Month: January 2021

Your ultimate guide to airfield ground lighting

Airplane passengers will have noticed the vast amount of lights when taking off or landing. If you aren’t in the field of aviation, you may wonder what all of these lights are for.

One fascinating fact is that the color and configuration of airfield lighting is universal. Whether you’re at JFK in New York, London Heathrow, or Dubai International Airport, the lights will be the same. This has a profound impact on safety – pilots know what to expect and how to read the lights, regardless of where they are in the world. So what are all these lights and what do they do?

Runway lighting

The runway is the path an airplane follows for take-off or landing. Next time you’re waiting for take-off and it’s dark, you might spot lines of white lights that transition to a warm yellow color. These are runway edge lights. This lighting marks the runway’s edge and guides pilots during approach and landing. They are usually used when it’s dark or visibility is poor. The color change marks the departure end of the runway. Runway edge lights are usually spaced around 60 meters apart.

You might also notice red and green lights at either end of the runway. These lights are known as runway end lights and are frequently elevated for maximum visibility. The approach end is marked by green lights, whereas the red lights are located at the departure end, and are a signal to pilots that this is the end of the runway.

The third type of runway lighting is runway guard lights, yellow lights that may be elevated and flashing, or maybe a row of embedded lights. They mark every intersection between the runway and taxiway – essential for guaranteeing safety with multiple aircraft moving on the ground.

Taxiway lighting

Taxiways allow airplanes to move from the landing point to hangars or terminal buildings. The vibrant blue lights you’ll see are taxiway edge lights. Similar to runway edge lights, they mark the edge of the taxiway. They are typically spaced between 15 and 60 meters apart.

For airfields with low visibility, these lights are frequently accompanied by green or blue centreline lighting. If visibility is good but flights operate at night, these two types of lighting may also be combined.

Stop bar lights

When you notice a row of steadily burning red lights, embedded into the pavement across the entire airfield, you’ve caught sight of the stop bar lights. Elevated red lights can also be used for low visibility conditions. These lights are controlled and indicate that the aircraft should wait. Once air traffic control gives clearance, the stop bar lights are turned off and the taxiway centreline’s lead on lights turn on instead. This indicates to the pilot that they may depart.

Essential safety tools

It’s clear that airfield lighting is vital for aircraft to take off, land, and taxi safely. As airports become modernized and more aircraft pass through, specialized airfield ground lighting becomes more important as an essential safety tool. Next time you’re about to take a flight, you can be confident that the lights you see are keeping you and your fellow passengers safe.

 

Like many industries, the aerospace industry is currently facing a series of unprecedented challenges. If businesses want to survive the pandemic, it is imperative that they work to improve their operational efficiency.

 

Respond to the latest industry changes

 

Aerospace industries are facing significant challenges in the face of the covid-19 pandemic. An unstable economic climate and the imposition of varying restrictions around the world are making it more important than ever that businesses leverage every piece of technology available to them to help them manage. Responding quickly and decisively to the ever-changing circumstances that face the industry today is essential for any business that wants to survive.

 

Customer numbers might be down, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be striving to provide the best service possible. In fact, given the concerns travellers have about the covid-19 pandemic, good customer service will count for a lot. There is a range of new technology available to aerospace businesses and airports that enable them to provide a safe travel experience regardless of the pandemic.

 

Implement systems for holistic quality management

 

Some of the most decisive factors in determining the quality of service and operational efficiency that aerospace businesses can achieve are the maintenance of parts, rates of materials failure, and supply chains. The products and equipment that aerospace businesses rely on have a unique life cycle and need to be managed properly if they are to survive.

 

Every aerospace business should have a robust policy in place for ensuring they stay on top of their maintenance and servicing. This doesn’t just apply to the planes and other vehicles. IT systems, digital infrastructure, and software systems all need to be properly maintained as well.

 

Rethink your technology acquisition process

 

It is hard to overstate how much of a difference having the right technology on your side can make to any aerospace business’s operational efficiency. Every competent aerospace manager knows that technology is important, but acquiring the right technology is about more than just making sure you have the required funds available. To maximise the efficiency of your operations, you need to have a streamlined process in place to take you from identifying areas where your business can benefit from technology to acquiring and installing the best available technology to suit your needs.

 

In this regard, you need to strike a balance between remaining agile and ensuring that your decision-making processes are robust. By simplifying your decision-making procedures and reducing them to just the most essential considerations, you can make decisions quickly and accurately. Reducing internal bureaucracy will mean that decisions are made quickly and decisively, and you don’t waste time navigating arbitrary hurdles.

 

It has never been more important for aerospace businesses to focus on maximising their operational efficiency. In the current climate, the industry cannot afford to be complacent. Travellers are wary of going to an airport and getting on a plane, and governments around the world are constantly opening and closing their borders. In times like these, any wasted time and money will have a disproportionate effect on aerospace businesses. The only businesses that stand a chance of surviving the pandemic are those that streamline their operations and respond quickly to changing circumstances.

Navigation as the crucial part in the transportation industry and in the airports

Navigation is one of the most vital aspects of not only airports but the entire transport industry as a whole. There is a huge range of technologies used in not only the flight of aircraft but finding their way to a safe landing too. Here are just a few of the technologies, and what they’re used for.

 

First amongst these technologies is the Instrument Landing Systems, also known as ILS. These include Glidepath, a localiser and markers, all of which make the process of landing an aircraft much easier than it would be otherwise. All of these highly complex technologies work in tandem to ensure that pilots are able to keep their passengers safe and secure. Here at Bayanat Engineering, these systems are designed and built to be as safe as can be, providing a happy landing every time. Non Directional Beacons (NDB) also help in this regard, letting pilots know when they’re approaching the airport.

 

Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) works at both short and long ranges. In the same way as ILS, landings can be assisted by distances being measured accurately so a pilot isn’t encouraged to make a landing either too early or too late. Additionally, on long-range flights, DME can be extremely useful to establish how long might be left in your flight. Along with satellite-based navigation systems such as GBAS and SBAS, your flight is tracked throughout the skies to ensure that every step of the way, you’re in safe hands and air traffic control on the ground know exactly where you are.

 

On the airport’s end, including at Qatar’s own Hamad International Airport, Doppler VHF Omni-Directional Range (DVOR) systems are often employed to keep track of aircraft along their routes. These systems emit omnidirectional signals from ground beacons and can pinpoint an aircraft’s location up to 200 miles from the transmitter. Their high frequency does, however, mean that line of sight is needed to be reliable, so this type of system can be ineffective in certain mountainous areas. A more accurate version of this is TACAN (tactical air navigation) but this is typically reserved for military uses rather than civilian aircraft.

 

VDF, or VHF direction finding, works in tandem with DVOR systems to help to establish the location of individual planes. These can include the bearings of the aircraft, establishing the range and direction at which an aircraft is located. Systems such as these working together have always been key to the operations of the air industry, and the number of systems working together means that there is always a failsafe.

 

By combining all of these technologies, an airport is able to work in collaboration with every individual plane and helicopter, with each and every bit of technology refined to the point where their collaboration is effortless. All of this concludes in a successful flight, with passengers not even noticing the successes of technology that have allowed a smooth and safe flight.

 

For more information on aeronautical technologies, whether they be weather forecasting, navigational or based around communications, get in touch with Bayanat Engineering. Our team of experts are proud to supply a range of technologies to airports which help airlines to thrive in their roles.

Common misconceptions about air traffic control systems

Air traffic control systems and the people who operate them often go unnoticed by airline passengers interested in reaching their destinations as quickly as possible. Indeed, the work of air traffic controllers only tends to be considered when flights are delayed or cancelled, meaning they are often scapegoated and underappreciated. The reality is that air traffic communications work smoothly and efficiently most of the time thanks to highly sophisticated technologies and the hard work of airline staff.

 

To help you separate fact from fiction when it comes to the role of air traffic control systems, we’ve busted a few common misconceptions below.

 

Myth #1: Air traffic control rooms are populated by a small handful of workers

 

In Hollywood films, air traffic control rooms are often depicted as cramped spaces full of stressed and overworked people. This couldn’t be further from the truth. There are often hundreds of people managing the country’s skies at any one time, based across a number of air traffic facilities.

 

The job of these controllers is to offer directions to individual pilots to ensure that aircraft are adequately distanced from one another. They are tasked with guiding aircraft during take-off and landing, as well as taxiing to the relevant gate. What’s more, each controller is assigned a small slice of airspace over which they have a responsibility, meaning that the work is divided into manageable chunks.

 

Myth #2: Near misses are common

 

On the rare occasion that an accident or mishap occurs within the aviation industry, social media commentators and sometimes news sources often start speculating about the prevalence of near misses. Whilst they do indeed happen, they are very rare.

 

Air traffic control technologies are designed to spot any issues early on and the global air traffic control system is highly interconnected, meaning the chances of a mistake are fairly low. What’s more, it is important to note that there are many layers of assurance checks involved with controlling the skies and that air traffic collision avoidance systems (TCAS) have become very technologically sophisticated. This means that pilots are warned of nearby aircraft well in advance and are able to avoid midair collisions calmly and smoothly.

 

It should also be noted that near misses are defined as any loss of separation between aircraft. This means that aircraft could be many miles apart and still be classified as experiencing a near miss.

 

Myth #3: Air traffic controllers require high-level qualifications

 

While it is certainly an advantage to possess a strong degree when applying to become an air traffic controller, suitability for the job is usually judged on a person’s aptitude for spatial awareness, multi-tasking, and problem-solving. The application process is very rigorous, and the most successful candidates are often those who possess innate analytical skills.

 

Myth #4: It is the sole job of air traffic controllers to help aircraft land safely

 

Generally speaking, the pilot has the ultimate authority when it comes to landing an aircraft safely, with air traffic controllers on hand to offer advice. On very rare occasions, pilots flying through very difficult weather with restricted visibility may rely on air traffic control to give them precise instructions for a smooth landing.

 

 

Why body temperature solutions are a new norm for the world

Since the start of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, we’ve all been searching for ways to operate safely and securely. One of the most prominent queries in this goal is how we can travel while minimising the risk of virus transmission.

 

Here at Bayanat Engineering, we’ve been looking at how we can measure the human body’s temperature to reduce transmission risk at airports. Let’s take a look at why body temperature solutions are so essential for the future of safe air travel and a new norm for the world.

 

Measuring body temperature and COVID-19

 

There are a variety of symptoms that patients exhibit with COVID-19, including a persistent dry cough, a loss or change in your sense of taste and smell, and a raised temperature. The Journal of Hospital Infection notes that those infected with the coronavirus will have a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or higher.

 

By identifying people with such fevers in public spaces like airports, businesses can help prevent the virus from spreading to other passengers and staff members. This strategy is useful for tracking people’s symptoms in large crowds, or if they’re towards the start of their infection before they notice some of the other signs of the virus.

 

As such a vital and measurable sign in identifying infected persons, body temperature solutions are already becoming normalised across the world.

The Bayanat Engineering solution

 

While many vendors are advocating the use of hand-held devices to measure body temperature, these have limited use in screening one person at a time. Their readings are also frequently inaccurate, making it difficult to identify those carrying the virus.

Here at Bayanat Engineering, we have developed Cantronics technology, providing accurate data in a user-friendly interface. As pioneers in this latest technology, Bayanat Engineering brings over 40 years of experience in developing the new addition to airports and industrial sectors alike. These devices, designed for mass screening, can identify the raised body temperatures out of large crowds, covering hundreds of people per minute with a 99.5% accuracy. As a fixed system and long-term solution, it saves time and resources, leaving no room for human error.

 

What’s more, these scanners using Cantronics are simple to integrate with third-party health monitoring software, such as Ehteraz. It’s capabilities like these that make this body temperature solution so beneficial to a variety of sectors as a convenient and safe option.

 

Case study: Hamad International Airport

 

In March 2020, Bayanat Engineering was awarded a three-month project by Qatar Airways to supply and install infrared thermal body scanners at Hamad International Airport to help prevent the spread of the virus.

 

Completing the project in two months, Bayanat Engineering supplied, installed and commissioned an M3000N Dual Vision Network Thermal Imaging Camera System using Cantronics technology which allowed for mass scanning with real-time data. The system had a 60-day storage capacity for the camera visuals and used an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for continuous screening. With the high accuracy of the Cantronics technology, the result was efficient and secure for staff and passengers alike.