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What the law asks of the lighting at a landing site at night, and what the CAA says about perimeter lights, floodlights, wind indicators and obstacle lights.
Article 210 of the Air Navigation Order 2016 gives three jobs for the lights: let the pilot identify the landing area from the air, judge the landing direction, and make a safe approach, landing and take-off. Read in the source
CAP 3043 adds that the regulations give no guidance on which lights are needed, leaving it to the operator and the CAA to judge what is “adequate” (1.5), and that adequacy can be subjective, so every operator should use article 210 as the guide to the minimum (2.34). We found no colours, spacing or brightness figures for a private site in CAP 3043. Read in the source
The CAA publishes detailed lighting schemes for two other kinds of landing area. They are the closest UK reference for a private site, but they are written for hospitals and for offshore platforms and are not rules for private sites. CAP 1264 itself says much of its good practice can apply to any unlicensed site, and points to CAP 3043 and ICAO Annex 14 Volume II as well. Read in the source
| Item | What the CAA hospital guide (CAP 1264) says |
|---|---|
| Perimeter lights | Green, visible from all directions, no more than 3 m apart, no higher than 25 cm. Intensity table: at least 30 cd and not more than 60 cd at low angles. |
| Mark on the surface | A lit touchdown/positioning circle (yellow) and lit green cross chevrons in the full scheme; the shorter scheme for ground-level pads omits one of the two, not both. |
| Raised fittings | An onshore lit “H” is avoided because raised fittings could snag skids. |
| Obstacle lights | Steady, low-intensity red, visible from all directions. Floodlighting of an obstacle such as a tree is allowed if it does not glare. |
| Wind indicator | At least one; a windsock at least 1.2 m long; lit if used at night, from inside or outside, without glare to the pilot. |
The offshore standard (CAP 437) uses green omnidirectional perimeter lights not more than 3 m apart, low-intensity steady red obstruction lights, and a flashing red status light that means do not land. Whether its green perimeter lights are steady was not stated in the part we read. Verify
Floodlights are not a good primary guide. CAP 1264 (4.17 to 4.19) says floodlighting at deck level can cause glare, loss of night vision and a “black hole” effect around the landing area, and can make the perimeter lights harder to see. It recommends floodlights are switched off for the whole approach, landing and take-off unless the aircrew ask, that they must not dazzle a seated pilot and that they can be switched at the pilot’s request. CAP 437 says the same for offshore. Read in the source
For an owner: point any floodlight away from the approach, shield it, and have someone ready to turn it off on the pilot’s call. The guidance describes hospital and offshore sites, so ask the operator what suits your site.
Where a heliport is licensed, CAP 168 covers a lit aiming point: three white lights at the triangle points and three in the centre of the bars (7.319 to 7.324), and, for night training at an aerodrome, a six-light aiming point of white omnidirectional lights (6.14). Read in the source CAP 3043 (1.8) records that many operators use portable lighting to show the aiming point of the landing area and obstructions. Read in the source
ICAO Annex 14 Volume II (Heliports) and the Heliport Manual (Doc 9261) are the international standard behind the CAA schemes. They are sold by ICAO and we could not read the primary text. We do not give figures from them. The CAA documents above say they follow it. Verify
We found nothing in the documents we read about temporary or portable lights in the ICAO text. Verify
In the CAA’s hospital heliport guide (CAP 1264) and its offshore helideck standard (CAP 437) perimeter lights are green and visible from all directions. These are not rules for private sites. For a private site the CAA only gives the purposes the lighting must serve.
Floodlights can dazzle a pilot and hide the perimeter lights. The CAA says in CAP 1264 that they are a poor primary cue, must not dazzle the pilot, and should be switchable at the pilot’s request, and that they may be left off during the approach and landing. These are hospital guidance, so ask the operator about your own site.
CAP 1264 says a windsock used at night should be lit, from inside or outside, without causing glare to the pilot. It is hospital guidance. CAP 3043 does not set a standard for a private site.
For hospital heliports CAP 1264 refers to steady, low-intensity red lights visible from all directions. Floodlighting of an obstacle such as a tree is allowed if it does not glare. A private site follows what the operator asks for.
Where a line is tagged Verify we could not read the primary text, or the source does not state it. Treat it as unconfirmed until you have checked.
