Global Scene Magazine

There has been a lot of talk over which to be preferred hen it comes to be used for the purpose of obstruction lighting. Both ‘LED’s’ and ‘CFL’s’ have proved to be equally sufficient but there is a lot of uncertainty over the two as the advantages associated with both of the devices are many.

LED’s are quite gaining the acceptance that they deserve. They are basically light sources resembling a point that can be integrated into a circuit with a view to obtain the desired results. They have long been considered a way to help in the phasing out of the regular ‘incandescent’ light technology.

In an aircraft, they are used in the design of the main control panel where the application of other light sources would be too complicated.
LED’s are also used in the manufacturer of devices which form an integral part of the machinery used to provide signals to an aircraft for maneuvering procedures on the runway.

They have been very helpful in the design of technology enabling airports to run smoothly without a hassle. They have the ability to withstand a high degree of variation in temperature and can still work efficiently when subjected to extreme conditions.
But there are a significant number of disadvantages associated to these light sources as well.

Some of the features that make them a tad difficult to be used in every application related to aviation technology are as follows. LED’s are costly. The process of manufacture is complicated, which in turn make them a component for which one has to shell out a lot. Further, they are not able to produce a very high degree of luminance. Being point devices, they can only show optimum performance, after being integrated in a circuit by the dozen.