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The runwa

y lighting also

includes Prec

ision Approach Path

Indicators (PAPI ) that sit along

side and near the end of each

runwa

y. Using a red/white light

signal system much like an

automated carrier landing sig

nal

offic

er, the PAPI lights show

pilots whether they’re at the

right altitude prior to landing

At airports these days, more

equals less. More flights, to more

regions, on smaller planes that

carry fewer passengers. It’s the

trend in a

viation, and the Min-

neapolis-St. Paul (MSP) Interna-

tional Airport is leading the pack

t more than half a million take-

offs and landings per year, MSP is

the sixth busiest airport in the U.S.

So much so that in 2005, MSP

will open its fourth runway.

Five years after the airport was

founded in 1921, fledgling North-

west Airways won the govern-

ment’s airmail contract and

acquired the only hangar at the

airport. Northwest Airlines is now

the nation’s fourth largest airline,

and with its hub at MSP, it com-

mands fifty-three percent of the

airport’s operations. The other

half is split between 15 different

major airlines, seven regional

airlines, an increasing number of

charter flights, and substantial air

freight operations.

In the last two years, reg

ional,

charter, and freight activ

ity has

grown much faster than major

airline passenger volumes

. A

t the

same time, M

P has managed to

keep operating expenses low,

ompared to other U

. airports

That trend extends all the wa

down to the runway, where elec-

trical foreman Bob L

itke is using

the Fluke 1

520 MegOhmMeter for

preventive lighting maintenance.

Let there be light!

While there’s maintenance of all

types to b

e done at a c

omplex

fac

ility like MSP, keeping the run-

way lights and related systems lit

and functioning is a large part of

the electrical maintenanc

e effort.

The MSP electrical department

maintains a myriad of runwa

lights mandated by the FAA for

Lighting the way at

Minneapolis-St. Paul

International Airport

From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library

Technology

at Work

safe takeoffs, landings, and taxi

maneuvers during darkness and

in daylight poor visibility situa-

tions

. The full scope includes

runway edge lights (on each

sides of each runway, with lights

plac

ed about 200 ft. apart),

threshold lights at each end of

the runway (red or green

depending on flight direction),

centerline lights (flush lights on

50 ft. centers that go from white

to red as end of the runway is

reached), touchdown lights, and

taxiway signs, that direct ground

traffic.

*Source: 1/03 Report by the Minnesota

Office of the Legislative Auditor. http://www.

mspairport.com/MSP/MSP_Media_Center/

ews/Release/2003_01_28.as

MSP electrical foreman, Mark Temple, uses a Fluke 1520 MegOhmMeter to locate trouble spots.

Summary of content (3 pages)

PAGE 1
Lighting the way at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport At airports these days, more equals less. More flights, to more regions, on smaller planes that carry fewer passengers. It’s the trend in aviation, and the Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) International Airport is leading the pack. At more than half a million takeoffs and landings per year, MSP is the sixth busiest airport in the U.S. So much so that in 2005, MSP will open its fourth runway.
PAGE 2
Safety first Failure of any runway lights during airport operations is not an option. Under Bob Litke, the MSP electrical department regularly replaces runway lamps and checks wiring for insulation degradation. Considering that many of these lights run in series circuits, even localized damage can have significant effects. Minnesota’s harsh weather offers plenty of snow, rain, and freeze/thaw cycles.
PAGE 3
As Litke explains it, each runway light is a 6.6 V unit sitting on its own transformer. The lighting string is fed through a constant wattage regulator that makes 6 amps available at each light. When all wiring is property maintained, 500 volts will power the system need. However, as wires degrade and leakage to ground increases, the system self-corrects, increasing supply voltage as high as 3500 V just to keep 6 A at each light.