Helipad lights

Star Standard designs and manufactures hardwired and solar helipad lights and beacons for commercial, private, government, military, hospitals and other applications. Lights comply with helipad light photometrics under FAA and ICAO as well as the civilian aviation codes of many additional countries.

Regulations governing helipad lights and heliport lighting systems change from time to time. Explore current regulations below or reach our helipad lighting experts to ensure your solution complies with standards for your location.

Under FAA AC 150/5390-2C Heliport Design, all helicopter operations fall under general aviation (GA) except scheduled passenger service. GA helipads serve individuals, corporations and helicopter air taxi services. While most are privately owned, some may also be publicly owned.

The general aviation helipad lighting system diagrams below assume only one helicopter will ever be within the FATO. If more than one helicopter will be in use, a separate FATO with its own TLOF is required.

Helicopter landing pad lights required by the FAA include final approach and take off (FATO) lights, touchdown and lift-off area (TLOF) lights and landing direction lights.

Additional helipad lights may be required or recommended based on a site’aeronautical study:

• Flight path alignment lights mark the direction of approach and/or departure flight paths.
• Helicopter approach path indicator (HAPI) lights may be used to provide glideslope guidance to pilots.
• A helicopter windsock indicates wind direction and speed. If the helipad will serve nighttime flights, the wind cone must be lit.
• A heliport beacon may help pilots visually identify the helipad.
• Helipad taxiway centerline (bidirectional green) and taxiway edge lights (omnidirectional blue) may improve taxiway taxi route visibility.
• Red obstruction lights to mark any obstacles near the helipad or its approach and departure path.
• A helicopter approach lighting system (HALS) bearing a distinct design ensures the heliport is not mistaken for an airport approach lighting system and runway.

The FAA treats hospital heliports differently, to ensure the design accommodates air ambulance operations, medical personnel and their equipment. The standard “H” mark differs for hospital heliports. For hospitals, the H is red on a white cross. For continuity and safety, general aviation standards may be applied to hospital helipads.

For specifics on heliport lighting colors and specifications, please see the lighting equipment classification tab.