How does a heliport beacon tell it is not an airport?
It adds a third colour, flashing white, green and yellow in turn, and flashes faster than an airport beacon.
A heliport beacon marks where a heliport is, so a pilot can find it from the air at night or in poor visibility. Under FAA practice it is a rotating beacon that flashes white, green and yellow in turn. A land airport beacon shows only white and green, so the extra yellow flash tells the pilot it is a heliport and not an airport.
It flashes faster than an airport beacon: 30 to 45 flashes per minute against 24 to 30. A beacon with three beams reaches that at roughly 10 to 15 turns a minute. The FAA lists a medium-intensity L-801H and a high-intensity L-802H. ICAO Annex 14 Volume II takes a different approach: its heliport beacon is a white light giving repeated short flashes, not the three-colour FAA sequence. Use the standard the heliport is designed to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1What is a heliport beacon?
A beacon that marks the position of a heliport so a pilot can find it from the air at night or in poor visibility. It does for a heliport what an aerodrome beacon does for an aerodrome.
Q2What colours does a heliport beacon flash?
Under FAA practice a heliport beacon flashes white, green and yellow in turn. That three-colour sequence tells the pilot it is a heliport and not an airport, where a land airport beacon alternates white and green.
Q3How fast does a heliport beacon flash?
FAA AC 150/5345-12 gives 30 to 45 flashes per minute for heliport beacons, against 24 to 30 for airport beacons. A three-beam beacon reaches this at about 10 to 15 turns a minute.
Q4What types of heliport beacon are there?
FAA AC 150/5345-12 lists two: the L-801H medium-intensity and the L-802H high-intensity heliport beacon. The high-intensity unit is brighter for use where the heliport is harder to spot.
Q5Do ICAO and the FAA specify the same heliport beacon?
No. The FAA beacon flashes white, green and yellow in turn at 30 to 45 flashes per minute. ICAO Annex 14 Volume II specifies a white heliport beacon that gives repeated short white flashes, with no colour sequence. Follow the standard the heliport is designed to, and check the current edition.
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