Airfields: 1. Enhancing safety for ramp workers and improving pilot guidance and situational awareness.

At Night Everyone loses their depth pereption.

Why Linear Visual Aids Work.

• Linear Visual Aids PROVIDE Both Positional and Directional Information. linear guidance has been demonstrated by FAA Trials, to improve pilot ACQUISITION distance of the visual aids. • at night, linear visual aids create patterns, depth and dimension as their aspect changes with the viewing angle. with point sources at night, UNLESS ONE IS TRAVELLING parallel to or above them, one CANNOT TELL WHICH LAMP IS NEXT TO OR BEHIND ANOTHER. unless there is a RECOGNIZABLE pattern, point sources create confusion at night.

linear lights always provide patterns and depth clues at night, so restore lost nighttime depth perception.

Without depth clues, point sources cause confusion at night, while linear lights always provide patterns and depth clues, so they essentially restore lost nighttime depth perception.
The same happens with helipads. With linear visual aids, a helipad's depth and dimension are always apparent, no matter the viewing angle. To illustrate this, below are identical pictures one darkened to remove all depth cues and the other lightened.

Linear Lamps are more versatile than point source visual aids.

LEDline® Improving Ramp Worker and Aircraft Safety! LEDline® safety/guidance lit Ramp/gate Lead-In Lines are used to warn passing vehicles when an aircraft is being pushed out. and, therefore, To Watch out for the Wing walkers, improving their safety. LEDline® improves Ramp/gate Safety For; ----- pilot guidance; ----- Ramp Worker safety, ----- To improve gate efficiencies, ----- Minimizing wingtip collisions and improving gate and Aircraft safety, ----- Lights Underneath Aircraft for better gate/aircraft security, ----- and lowers aircraft turnaround times, especially in bad weather. These Safety Advantages minimize bad weather Delays, Which lowers everyone's costs.

LEDline® enhances safety for ramp workers, ground crews, and wing walkers. It also improves aircraft safety by reducing wingtip collisions.

LEDline® safety/guidance units are By far the Least Expensive and most versatile of Airfield Visual Aids.

LEDline® is Visible In Any Weather!

• Inexpensive Lit Lead-in Lines to Gates: Since LEDline® is easily installed via a simple saw cut 50mm (1.7") deep x 60mm (2.4") wide pavement groove and glue, approx. 60% less cost compared to standard point source inset lights;
• Advance notice when an aircraft is pushed out from a gate: To improve aircraft, ramp worker and wing walker safety, when set to flashing, LEDline® can be used to warn passing vehicles and aircraft when an aircraft is being pushed out of a gate. Here, to improve ramp worker safety, the tug driver can set the lights to flash so that Everyone knows that an aircraft is being pushed out and that they should look out for the wing walkers.
• Improved Aircraft Safety: Tug drivers can not always see the painted pavement gate markings in bad weather. This can lead to aircraft wing tip accidents and damage as aircraft are not pushed out straight. However, lit LEDline® safety guidance lead-in lines are visible in any weather. Therefore, they ensure that the guidance is always visible, minimizing possible wingtip collision accidents;
• Improved Gate Safety: Air terminal floodlighting causes large shadows under aircraft, particularly wide-bodied aircraft. These shadows impact gate security and employee safety as people working under the aircraft are difficult to see. Lit LEDline® safety lead-in lines provide lighting underneath aircraft so anyone there is visible. This provides for faster aircraft turnaround times, reducing jet fuel usage, which lowers airline costs;
• LEDline®'s Quick Installation, Minimizes Gate Downtimes: Many gate LEDline® grooves can be all saw cut at the same time, as the saw cut width is only 60mm (2.4") wide x 45mm (1.7") deep, so even when left open, the saw cuts are not a hazard to any aircraft or vehicle. Therefore, the gates with the open saw cuts can still be operational. Only one gate at any time ever needs to be closed for 24 hours, and that is to allow the LEDline® installation glue to set.
 • LEDline® improves Gate Safety and efficiency by minimizing bad weather delays, saving time and money.me to add paragraph to your block, write your own text and edit me.
ALWAYS VISIBLE LEDLINE® IMPROVES WORKER AND AIRCRAFT SAFETY AT GATES
Lit Gate Lead-in Lines At Anchorage International: Here, the deep snow has covered all of the painted pavement markings, yet the old-style green FAA taxiway way visual aids on the left, and the old-style yellow linear LEDline® on the right, (they only had 6 x LEDs) both are equally visible, providing the necessary key guidance when aircraft and vehicles most need it. Pictures by Chas Triborn.

LEDline® Safety/guidance lighting Uses:

Non-Movement Airfield LEDline® safety guidance Use:

Non-Movement Areas: LEDline® is used for all sorts of inexpensive lit in-pavement markings in non-movement areas, such as;• lit lead-in lines to gates; • lit guidance lines for surface vehicles around terminals;• lit aircraft visual aid guidance through de-icing pads;• lit aircraft guidance in overnight aircraft parking areas;• lit in-pavement signage, to help guide aircraft and vehicles anywhere;• lit guidance through refueling areas. All of the above-lit guidance helps to reduce accidents in and around terminals in non-movement areas, which often do not require FAA/CAA permissions.
  • Lit LEDline® Gate Lead In Lines Allow For;
  • • Inexpensive Lit Lead-in Lines to Gates: Since LEDline® is easily installed via a simple saw cut 50mm (1.7") deep x
  • 60mm (2.4") wide pavement groove and glue, approx. 60% less cost compared to the standard point source inset
  • lights;

  • • Advance notice when an aircraft is pushed out from a gate: To improve aircraft, ramp worker and wing walker safety,
  • when set to flashing, LEDline® can be used to warn passing vehicles and aircraft when an aircraft is
  • being pushed out of a gate. Here, to improve ramp worker safety, the tug driver can set the lights to flash so that
  • Everyone knows that an aircraft is being pushed out and that they should look out for the wing walkers.

  • • Improved Aircraft Safety: Tug drivers can not always see the painted pavement gate markings in bad weather. This can lead to aircraft wing tip accidents and damage as aircraft are not pushed out straight. However, lit LEDline®
  • safety guidance lead-in lines are visible in any weather. Therefore, they ensure that the guidance is always visible,
  • minimizing possible accidental wingtip collisions; • Improved Gate Safety: Air terminal floodlighting causes large shadows under aircraft, particularly wide-bodied aircraft. These shadows impact gate security and employee safety as people working under the aircraft are
  • difficult to see. Lit LEDline® safety lead-in lines provide lighting underneath aircraft so anyone there is visible.
  • • LEDline®'s Quick Installation, Minimizes Gate Downtimes: Many gate LEDline® grooves can be all saw cut at the same time, as the saw cut width is only 60mm (2.4") wide x 45mm (1.7") deep, so even when left open, the saw cuts
  • are not a hazard to any aircraft or vehicle. Therefore, the gates with the open saw cuts can still be operational. Only
  • one gate at any time ever needs to be closed for 24 hours, and that is to allow the LEDline® installation glue to set. • LEDline® improves Gate Safety and efficiency by minimizing bad weather delays, saving time and money.
LEDline® enhances safety for ramp workers, ground crews, and wing walkers. It also improves aircraft safety by reducing wingtip collisions.
At Anchorage International, the snow has covered up all of the painted pavement markings, yet the lit, yellow LEDline® safety/guidance lighting, (old style, with only 6 x LEDs), is still clearly visible. (Note: Today's solid LEDline® safety/guidance units have 12 x embedded LEDs so are much brighter and still melt snow).

Use of Movement Area LEDline® Safety/Guidance Lighting: (Requires FAA or CAA approval).

In Movement Areas, before using LEDline® safety and guidance lighting, it is essential to obtain permission from the country's Civil Aviation Authority, such as in the USA, the FAA.

Always Visible LEDline® is Used As In-pavement signage to improve guidance and situational awareness.

When used in conjunction with ICAO Annex 14 standards, LEDline® enhances airfield safety by improving the visibility of pavement markings in all weather conditions. Examples of In-pavement Guidance, signs and symbols:
LINEAR VISUAL AIDS ARE MUCH MORE VERSATILE THAN POINT SOURCE VISUAL AIDS, SINCE BEING LINEAR, THEY CAN CREATE EXTENDED LIT GUIDANCE LINES AND IN-PAVEMENT LETTERS, NUMBERS, GUIDANCE ARROWS AND COMPLETE SIGNS ANYWHERE. SUCH SIGNS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS SINCE PILOTS AND DRIVERS MUST TRAVEL OVER THEM.
WITH FAA PERMISSION, linear LEDLINE® COULD BE USED TO IMPROVE PILOT GUIDANCE AND SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AT “FAA HOT SPOTS”.
  • Use LEDline® In Movement Areas as an addition to, supplement, or enhancement of all necessary standard Movement Area Visual Aids, for;
  • • FAA Hot Spots: To physically mark FAA Hot Spots, use LEDline® In-pavement signage and guidance for improved pilot
  • situational awareness!
  • • Key taxiway and runway painted signs to supplement, support, and enhance the standard painted pavement markings,
  • even outlining key pavement signs and lit taxiway/runway signage and numbers, which, unlike the painted ones, will be visible in any weather;

  • • Provided the standard taxiway blue edge lights are present, green centerline guidance is optional. Therefore,
  • Supplementing the blue edgeline guidance with green linear LEDline® guidance would provide the green centerline
  • guidance at airfields for far less cost;

  • • To help the wigwags be more visible in any weather, use in-pavement LEDline® wigwags, flashing like the taxiway
  • edge wigwags across the whole taxiway width. This way, the wigwags would be much more conspicuous and
  • impossible to miss as pilots must taxi over them, so would potentially help reduce runway incursions.
  • • To increase airfield capacity, highlight early runway exits to taxiways for smaller aircraft. Here, lit arrows set into the
  • runway pavement could indicate the early runway exits to taxiways, so the smaller aircraft don't hold up the landings
  • of any following heavies that need to use the whole runway to stop.
  • • On moveable platforms, temporary signage indicating closed sections of the airfield could use LEDline®;
  • All of the above uses of LEDline® are supplemental to and enhance all the required standard ICAO Movement Area visual aids. They increase the safety, capacity, and efficiency of airfields, especially in bad weather. And, as nothing is removed, and all standard Movement Area guidance remains, lit in-pavement signage and guidance, whilst enhancing airfield safety and efficiency, should allow airfields to still be fully ICAO / FAA/ CAA compliant. ! l
Early (6 x LED) gREEN LEDline® SAFETY GUIDANCE at Anchorage International. The painted pavement markings have disappeared under the slick of rain, yet, the LEDline® is still highly visible.
As A direct Comparison, below, GREEN LEDline® taxiway SAFETY/GUIDANCE LIGHTING is used right next to standard Green FAA Taxiway Lights. Both are equally visible.
MOVEMENT AREAS: Most Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA); ICAO; FAA, Transport Canada, etc., are familiar with linear LEDline® SAFETY/GUIDANCE. Because it is linear and is an area luminance source, it is not a point source, they have difficulties in measuring the light output. YET being linear, it demonstratively provides better directional guidance, (a single LEDline® unit provides for both position and direction). As such, it has yet to be approved for Movement Areas. Therefore, local CAA authorities must provide permission to use LEDline® safety/guidance in Movement Areas, and requests to use it there should make it clear that it is being used to supplement and enhance the standard taxiway/runway SAFETY SIGNAGE and painted markings. (Note: The research presentation on linear visual aids, demonstrates that the longer the lit visual aid, the better pilots prefer the guidance compared to point sources. Presented to the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Aviation Lighting Committee Fall Technology Meeting 26 October 2016 "Linear Airfield Lighting Evaluations: From the Laboratory to the Field". The longer the visual aid, the faster were the pilot's acquisition. Presented to the IES Committee by; John D. Bullough (RPI Lighting Research Center), Shawn Pruchnicki (Ohio State University), Seth Young (Ohio State University), Garrison Canter (CSRA, Inc.) ) From all of the FAA's previous research into linear visual aids and the presented Ohio State University field research and our experience (with e-mails from early LEDline® use; ion. Pilots prefer linear visual aids and the directional guidance they receive.
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Additional Information is Available at HIL-Tech Ltd. at nhutchins@cogeco.ca
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