Position and Anticollision Lights - Fixed-Wing Aircraft ARP991C

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4271/ARP991C

Issuing Committee: A-20B Exterior Lighting Committee

Publisher: SAE International

Pages: 6

Rationale: This document is to provide the minimum design requirements with regards to Position and Anticollision light systems on fixed-wing aircraft. The minimum levels stated in this document are significantly above the minimum requirements outlined in the CFR publications. The rationale for this is to take into account real life factors that can impact the overall lighting output of the assembly (i.e., dirt, lamp degradation, etc.). New light assemblies should never be designed to meet the minimum requirements. In addition, with the use of LEDs as replacements for filtered incandescent lamps and strobe tubes, the design requirements need to be higher since LED assemblies do not have a single point failure mode like a burnt-out lamp but have degraded performance with some of the individual LEDs failing while the majority of LEDs continuing to operate. This degraded performance mode inherent with most LED assemblies shows the need to have higher initial design requirements to overcome the loss of some LEDs until the operator can make a determination to remove and replace the entire assembly.