AMT_June-July_2021 - 15

Advances in LED technology are making exterior lighting
systems more intelligent, efficient and reliable than
ever, increasing pilot visibility and operational
safety while driving down maintenance costs.
by Laurie Weller
F
rom navigation, taxi and landing to
anti-collision, cargo, service, wheel
well and more, the list of exterior lighting
systems for commercial aircraft is
expansive - and for good reason. An
aircraft's exterior lighting is critical to
operational safety. So, what are the
latest lighting technologies keeping travelers
safe today and what do top providers in this
market see as the next big thing?
" Exterior lighting technology has evolved over
time from halogen, xenon and fluorescent to LED, "
said Brandie Maxwell, lighting product director for
Honeywell Aerospace. " LED was first introduced in
position lights in the early 2000s and today the industry
continues to experience advances in LED technology
with LEDs becoming more and more efficient. "
Jérôme Rame, general manager for Safran
Electronics & Defense Cockpit Solutions, cites several
factors that have made LED technology the industry
standard for exterior lighting today, including " optical
performance, power consumption, reliability and
maintenance costs, " he said. " In addition, LED offers
the following possibilities: combination of several
functions in one light for external lights, simplification
of the dimming capabilities and optimization
of the integration. "
" The LED luminous efficacy, or lumens per watt,
has made significant advances over the last few
decades, " said Steve North, business development
manager for Oxley, Inc. " Twenty years ago, a substantial
number, even hundreds, of LEDs were needed
to provide enough light to replace a typical navigation
or anti-collision light filament bulb or xenon
flash tube. Today, fewer than 10 LEDs can replace
a flash tube and two LEDs can replace a filament
bulb navigation light. "
Andre Hessling, senior technical fellow for Collins
Aerospace, sees the technology advancing as well,
with lights becoming smaller, easier to integrate and
smarter in terms of their ability to predict maintenance
needs, track changing environmental conditions
and adapt to them.
What's driving innovation today, he says, " is a deep
understanding of what the industry wants to achieve,
which is improving the pilot's vision in adverse
weather conditions. More light is not always better.
If you are driving through heavy fog, you don't turn
on the high beams. So, we are focused on improving
safety through smart application of lighting. "
Migrating to Longer-Lasting LEDs
While it is standard practice today to equip new
production aircraft with external LED lighting systems,
the majority of fielded aircraft still operate
with legacy exterior lights.
" Without question, the legacy lighting technology,
incandescent and xenon, are largest by number of
installations simply based on the number of years
they have been in service, " said Ryan Edmark, director
of sales for AeroLEDs. " However, by new production
aircraft standards, it is LED-derived lights that
own the majority. "
Maxwell added, " The upfront cost of halogen lights
is low and it's easy to find quick replacements. But
LEDs require lower power to perform the same functions
with a longer life - of 10 to 100 times - and
in some cases at a lower weight. "
There are still use cases for halogen lights, though,
on commercial aircraft. " In environments with
extreme temperatures that exceed 130 degrees, for
example, LED is not the right solution, " said Hessling.
" Halogen is not as temperature sensitive. "
www.AviationPros.com 15
An aircraft's exterior
lighting is critical to
operational safety.
AEROLEDS
http://www.AviationPros.com
AMT_June-July_2021

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