# HO scale Helipad



## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

After having this helipad sit on the layout for some time, I finally got around to wiring it and lighting it up. Some time and some 16 gauge wire later, voila!

















Now the pilots can land properly at night :laugh:

-J.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

:smilie_daumenpos::smilie_daumenpos:


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

You need to shine the lights more toward the ground. They would blind a pilot in a real aircraft. Looks good though.Pete


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## Mr.Buchholz (Dec 30, 2011)

norgale said:


> You need to shine the lights more toward the ground. They would blind a pilot in a real aircraft.


I thought about that. I even had lesser powered lights in there at first, but I didn't like the look. I'm not putting any more lighting on the board for now anyways (unless it's a battery powered unit under a warehouse). 

Besides, the pilots used to land in complete darkness 

-J.


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## golfermd (Apr 19, 2013)

Very cool!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

They do look bright in the one picture. 
You better watch that they don't melt the whirlybird.:thumbsup:

Lights are now recommended to be white. 
Yellow (amber) was the former standard and is still preferred in many locations. There is a great deal of variance in color depending on the owner and jurisdiction. 

Lights used to be mainly incandescent but a lot are now light emitting diodes (LED) with brightness control. 
I guess during clear weather they turn them down and for fog or rain weather they brighten them up?


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## norgale (Apr 4, 2011)

Choppers don't need field lights because they all have landing lights hung on their bottoms somewhere. Ground lights are there to mark the periphery of the landing area like on a runway. Fixed wings need the runway lights to line up their approach but have wing landing lights to help the pilot gauge the distance to the ground as he lands. No pilot would like to land at night without any lights although it would be safer in a chopper than in a fixed wing. Pete


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