11/20/22, 5:51 PM Aeronautical Ground Lighting - International Airport Review

Aeronautical Ground
Lighting
Ferran Balcells offers a guide to Aeronautical Ground Lighting and an
insight into the role that ICAO has played in its development.

Ferran Balcells offers a guide to Aeronautical Ground Lighting

and an insight into the role that ICAO has played in its
development.

Aeronautical Ground Lighting (AGL) is the collective

denomination for the whole set of ground installed luminaires
and related ancillaries meant to be used as visual aids by
aircraft pilots and eventually, other users of aerodrome facilities.

Specifically, AGL is formed by a number of aeronautical ground

lights, arranged in accordance with precise patterns. An
aeronautical ground light is any light specially provided as an
aid to air navigation, other than a light displayed on an aircraft.

International standards applicable to AGL were first established

by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Nowadays, both the European Committee for Electrotechnical
Standardisation (Comité Européen de Normalisation
Electrotechnique, CENELEC) and the International
Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) have dedicated Technical
Committees that have published a number of International and
European standards regarding AGL.

The AGL system and its components

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The whole AGL system encompasses the lighting of runways,

including their approaches, and associated taxiways and
aprons.

The lighting subsystems related to the runway include

approach; visual approach path indicators; runway threshold,
edge, end, and as required by operations minima, touchdown
zone and centre line.

With regard to surface movement, other subsystems could be

necessary, such as taxiway edge or centre line lights, stop bars,
runway guard lights and all the plethora of signs, either
informative or mandatory.

Luminaires and associated electrical devices

AGL is composed of luminaires plus their supporting structures,
related civil engineering works, such as foundations, as well as
power supplies. Since the light sources used by the luminaires
are usually electric lamps (normally halogen incandescent
bulbs), power supplies provide the proper electrical power to
lamps.

The lamps are connected to and powered by an electrical

circuit. The luminous output of a series of incandescent lamps
of a given rated power is dependent on the current flowing
through their filaments. Hence constant current in the circuit
means constant luminous intensity. That is why the AGL circuits
are traditionally configured as constant current series circuits.

The constant current is provided by a specific power supply, the

constant current regulator (CCR), which powers the series
circuit. This circuit is composed of:

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the proper cable, normally high voltage cable,

the isolating series transformers, usually one per each luminaire, that isolates the low voltage or
luminaire side from the high voltage primary circuit fed by the CCR. Isolating transformers also
provide continuity to the series circuit in case a lamp is burned out.

The role of ICAO

ICAO was formed by the Convention on International Civil
Aviation. The Convention was signed at Chicago on 7
December 1944 and came into effect upon ratification by the
first 26 Member States on 4 April 1947. By the end of 1996 the
Convention had been ratified by 185 States.

The Convention established a framework where international

civil aviation could be developed in a safe and orderly manner.

The objective allocated to ICAO was to develop the principles

and techniques of international air navigation and to foster the
planning and development of international air transport so as to:

ensure the safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation throughout the world,

encourage the arts of aircraft design and operation for peaceful purposes,

encourage the development of airways, airports and air navigation facilities for international civil
aviation,

meet the needs of the peoples of the world for safe, regular, efficient and economical air
transport,

prevent economic waste caused by unreasonable competition,

ensure that the rights of contracting States are fully respected and that every contracting State
has a fair opportunity to operate international airlines,

avoid discrimination between contracting States,

promote the safety of flight in international air navigation,

promote generally the development of all aspects of international civil aeronautics

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ICAO strategic action plan

The current ICAO strategic action plan was first adopted by
ICAO’s Council on 7 February 1997 and updated on 12 June
2000.

It includes eight strategic objectives, the second of which

requires the Organisation to develop and adopt new or
amended Standards, Recommended Practices (SARPs) and
associated documents in a timely manner to meet changing
needs. One of the key activities intended to achieve this
strategic objective is to maintain the currency of eighteen
existing Annexes to the Convention and develop new Annexes
as required. To that end, one of the issues to be addressed is
“restructuring of Annexes to ensure that Annex material is
restricted to essential requirements and formulated in broad
terms”.

ICAO requirements
Operational requirements are essential requirements. They are
the highest level. They establish what is strictly necessary so
that the components of AGL provide the service they are
supposed to. As an example we could mention the essential or
operational requirements for stop bar lights: they have to be
unidirectional, visible only within the angle and in the direction
towards the runway they are protecting, and radiating red light
of the intensity required by the prevailing visibility conditions.

Operational requirements have to refer to all the issues that are

important for the AGL to interface with aircraft pilots.

Operational requirements are essential for the design

(configuration, colour and diagram of radiation described in
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terms of isocandela diagrams), installation (tolerances

applicable to configuration and the resulting actual diagram of
radiation, surface temperature of inset lights and frangibility of
elevated lights), operation (maximum surface temperature) and
maintenance (field photometric measurement) of AGL. All of
them are the sole competence of ICAO and are covered by its
SARPs, Standards and Recommended Practices that are
obligatory for every Contracting State.

The SARPs on AGL are prepared by Visual Aids groups that

work under the authority of the Air Navigation Commission
(ANC), currently the Visual Aids Working Group (VAWG) and
formerly the Visual Aids Panel (VAP). According to the VAWG
work programme, new developments expected in the field of
electrical systems are new technologies in light sources (such
as LED), approach lighting configurations, helicopter
operations, obstacle marking and lighting and especially
Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems.

ICAO also publishes guidance material, additional to SARPs,

aimed at explaining the rationale behind the requirements and
how to implement them. The guidance material is contained in
manuals that merely present explanations and good
engineering practices and are not intended to be considered
mandatory requirements.

With regard to AGL, the key manuals are three parts of the
Aerodrome Design Manual (ADM), i.e., Part 4 Visual Aids, Part
5 Electrical Systems, and Part 6 Frangibility. Part 4 has been
updated recently. Part 5 is undergoing review. Part 6 is
expected to be published shortly.

Technical requirements of AGL

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These are the requirements that translate to the real

engineering world the operational requirements by means of a
technical specification, encompassing suitable tests along with
the corresponding approval or rejection criteria.

Technical requirements are the object of the Standardisation

Organisations that follow.

Some of the Contracting States developed a number of

standards or regulations on AGL, encompassing technical
requirements.

The best, comprehensive example that could be mentioned is

the impressive collection of specifications issued by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States of America.
They cover equipment, operation, maintenance, etc.

Except for the FAA, national regulations were in most cases

minimal and intended for public procurement purposes. This
was also applicable to European States.

The short history of a European initiative

Given the lack of European standards on AGL, The European
Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (Comité
Européen de Normalisation Electrotechnique CENELEC or
CLC), conducted a survey in the early 1990s to determine the
scope of existing National Standards or Rules on AGL within
every State, if any, and the need for them that was felt by
member States.

The absence of real National Standards gave birth to

CENELEC Task Force BTTF 72-3, responsible for the
development of European Standards in the field of AGL. The
background for the establishment of BTTF 72-3 was both the
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need expressed by the member States and the difficulties

experienced in applying existing standards, written for low
voltage installations, to the constant current series circuit.

BTTF 72-3 developed five ENV (European pre – standards)

before the ongoing work was transferred in 1995 to the recently
created IEC TC 97 as a result of agreements between both
International Electrotechnical Standardisation Organisations.

CENELEC BTTF 72-3 has become Technical Committee

number 97 (CLC TC 97) and is about to publish two new
European Standards: one on Selective switching and individual
monitoring of lights and the other on Advanced visual guidance
docking systems.

European Standards (EN) are in principle, voluntary. They could

become obligatory for certain organisations if they are given
that status by a European Directive. This is the case for EN’s on
AGL: as a result of Directives 93/38/CEE and 92/13/CEE, they
are obligatory for public procurement purposes.

Worldwide international standards: history and role of IEC

On 15 September 1904, delegates to the International Electrical

Congress, being held in St. Luis, USA, adopted a report that
included the following words: ”… steps should be taken to
secure the co-operation of the technical societies of the world,
by the appointment of a representative Commission to consider
the question of the standardisation of the nomenclature and
ratings of electrical apparatus and machinery”. As a result, the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) was officially
founded in 1906, in London, UK, where its central office was set
up. The first President of the IEC was British scientist Lord
Kelvin.
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In 1948, the IEC Central Office moved from London to Geneva,

Switzerland, where its field of action expanded to cover
electronic equipment.

International standards within the IEC are prepared by specific

Technical Committees (TC), which are assigned precise terms
of reference and where individuals appointed by their
respective National Electrotechnical Committees work in co-
operation.

IEC Standards are in principle, voluntary.

Technical Committee number 97 (TC 97), Electrical installations

for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes, was established in
1994, evolving from standardisation work in CENELEC Task
Force BTTF 72-3. According to its Strategic Policy Statement,
IEC TC 97:

is tasked with the preparation of international standards for the design, installation, operation and
maintenance of aeronautical ground lighting of aerodromes, with the caveat that operational
requirements for aeronautical ground lights are specified in Annex 14 to the Convention on
International Civil Aviation (Volume I, Aerodrome Design and Operations),

will not cover electrical installations already standardised by IEC TC 64, luminaires not used as
aeronautical ground lights standardised by IEC TC 34 and special cables for the constant current
series circuit standardised by IEC TC 20; and

covers requirements which apply to the whole system, from the incoming power to the aerodrome
up to and including the luminaires used in aeronautical ground lighting.

It is worth noting that many of the experts have been engaged

at the same time in work for both TC 97 and ICAO’s groups
dealing with visual aids.

IEC publications prepared by TC 97 and published so far are

listed below:
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Equipment specifications
IEC 61822, Electrical installations for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes – Constant Current
Regulators. (International Standard)

IEC 61823, Electrical installations for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes – AGL Series
Transformers. (International Standard)

IEC/TS 61827, Electrical installations for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes – Characteristics
of inset and elevated luminaires used on aerodromes and heliports (Technical Specification).

Operation and maintenance

IEC 61821, Electrical installations for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes – Maintenance of
aeronautical ground lighting constant current series circuits. (International Standard). This
international standard applies to the maintenance of AGL constant current series circuits and
concentrates on providing the appropriate safety procedures. It is mainly concerned with safety of
persons.

IEC/TS 62143, Electrical installations for lighting and beaconing of aerodromes – Aeronautical
ground lighting systems. Guidelines for the development of a safety life – cycle methodology.

This technical specification is based on the safety life – cycle

methodology described in IEC 61508.

According to the parallel voting procedure between IEC and

CLC, International Standards IEC 61822 and IEC 61823 have
been adopted as EN in the European Union. Hence they are to
be considered mandatory for public procurement purposes (see
end of 5.2 above).

Conclusion
The highest level of International Standards of AGL is the
competence of ICAO.

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IEC develops International Standards on AGL, containing

technical requirements. So does CENELEC within Europe.

International Standards are expected to be developed for the

future, concerning both operational and technical requirements,
in the field of electrical systems, new technologies in light
sources (such as LED) and, especially, Advanced Surface
Movement Guidance and Control Systems.

Ferran Balcells Serra

Ferran Balcells Serra Aeronautical Engineer (Faculty of
Aeronautical Engineering, Polytechnic University, Madrid, 1974)
Head of the Standardisation and Maintenance Division,
Directorate of Infrastructures Aena (Spanish Airports and Air
Navigation.

Member of the ICAO Visual Aids Working Group (VAWG).

Chairman of IEC TC 97.

Head of the Airport Visual Aids Laboratory and other similar

positions.

Involved in international standardisation as ICAO Visual Aids

Panel (VAP) member of the Airport Operations Group (AOPG)
of ICAO Europe and North Atlantic Region, member of
CENELEC BTTF 72-3 and IEC TC 97 from their early stages.

Ministry of Transport
Head of the Airport Visual Aids Laboratory. Responsible for
Studies, Projects and Standardisation (until the creation of
Aena, in 1991)

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Participating in international standardisation with regard to

visual aids in the Visual Aids Panel (VAP) of the International
Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Adviser to the VAP member
nominated by Spain since 1987.

Motor Ibérica S.A. (private automotive company)

Mechanical design engineer. Responsible for the design of
moving train and balancing units of reciprocating internal
combustion engines (until 1978).

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