Another advantage of the high-power LED is the longer lifespan of the LED lights.
White obstruction light
White flashing lights are more common to see during the daytime. During the night you are more likely to see a red light. The red lights are often found in urban areas. These lights are easier to see from above for pilots.
The white lights are not recommended to use in these urban areas because the white lights are not in contrast with the background. It merges which makes it difficult to spot.
Lights on buildings
A white medium-intensity flashing obstruction light is used on buildings and structures that are between 61 and 152.4 meters (200-500 feet). The building should be painted is the building is taller than 152.4 meters (500 feet).
When the building is higher than 213.4 meters (700 feet) a white high-intensity flashing obstruction light should be used. By night and by day these lights give the best visibility.
The towers and masts should be painted in the color international orange or stripes of equal length in white and red. This is to improve visibility during the daytime.
All these kinds of lights are on tall buildings and structures. These buildings can be towers, masts, water tanks, chimneys, tall buildings, cranes, electricity masts, wind turbines, or structures that are a little shorter but are close to airports or heliports.