Torres Strait – Low Intensity LED runway lighting
Torres Strait – Low Intensity LED runway lighting
There are a group of 274 small islands which lie in Torres Strait and Air transport plays an important role in connecting these island communities with each other and with the Australian mainland. Due to its remote location, with Cairns being the closest mainland city located approximately 1,000 kilometres away, and the separation of the Torres Strait island communities from each other, the Torres Strait is heavily dependent on air transport for the delivery of a wide range of essential goods and services. The primary airport in the Torres Strait is on Horn Island which serves as the regional transport hub for the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula Area (Cape York) region. Horn Island airport is owned and operated by the Torres Shire Council, which has primary responsibility for its operation, maintenance and development. The airport is a certified aerodrome regulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
As part of the modernisation of the air bridge between the island and the mainland the airports of decided to improve the airfield lighting at several on the key airstrips in the region, namely Badu, Saibai, Masig islands. The operation of the airstrips, is mainly from dawn till dusk but the advantage of having additional lighting helps to slightly extend these hours.
The selected lighting requirement for the airstrips was low intensity category and the equipment that was to be installed must be in-compliance with the CASA regulations, and certified to MOS 139.
Utilising the IR900 range of LED fixtures, atg airports have supplied the three airports with the total solution to meet the requirements of the project comprising the following applications; Inset Runway Threshold (IR901L), Elevated Outer Threshold (IR902L), Inset Runway End (IR905L), Elevated Runway Edge (IR908L), and Inset Runway Edge (IR909L). The products supplied were a mixture of inset and elevated fixtures, and were powered by a standard 6.6amp circuit. All the associated equipment required for the installation, isolating transformers, seating pots, cable joints, were also dispatched to site. On completion of the installation a full lighting check and correct operation from the localised switch control panel was conducted to ensure the installation was as per the requirements and ready for operation.
The project time scales were extremely tight, and to further complicate the supply chain, the fixtures had to be routed via Australia and meet a critical date ready for onward shipping in specially charted aircraft.
