The Passenger and Crew Helicopter Emergency Egress Lighting (HEEL) System is designed to provide an independent, battery operated lighting system which clearly illuminates crew and/or passenger emergency exits whenever water immersion is detected or, at customer option, when the aircraft experiences an excessive force (8g). The system consists of a number of electroluminescent lamps spaced along either the area around the inside airframe of the crew door or the area around the passenger window interior of the sliding door(s) (for the Passenger HEEL System. The system is available in over-water or over-water-and-land configurations.