Runway Lighting Research Articles

Orange runway lighting as a method for reducing bird strike damage to aircraft

Insects and spiders which congregate at night around runway lights on airfields form an attractive food source, and thus draw a wide variety of birds and bats into the flight paths of aircraft. Aircraft can be severely damaged when they strike birds or bats. If the number of insects and spiders which are concentrated by runway lighting could be substantially reduced, presumably the frequency of this type of damage to aircraft would also be reduced. It was found that orange light which excluded wavelengths shorter than 530 mp attracted fewer insects and spiders by weight than white light of equal visibility to humans with normal vision. A reduction of 92% was achieved with a Pyrex orange runway light lens, formerly in general use in Australia but now replaced by a variety of white lenses to conform to specifications of the International Civil Aviation Organization. There are strong indications that these specifications should be amended in the interest of aviation safety to ensure that as many of the short wavelengths as possible are excluded from signal lights, and that orange should be the colour for the main runway lights.

Runway Lighting - New York International Airport

Runway Lighting - New York International Airport

Approach and Runway Lighting as Viewed by the Air line Pilot

Approach and Runway Lighting as Viewed by the Air line Pilot

Discussion of “Airport Approach, Runway, and Taxiway Lighting Systems”

Discussion of “Airport Approach, Runway, and Taxiway Lighting Systems”

Airport Approach, Runway, and Taxiway Lighting Systems

Systems evaluated by means of set of design criteria developed from series of guidance principles needed by aircraft pilot.

Approach and Runway Lighting for Jet-Age Aircraft

Presented at Jet-Age Airport Conference, May 15-17, 1957. Topic covers Approach and Runway Lighting for Jet Age Aircraft.

Airport Runway and Approach Lighting

Rapid and extensive changes in airport lighting have been made within the last ten years. The necessity for providing elevated high intensity runway and approach lights as an aid during low visibility conditions, both day and night, has been generally recognized. With the advent of adequate runway lighting, boundary lights and floodlights (for runways) have become unnecessary. The provision of high intensity runway and approach lights of the latest type results in a 10,000 per cent increase in power consumption per runway.