Talk:Aviation obstruction lighting

GPS antenna
Any one who can explain me the requirement of GPS antenna for an aircraft warning lighting system. And kindly explain the function of these type of systems. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 222.165.134.58 (talk) 06:13, 13 June 2008 (UTC)


 * When you have a number of aircraft obstruction warning lights near each other (for example, several antennas, the two towers typical of suspension bridges, or a row of lights on a tall antenna tower) the lights must flash together. This makes the obstruction a lot easier for pilots to identify and avoid compared to a bunch of lights flashing at random.  GPS receivers are a convenient way for the lights to get timing information to synchronize the flashes. Does anyone have an opinion as to whether this is worth finding a citation for and adding to this article?  Guy Macon  04:32, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

LED-Based aircraft warning lights and night vision
A recent unsourced edit to this page (which I reverted with a "See discussion on talk page" note), claimed that "A significant drawback of LED aircraft warning lights lies in the very narrow spectrum of most red LEDs. Military pilots flying at night are typically equipped with night vision goggles, but most night vision devices do not detect the narrow frequency band of red LEDs, making such aircraft lights virtually invisible to NVG-equipped aircrew."

The reason I reverted the edit rather than adding a citation needed tag is because night-vision-compatible LED-based aircraft warning lights are widely available. See http://www.flightlight.com/airportlighting/5.3.1/5.3.1.html for one example.

If The author of the edit can establish the truth of the claim with a reference to a reliable source, we can re-insert the deleted paragraph. Guy Macon 09:53, 18 January 2011 (UTC)

World's 1st LED high-intensity warning light system
Dear editors, The World's 1st LED High-intensity warning light system was developed and installed in 2011. As you might know, the new LED High-intensity system replaces the old Xenon technology in order to decrease the total life cycle cost. Anyhow, I don't read in this page any reference to this central matter. Thus, I would like to know whether it's possible to add an external link to a press release about the installation of the World's 1st LED High-intensity warning light system or to add a paragraph to the article about this brand new technology. Thank you for the attention, --77.86.194.130 (talk) 11:07, 1 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Press releases in general are promotional in nature, and would not be allowed on Wikipedia. If you have one that does not promote a product or service, it can be added, and is likely to remain if deemed relevant and of value beyond what the article provides.  For more information, please see WP:ELNO. Similar restrictions apply to text in the article itself; for example, it must be neutral in point of view and should not promote a particular product. Hertz1888 (talk) 11:44, 1 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Besides being promotional, the claim is incorrect. LED LED High-intensity warning light systems have been commercially available for many years. See http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/6814470.html for one example. --Guy Macon (talk) 12:15, 1 February 2012 (UTC)


 * A patent doesn't always mean a product. It would be nice to see some literature showing that the concept actually amde it through from the ideal world into real life. --Wtshymanski (talk) 15:18, 1 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Here is one that went on the market in the late 90s: http://www.vega.co.nz/default.aspx?Page=39


 * Here is the claim that "Back in 1996 Obelux was the first company to release a LED-based obstacle light": http://www.obelux.com/attachments/gallery/OBELUX_aviation_lights_201109014.pdf


 * Another claim, "1998 The first low-intensity LED obstruction light ICAO A/FAA L810 certified is introduced to the market" and "2004 The first medium-intensity LED obstruction light ICAO B/FAA L864 certified is introduced to the market": http://www.clampco.it/about-us/


 * 2001 report by caltrans about LED obstacle lights, including discussion of FAA approved obstacle light by dialight: http://www.litebeams.com/pdf/caltrans.pdf


 * Full disclosure: I have done consulting work for a major manufacturer of FAA-approved LED obstacle lights, and thus I am recusing myself from editing this page (other than non-controversial edits such as vandalism removal or minor spelling corrections) because of the possibility that I have an unconscious bias. --Guy Macon (talk) 22:06, 1 February 2012 (UTC)
 * I think it's unfortunate that someone with actual expertise in an area can't contribute. Surely as long as you're not promoting a client, technical content edits would be appropriate. It would be useful to distinguish hare-brained ideas from the patent office from products that actually made it out into the world, and to explain at least some of the regulatory issues that influence the development of alternative lighting sources. --Wtshymanski (talk) 17:33, 2 February 2012 (UTC)

Dear editors,

First of all, let me make clear that I’m referring to LED High-Intensity Aviation Warning Lights (ICAO & FAA), and not to LED low or medium-intensity AWL. So please let’s focus and discuss my main question.

Secondly, I’m talking about LED High-intensity AWL (ICAO & FAA) and not about highly efficient LED lights, like mentioned in the second comment to my post. Thus, the claim is not incorrect.

And at last but not least, if adding a paragraph to this article about an awaited innovative technology (without referring any brand or company) is promotion, so what is it to add two AWL companies to the external links? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.86.194.130 (talk) 09:55, 2 February 2012 (UTC)


 * If you are talking about ICAO HIOL-A / FAA L856 lights or ICAO HIOL-B / FAA L857 lights, LED versions of both were available before 2011. Luxsolar had both when they started selling lights in 2000.


 * I am guessing that you are referring to the Obelux brand lights that were introduced in 2011 ( http://www.obelux.com/attachments/gallery/HI_aviation_obstacle_lights_20110909.pdf ) The Obelux system requires 3 fixtures to cover 360 degrees. It has always been possible to stack 5ea 20,000cd MIOL-A / L865 fixtures to meet the 100,000cd HIOL-B / L857 specification or to stack 10ea to meet the 200,000cd HIOL-A / L856 specification. The problem has always been one of cost; at such high intensities it has always been cheaper to use Xenon bulbs.  With LEDs getting cheaper and brighter the gap is closing, but stacking more and brighter LEDs -- whether in one fixture or by stacking fixtures -- is hardly "innovative technology."


 * You make a good point about the external links. I had not noticed that two of them were links to manufacturers catalog pages. I have removed both links. --Guy Macon (talk) 17:12, 2 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Dear editor, the first claim is incorrect, since Obelux Oy introduced that on 30.8.2010 as the first in the World (http://www.obelux.com/html/en/2010.html) - Luxsolar introduced its light on 4.4.2011 (http://www.luxsolar.com/news.php?id=64). Concerning the second comment, we are referring only to high-intensity Type A (200 000cd), not to Type B (100 000cd) – and this HI Type A (120 degree panel) light had never been made by any other company before Obelux. Moreover, I must correct myself because there’s still a third external link leading to a website with clearly promotional intentions. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.86.194.130 (talk) 09:16, 3 February 2012 (UTC)


 * I've just noticed that the 3rd reference of the article (http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/electronics/q0263.shtm) cannot be found - maybe a current editor could delete the link and replace it for this one http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/electronics/, since, although is not the direct link, it leads the readers to the right list of FAQ. 77.86.194.130 (talk) 13:24, 3 February 2012 (UTC)