PJ Aviation has launched its Radio Activated Lighting Controller to replace a previous version of the product that has been on the market for 20 years.
The company’s Mark I Runway Lighting Controller was developed 20 years ago for pilots to switch on airport and helipad lighting. In upgrading this product, the company hopes to tap into the marine navigational aid market, as well as airport lighting.
PJ Aviation’s upgraded version was launched at the recent Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2024 exhibition. Although the radio activated lighting controller has additional functions, it sells for a reduced price due to the drop in the prices of some components and the cost of assembly.
The solution allows a pilot to press the push to talk button on an aircraft’s yoke or control stick a set number of times to activate runway lighting. A key advantage of the system is that its use means runway lights do not have to be left on continuously in anticipation of take offs and landings. This helps save energy and reduces light pollution, and in conflict zones can be an important security precaution.
The latest version is more compact and uses a multi band receiver making it suitable for the control of airport and helipad runway lighting as well as marine navigation beacons. Its greater frequency range gives the product versatility for airports that might wish to operate on a number of frequencies. In addition, the new version is able to directly control energy saving LED lighting.
Peter How, the founder of PJ Aviation, said a number of other potential uses of the system have emerged from his discussions with customers and with interested visitors.
When it is set up, the lighting controller monitors a selected frequency. Upon receiving a signal from, for example, an approaching aircraft, an eight second window is opened, during which the system monitors for a set series of microphone clicks to turn on the lighting. The lighting is then activated for a period of between 15 and 30 minutes.
The Runway Lighting Controller has been delivered to a number of African countries, India, North and South America, UK, Germany and Saudi Arabia.
PJ Aviation, which is based in Gariep in the Free State, is best known for its KRT2-TB2 Portable Base Station radio that is used as back-up by control towers and in small airfields. In most countries it is a legal requirement for control towers to hold a stock of back-up radios in case of emergencies. The company also sells a wide range of avionics and instruments.
