If you live in Lagos or any modern city in Nigeria, you would have seen blinking red lights atop telecommunication masts and wondered why they are there. Is it to illuminate the sky, to warn pilots of high structures, or to act as a guiding beacon for travellers? Let’s check out the facts.
What Are They?
These are lights that burn at night and are sometimes known as red fireflies, their gentle blinking designed to prevent aviation catastrophes. They are known in aviation as aviation warning beacons because they warn pilots of what lies below — usually buildings, broadcast transmission masts, and anything else they need to stay away from. The lights are required for any building or structure be it a skyscraper, an electrical tower, or a radio antenna, whose height is above 200 feet.
Why Red?
Either red or white light is acceptable, but red is more commonly used in areas where aircraft regularly fly at night. The lights come in many colours — amber, blue, green, yellow, or made up of different combinations of them — that are coded for how they help with air navigation, or whether the airport is military or civilian. But red is the most commonly used for warning pilots away from a hazard.
Also, the lights must be connected to an appropriate control device so that the brightness is adjusted appropriately and automatically in relation to the sky illumination. In the event of a power outage or burned-out bulb, repairs must be made promptly.
Mast lights are different from lights on buildings in that they have to be seen from further away. And to enhance the light, each beacon is placed in a Fresnel lens – a three-foot tall capsule with glass walls several inches thick that reflects and refracts the light into something brighter that’s visible from a greater distance. The lights have a lifespan of about two years, though sometimes, lightning may shorten this lifespan.
Why So Many Of Them?
Are so many lights really needed? It seems they are everywhere these days, on every structure taller than a two-storey building!
Well, it is with good reason. Because without so many beacons, planes and helicopters will suddenly be crashing into buildings and telecommunication towers. In addition, even though pilots use aviation maps that alert them to the presence of towers and buildings, these maps are not perfect. Reason is that they do not indicate every hazard, and don’t show the exact location of the hazard, so a light is needed for a more precise mark.
What do you think? Isn’t it just cool?
