FAA standards

When building or maintaining a tall structure – such as a wind turbine, chimney or broadcasting tower – you have to take into consideration the needs and opinions of various stakeholders, and a number of safety standards have to be met. The FAA standards (Federal Aviation Authority) regulate the safety of air traffic in the USA. These standards mandate the use of Aviation Obstruction Lighting systems to visually mark high-rise structures.

Orga specialises in Aviation Obstruction Lighting and offers solutions to help you comply with FAA and other (worldwide) regulations.

What is in the FAA standards?

The FAA standards prescribe lighting schemes that make sure tall obstructions in the landscape are safely marked and thus clearly visible to passing air traffic. The lights prescribed use high-performance optics, making them visible from miles away. The precise Obstruction Lighting Requirements are published by the FAA in Advisory Circulars and Engineering Briefs. Each addresses specific topics:

Advisory Circular AC No. 70/7460-1
Obstruction Marking and Lighting

Advisory Circular AC No. 150/5345-43
Specifications for Obstruction Lighting equipment

Advisory Circular AC No. 15-/5345-53
Airport Lighting Equipment Certification Program

Schematic visual of the FAA standards. (look At ITL, flash, etc.)

Upcoming changes in the FAA standards

Countries can choose to adopt the ICAO SARPs, or can choose to create their own variation on them. Countries can also develop their own set of national regulations. This means that the ICAO SARPs are international guidelines. The system you need to comply with depends on where your windfarm, chimney, broadcasting or telecommunications tower is situated.

Upcoming changes in the FAA standards

Regulations and standards evolve over time. New technologies and insights are sometimes adopted to keep the standards up to date. A new addition to the FAA standards is the Engineering Brief EB 98. In this update the FAA proposes additional requirements for InfraRed emitters for obstruction lights using Light Emitting Diodes (LED). These additional requirements will be mandatory in the USA with the next release of the AC 15-/5345-43J.

Working with us

At Orga we are experts with respect to the safe marking of aviation obstructions. We know worldwide regulations like the back of our hand. With our knowledge and 45 years of optical experience, we have developed an array of products and solutions that can help certify your project/assets anywhere in the USA, in an effective and cost-efficient way.

Overview of our obstruction lighting products