Dual mode pilot director light utilizing visible and infrared light emitting diodes (leds)

A dual mode pilot director light (PDL) apparatus mounted on a refueling tanker aircraft for directing a pilot in an approaching aircraft, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more light emitting devices, each including a first visible light emitting diode (LED) light source and a second infrared (IR) LED light source, wherein the light emitting devices are controllable to selectively use either the first LED light source in a standard mode or the second LED light source in a covert mode, wherein at least one of the light emitting devices is configured to emit a sheet of light, through a corresponding lens, to the pilot when a fuel receptacle of the approaching aircraft is aligned with a boom envelope associated with the refueling tanker aircraft, and wherein the at least one of the light emitting devices is configured so that the emitted sheet of light striates as the fuel receptacle moves out of alignment with the boom envelope.

A dual mode pilot director light (PDL) apparatus mounted on a refueling tanker aircraft for directing a pilot in an approaching aircraft, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more light emitting devices, each including a first visible light emitting diode (LED) light source and a second infrared (IR) LED light source, at least one light emitting device emitting a light pattern that provides positional feedback to the pilot in the approaching aircraft, wherein the pilot's perception of the light pattern changes as the approaching aircraft's relative position changes, thereby providing the positional feedback to the pilot, and wherein the LED light source of at least one of the light emitting devices includes one or more modules of LEDs, each of the LEDs including a narrow angle emitter for emitting light, and wherein the light emitting devices are controllable to selectively use either the first LED light source in a standard mode or the second LED light source in a covert mode.