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Lighting 4000 sq ft in a hanger for military dignified transfers

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    Lighting 4000 sq ft in a hanger for military dignified transfers

    Hi-
    I'm more than a little out of my depth on this task. I am assigned to Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations (AFMAO) Public Affairs at Dover Air Force Base. We document to return of deceased Servicemembers for their families in what we term dignified transfers (DTs), a solemn movement from the aircraft to a waiting transfer vehicle that will deliver remains to the Armed Forces Medical Examiners.

    My problem is we have a new operations capability; in inclement weather, DTs can now be conducted inside a hanger. Unfortunately the space is largely lacking in lumens. I need portable lights that can fill a space roughly 65'x50'. AC power is available, thought battery-based options are preferred.

    If it helps ts see a movement, you can find a few publicly released videos on our website: http://www.mortuary.af.mil/news/video/index.asp

    The attached image is a rough sketch of the space. lights could largely span the entire length of the DT space.

    Again, this is beyond anything I've tried to put together before. Please help me out, and while I'm cognizant and respectful of taxpayer dollars, I've been assured the funds necessary to provide the care, service and support for our fallen families.

    Thanks so much.
    Attached Files

    #2
    Whenever I hear "warehouse" or "hangar," my first thought is: spacelight. They are generally made of some number of tungsten FHM globes arranged in a circle, with a skirt for spill control and diffusion: http://mole.com/media/images/catalog.../data/7291.pdf

    Spacelights are rigged overhead from the pipe grid or roof support beams using aircraft cable (wonder where you'll find that?) They put out a ton of light, but also require a ton of power. The larger ones, like the 6k I linked, is powered by 6 circuits through a socapex cable.

    Pros: lots of even, soft light. Doesn't take up floor space.
    Cons: lots of power, requires rigging.

    How much pre-rigging can you do in the space? Can the rigging be left up at all times? My preference would be to rig some box truss along the axis that the procession will be walking, and throw a bunch of PAR cans on it. That way you will get even coverage of the procession with a relatively cheap fixture. You will need a power distribution box with socapex out. The most efficient way to power PARs is to run a socapex to the truss, then break it out to bates, and use two-fers to pair up cans (assuming 20 amp circuits and 1k lamps.)

    Pros: permanent. Inexpensive (compared to spacelights.)
    Cons: lots of power. Requires rigging. Not soft, but an even wash will look fine.

    If you opt for floor stands, you might have a hard time (and a lot of setup.) You obviously don't want to put stands in front of the audience, which means you'll need large sources on mombo combos behind them. I would add diffusion to kill shadows you're going to get from having multiple sources. HMIs would work nicely here, like the Arri M18.

    Pros: portable/temporary. HMIs won't use as much power per lumen.
    Cons: lots of setup time. HMIs are more expensive than tungsten.

    You aren't going to light this space with battery-powered lights. LED lights would work, but they are far more expensive than tungsten, and a bit more expensive than HMIs with less output.

    Questions: available power in the space. Rigging go/no-go? Who exactly needs to be lit (besides procession?)

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      #3
      Just to add to edinc90, if you're able to install permanent fixtures you can look into metal halide lights.
      Bill Totolo
      L.A.

      www.billtotolo.com

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