KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD

123RD AIRLIFT WING
LOUISVILLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE (LOUISVILLE, KY) – APRIL 2015

THE PROJECT

The Kentucky Air National Guard 123rd Airlift Wing is located in Louisville, Kentucky at the Louisville Air National Guard Base. These fine men and women provide worldwide theater airlift for U.S. military and humanitarian operations, so naturally we were proud to provide them with the highest quality precision lighting technology available on the market today.

The existing flight line and apron lighting consisted of high pressure sodium luminaires that had been installed in 1994. This setup was not able to provide the desired photometry readings and energy efficiency required of a top tier military base and so our team was called in to provide a much-needed upgrade to the lighting infrastructure.

THE PROCESS

The challenge for the SpecGrade team was to retrofit the existing 5 relatively low 42’ tall poles with LED luminaires while throwing light a distance of 533 feet over a width of 1,830 feet, all while minimizing the glare.

THE RESULT

After our installation of the 5 preliminary poles, high-ranking personnel and pilots of the 123rd Airlift Wing along with Four Seasons Environmental Inc. and Eco-Engineering conducted a lighting evaluation to determine if the desired results had been achieved and the investment in precision LED instrumentation made sense for the rest of the base and the other 140 National Guard locations across the states.

According to those assembled on the clear, moonless night, the results were better than expected. Pilot infrared testing provided positive results and the pilots found that the lights did not negatively affect their Night Vision instruments. All attendees approved the installation, concluding that the flight line and apron areas were far better lit by the new units and provided enhanced safety and maneuverability.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

“High-mast LED lighting did not look promising just a year ago. We looked at options, but could not get the desired lighting metrics. However, our recent test of LEDs on our parking apron convinces me that we need to take advantage of this enhanced technology. With the energy-payback period and noticeable improvement in visual acuity, I’m ready to proceed. We feared the high frequency light signature from the new LED lights would create problems for our pilots’ night vision equipment; however the test proved these LED Flood Lights to be a non-factor.”

LTCol Phillip R. Howard, KYANG 123rd Airlift Wing

“The lighting test was very important. LED lighting will save us a great deal, both in terms of the electric bill and maintenance. This is a phenomenal improvement in light quality…”

Tom Spalding, KYANG Base Energy Manager

“The test was extremely successful and will provide a great improvement with overall visibility. Most importantly, there was no negative impact regarding the Night Vision Equipment…”

CMSgt Martin E. Fautz, KYANG 123rd Airlift Wing

“The new LED light units provided considerably better light quality to the test areas than the existing lighting. Enhanced lighting was even noticed beyond the mat area…”

Gary Robinson, FSE

“High-mast LED lighting did not look promising just a year ago. We looked at options, but could not get the desired lighting metrics. However, our recent test of LEDs on our parking apron convinces me that we need to take advantage of this enhanced technology. With the energy-payback period and noticeable improvement in visual acuity, I’m ready to proceed. We feared the high frequency light signature from the new LED lights would create problems for our pilots’ night vision equipment; however the test proved these LED Flood Lights to be a non-factor.”

LTCol Phillip R. Howard, KYANG 123rd Airlift Wing

“The lighting test was very important. LED lighting will save us a great deal, both in terms of the electric bill and maintenance. This is a phenomenal improvement in light quality…”

Tom Spalding, KYANG Base Energy Manager

“The test was extremely successful and will provide a great improvement with overall visibility. Most importantly, there was no negative impact regarding the Night Vision Equipment…”

CMSgt Martin E. Fautz, KYANG 123rd Airlift Wing

“The new LED light units provided considerably better light quality to the test areas than the existing lighting. Enhanced lighting was even noticed beyond the mat area…”

Gary Robinson, FSE