Dialight Vigilant™ Series High Intensity L-856 LED Strobe Achieves FAA Certification

Marking a major milestone in LED obstruction lighting, Dialight have announced that its new Vigilant™ Series L-856 High Intensity Strobe has been certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for use on towers, smokestacks and chimneys in excess of 500 feet tall. The Dialight product is the first of its kind to achieve FAA certification and Dialight is now the first ever to offer a complete line of all LED-based FAA-certified aircraft obstruction lighting.

As the first installation of a FAA certified, all LED high-intensity strobe system in the world, the Vigilant Series L-856 will be installed on a 1,200 foot C-4 communications tower operated by a public television network. The change out from Xenon technology will be performed through Slatercom-WCD, Dialight’s distribution partner based in Salem, Ore.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, some 27 fines were imposed on operators between January 2008 and August 2010 for failed lighting, improper monitoring of lighting and/or improperly painted communications towers alone, totaling nearly $300,000 in fines. In addition, the cost to repaint A-style towers can top $20,000 every 3-5 years.

Designed to replace traditional Xenon technology, the Dialight L-856 offers a dramatic maintenance savings over existing systems, with at least 10 years of worry-free operation. Backed by Dialight’s 5-year full-performance warranty, the Vigilant Series L-856 eliminates the need for frequent bulb changes, tower painting and the risk of hefty FAA fines for failed lighting common with other systems.

“This product superbly leverages Dialight’s industry-leading LED technology to solve a vexing problem for tower and smokestack operators across the country who must contend with exceptionally high costs and safety risks in maintaining their obstruction systems,” said Roy Burton, Dialight’s Group Chief Executive. “It debuted to rave reviews at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas this spring with operators there touting its exceptional reliability, vibration resistance and low RFI interference, in addition to the tremendous maintenance savings.”

The L-856 High Intensity system leverages the same renowned patented reflector-based optics design found in the Dialight L-864 and L-865 medium-intensity system, which boasts the largest installed base of LED obstruction lighting in the country. With superior optics, the Dialight systems reduce unnecessary light pollution and ground scatter while still meeting the FAA’s stringent light intensity requirements. The product also meets ICAO requirements for Europe.

Ruggedized for harsh conditions, the L-856 High Intensity Beacon is designed for operation in ambient temperature range of -40C to +55C and is highly resistant to lightning, vibration and shock.

The Dialight system is also compatible with third-party synchronization/controller systems, including interfacing with medium-intensity antenna obstruction lighting for communication towers.