Research and development of a new heliport lighting system with implications for further research

In the past, the majority of helicopter precision instrument approaches were conducted to a runway utilizing the Instrument Landing System (ILS). Recent developments in the Global Positioning System will soon make it possible to shoot precision instrument approaches to every airport and heliport without the use of the ILS. This should greatly expand the roles in which helicopters are used today. To support the growth in precision instrument procedures that will accompany the expansion, a new heliport lighting system has been developed. The proposed lighting system is simple, compact, and affordable. It is composed of fewer lights than the previous systems, requires less space, and can be adapted to existing helipads.