A new landing site for patient transport helicopters sits atop the new adult hospital tower.
Aircraft warning lights, obstruction lights, antennas, and an internally lit helicopter windsock are in place on the future hospitals and elevator tower. According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), all structures exceeding 200 feet above ground level (AGL) must be appropriately marked with tower lights.
The new hospital towers feature a total of 19 red warning lights giving approaching helicopter pilots information on where the location of the building’s edges. Red lights are required because white lights could blend into other background lighting. The warning lights are controlled by photocells, turning the lights as the sun goes down, and turning them off during daylight hours.
The windsock can rotate 360 degrees, and helps pilots with the wind direction and intensity at the roof level. The windsock is illuminated at night.
A large new helicopter landing pad is also on the adult hospital tower’s room, and is illuminated at night by six special flood lights. The new helipad is more than 3,000 square feet, and has been built strong enough to withstand the landing of a 22,000-pound Black Hawk helicopter. In 2019, 1,337 helicopters landed at Loma Linda University Health, bringing critical trauma patients quickly to the Medical Center, and facilitating the immediate essential emergency care required.
The massive construction project is a part of Loma Linda University Health’s Vision 2020 – The Campaign for a Whole Tomorrow, which announced a successful conclusion in late February. Once opened in the summer of 2021, the new facilities will be the largest hospital building in the State of California.
These photos are courtesy of Dennis E. Park, who has been documenting the hospital construction effort with regular posts on his blog, www.docuvision2020.com.
