Rotating beacon

Rotating beacon

A rotating beacon is a device used to assist pilots in finding an airport, particularly those flying in IMC or VFR at night. Additionally, the rotating beacon provides information about the type of airport through the use of a particular set of color filters.

Construction

A rotating beacon consists of two lamps mounted back-to-back inside lenses. The light from each lamp is intensified by its respective lens and passes through a color filter, depending on the type of airport. The most typical being green and white. The assembly is typically mounted on a tower, building roof, platform, or some other elevated structure.

Positioning

The rotating beacon is required to be placed at least 750 feet from the airport's control tower, with its base at least twenty feet above the floor of the tower's cab.

Signals

The rotating beacon makes six complete rotations every minute from sunset to sunrise while the airport is in operation, and from sunrise to sunset if the weather is below VFR minimums. The particular combination of color flashes denotes the type of airport:
* Green flashes alternated with two quick white flashes: Lighted military land airport
* Alternating white and green flashes: Lighted civilian land airport
* Alternating white and yellow flashes: Lighted water airport
* Alternating yellow ,green and white : Lighted Heliport

ee also

* Aerodrome beacon


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