Airport and runway laser lighting method

Abstract

FAA regulations mandate that a pilot must have sufficient visibility to see the airport, and then the runway before landing; and sufficient visibility to see a substantial portion of the runway before taking off. In adverse weather conditions when visibility is reduced flights are cancelled, delayed, and rerouted to land where visibility is adequate. Poor visibility is one of the major causes of air traffic fatalities. One aspect of this invention discloses a method of illuminating an aircraft landing location to facilitate identification and aircraft guidance thereto comprising the following steps: projecting a laser beam upwardly from the location so that an aircraft may be better able to target the landing location particularly in conditions of poor visibility. A preferred aspect of this invention provides for a method as above wherein the landing location comprises a runway and wherein the laser beam is projected upwardly from the runway and in a direction of the approach to the runway so that aircraft wanting to land can be guided to the runway. Most preferably the beam oscillates up and down so that generally a triangular wall of light is projected. With two beams, each projected from an opposite side of the runway and each projecting upwardly, towards the approach to the runway, and slightly away from a centerline of the runway side portions of a funnel indicating an approach to the runway may be projected.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.