Air Ambulance Operator – Introduction of Pilot Controlled Lighting

Background and requirement 

To enhance safe operations outside of normal airport operating hours, an Air Ambulance Operator had a requirement for Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) to be implemented at a UK Regional Airport.  The PCL system allows the pilot to activate the Aeronautical Ground Lighting (AGL) by keying a designated radio frequency when approaching the airfield. Once activated, the pilot can adjust the AGL lighting intensity to accommodate the prevailing weather conditions. The activated AGL will stay on, for a set period of time, during which the aircraft will land. Current Civil Aviation Authority regulations only allow PCL to be used by emergency services. 

Approach 

Working with the equipment suppliers, ATC staff and pilots, Sagentia Aviation developed the Safety Argument for a PCL upgrade to the existing AGL Control System.  This process followed a tried and tested approach that fully aligned with the Safety Management System in use.   

Outcome 

Facilitating a Hazard Identification (HazID) event, Sagentia Aviation elicited the hazards associated with the proposed implementation of PCL and identified potential mitigations and controls to manage the risk to a tolerable level.