Surrealistic Christmas lights

[twdeckard]

Flying back last night from KIOW and there is a sea of red blinking lights in the dark -- all synchronized to flash in unison. There was a single large tower spanned with lights in the foreground. It was wildly surrealistic and seemed that someone had built a giant Christmas display. I couldn't figure it out until I realized that the anticollision lights on the wind farm towers must be tied together.

 

[jhausch]

I noticed that on the wind farm here in Dodge County, WI. I wonder why they blink them in unison?

 

[twdeckard]

I had the same question; and wouldn't you know the answer was in Google:

http://www.airporttech.tc.faa.gov/safety/downloads/TN05-50.pdf

I guess they want you to percieve it as one large hazard to be avoided rather than an array of individual obstacles. Don't want you to think you could swoop down between them, same reason all the lights on an antenna are synchronized if it has more than one.

Didn't think to search for it until your post ...

That makes a lot of sense from a safety perspective.

 

[jhausch]

Makes sense. Thanks.

 

[RickH]

There are several really big wind farms north and west of ALO on the way towards MSP. That should be quite a sight at night.