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PAPI always on?
Hi, I work at a small regional airport in EU, with one RWY (11/29). Due to lack of traffic, the boss of the airport wants to save money on energy. so that he decided to let light only PAPI on RWY in use, and I am curious if that is even possible to have the other PAPI off during the airport operating hours. I could not find anything about it (icao annex 14 and doc 9157 do describe only the technical parameters of the lights, however they do not talk about switching them off), so does anyone has any deeper insight in this matter? thx
Re: PAPI always on?
No requirement to have any runway lights on at all 24/7. Some airports have lights turned on by pressing the radio key in the aircraft.
Re: PAPI always on?
It's likely that the airport in question has a PCL/ARCAL (Pilot Contolled Lighting/Aircraft Radio Control of Aerodrome Lighting) which turns on the PAPIs/REILs when the runway lights are keyed.
This is the system that's in use at my home airport anyway.
Interestingly, we also have an old set of PAPIs that were designed to stay on 24/7 with the idea that the heat generated would kept any snow from building up in the winter months. We do not currently use this older set.
This is the system that's in use at my home airport anyway.
Interestingly, we also have an old set of PAPIs that were designed to stay on 24/7 with the idea that the heat generated would kept any snow from building up in the winter months. We do not currently use this older set.
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- skyhawkmatthew
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Re: PAPI always on?
At many regional airports in Australia, runway lights operate as described above: they are off most of the time, and are activated remotely from an approaching aircraft using the radio.
By incorporating a light sensor or timer into the system, when the system is triggered during the day, only the PAPI is activated; at night the runway and taxiway lights illuminate as well.
By incorporating a light sensor or timer into the system, when the system is triggered during the day, only the PAPI is activated; at night the runway and taxiway lights illuminate as well.
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- WIederling
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Re: PAPI always on?
Calder wrote:Interestingly, we also have an old set of PAPIs that were designed to stay on 24/7 with the idea that the heat generated would kept any snow from building up in the winter months. We do not currently use this older set.
Didn't I read about some unexpected issues in that domain from switching to more efficient LED lighting?
( and some similar issue for IR vision enhancement systems.)
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- arcticcruiser
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Re: PAPI always on?
Well LEDs do not generate heat to clear snow or ice off the lens. Creates issues at airports (and your car) in the snowbelt.
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- LimaFoxTango
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Re: PAPI always on?
MrJungles wrote:Hi, I work at a small regional airport in EU, with one RWY (11/29). Due to lack of traffic, the boss of the airport wants to save money on energy. so that he decided to let light only PAPI on RWY in use, and I am curious if that is even possible to have the other PAPI off during the airport operating hours. I could not find anything about it (icao annex 14 and doc 9157 do describe only the technical parameters of the lights, however they do not talk about switching them off), so does anyone has any deeper insight in this matter? thx
Im not sure if it's not possible to have opposite PAPI's on at the same time. I think it's deliberately designed that way so one doesn't land on the wrong runway. Parallel runway ops of course are different.
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- Thenoflyzone
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Re: PAPI always on?
At controlled aerodromes, ATC operates the PAPI lights, and here in Canada, our ATC manual of operations states that we should have the PAPI on when:
1. the runway it serves is in use
2. at least 5 minutes before the ETA of an aircraft
3. until the aircraft has landed
There is a note that states that the airport authority may require the PAPI be operated in a manner that reduces maintenance or prevents contaminants such as ice, dew, or front on the lens surfaces giving a false scope indication.
Basically that means the airport authority may require that the PAPI are kept on 24/7. That is the case at my airport. Same requirement with the runway centerline lights, that they be kept on 24/7.
Also, when an aircraft is conducting a precision approach (ILS, LPV, etc) to a runway with a PAPI, it must be turned off if the weather conditions are less than a ceiling of 500ft or a vis of 1 SM, to avoid possible contradiction between the precision approach glide path and the PAPI glide path, which aren't necessarily the same.
1. the runway it serves is in use
2. at least 5 minutes before the ETA of an aircraft
3. until the aircraft has landed
There is a note that states that the airport authority may require the PAPI be operated in a manner that reduces maintenance or prevents contaminants such as ice, dew, or front on the lens surfaces giving a false scope indication.
Basically that means the airport authority may require that the PAPI are kept on 24/7. That is the case at my airport. Same requirement with the runway centerline lights, that they be kept on 24/7.
Also, when an aircraft is conducting a precision approach (ILS, LPV, etc) to a runway with a PAPI, it must be turned off if the weather conditions are less than a ceiling of 500ft or a vis of 1 SM, to avoid possible contradiction between the precision approach glide path and the PAPI glide path, which aren't necessarily the same.