The Top Dialight Products Powering Aerospace Safety

Pilots, air traffic controllers, and ground personnel all depend on large obstructions or those located near flight paths being marked with lighting that is both highly visible and standardized. At the same time, the manufacturers who make obstruction lights must account for strict environmental, regulatory, and maintenance constraints. Against this backdrop, Dialight has built a strong reputation in industrial, hazardous, signal, and optoelectronic lighting applications, with particular recognition in the aviation sector for its obstruction lighting systems. In this blog, we will examine how Dialight addresses the demanding regulatory requirements imposed on obstruction and their portfolio of renowned obstruction lighting.

How Dialight Meets Requirements for Aviation Obstruction Lighting

In the United States, obstruction lighting is governed primarily by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with 14 CFR Part 77 mandating lighting for structures exceeding 200 feet above ground level or for shorter structures located near airports and flight paths. Moreover, Advisory Circular AC 150/5345-43G specifies chromaticity, beam spread, flash rate, and other such requirements for high-intensity systems (L-856), medium-intensity red and dual systems (L-864 / L-865), and low-intensity markers (L-810).

Internationally, similar mandates are outlined in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 14 for global aviation standards, Transport Canada CAR 621.19 for Canadian airspace, and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Australia. Overall, such standards are put in place to avoid the risk of midair collisions and guarantee that these systems are visible in day, twilight, and night conditions. As a result, all obstruction lighting manufacturers are expected to demonstrate important criteria like:

• Intensity and Visibility: As we briefly mentioned, obstruction lights are categorized as high, medium, or low intensity to meet different specifications for structure height, location, and proximity to flight paths. For example, taller structures may demand high-intensity white strobes during the day, while lower structures might only require low-intensity red markers at night.
• Beam Spread: Lighting systems must provide uniform coverage across specified vertical and horizontal angles for visibility from a wide range of pilot approach paths. However, to prevent disturbance and comply with strict emission limits, rules like the 10° below-horizon cutoff established by the FAA are in place to prevent excessive ground scatter and light pollution.
• Chromaticity: For red obstruction lights, the FAA requires emission within the ICAO red chromaticity boundary that is approximately 610–700 nm for instantaneous recognition. Meanwhile, both FAA AC 150/5345-43G and ICAO Annex 14 specify white strobe chromaticity coordinates that fall within a narrow zone on the CIE 1931 color space to prevent obscurity against sky or terrain backgrounds.
• Flash Rate: For strobes, regulations define strict flash rates to balance pilot visibility with the need to avoid distraction or confusion with other signals. This rate is often around 20–60 flashes per minute depending on light type.
• Environmental Performance: Given their placement on exposed structures, obstruction lights should remain fully functional even under conditions like vibration, precipitation, lightning strikes, and extreme temperature ranges.

Dialight’s Vigilant® obstruction lighting line meets all of these goals, being fully certified under FAA, ICAO, and Transport Canada standards.

Notable Dialight Products

Vigilant® LED High Intensity Obstruction Lights (L-856 / L-864)

The Vigilant® LED high intensity obstruction lights are engineered for the tallest structures, such as broadcast towers, industrial chimneys, and large wind turbines. Their output is carefully tuned to settings of 270,000 candela for FAA white daytime operation, 200,000 candela for ICAO daytime standards, 20,000 candela for twilight conditions, and 2,000 candela for white or red nighttime operation.

In addition, these lights incorporate integrated surge and lightning protection systems to guard against strikes and electrical disturbances common at the heights where these units are installed. Their compact flash heads are also designed with a reduced surface area, which lessens wind resistance and the resulting structural stress on towers or masts.

Vigilant® Medium Intensity Dual / Red Only (L-864 / L-865)

Designed for mid-height structures, the Vigilant® medium intensity dual and red-only obstruction are deployed on mid-sized towers, buildings near established flight paths, and secondary navigational markers where visibility is necessary but extremely high daytime intensity is not. Able to operate in either red or white modes, some models even offer infrared output for use with the night vision imaging systems (NVIS) employed in military aircraft and specialized aviation operations. Moreover, the lights are engineered with 360-degree optical coverage for uniform visibility from any approach angle.

Vigilant® Low Intensity Obstruction Lights (L-810)

At the lower end of the intensity spectrum, the Vigilant® low intensity obstruction lights are designed to output around 32 candela to meet FAA and ICAO standards or 100 candela to satisfy CASA requirements. Despite their smaller scale and less imperative function compared to the other lights in this line, they are still carefully designed to withstand vibration, shock, and severe weather. Additionally, their compact design lessens wind loading and simplifies installation. Typically, these products are used for smaller structures or as side markers on taller installations where high- or medium-intensity systems are unnecessary.

Explore Our Range of Dialight Products on Instant Parts Delivery

In summary, Dialight is trusted in the aerospace sector because they offer a full toolbox for massive tower installations and smaller side-markers alike, with all of their obstruction lighting solutions designed to meet rigorous standards set by multiple authorities. When safety is non-negotiable, procuring genuine, compliant lighting assets from reliable manufacturers like Dialight is imperative. To source such parts, turn to Instant Parts Delivery. 

On this ASAP Semiconductor platform, you can access a wide array of authentic Dialight products and other aviation components from trusted entities. Aside from a steadfast commitment to providing quality items, we also aim to benefit all customers with competitively-priced, rapid fulfillment options that address their unique constraints. To see how we can optimally serve all of your procurement needs, check out our selection and get in touch with our team at any time.