Lights!!!

[jb2_86_uk]

Hey there simmers, Just a quickey - I have been using flight sims since the day flight sim 98 came out (ah, memories!) and over the years I have gained a lot of knowledge about the planes and the associated systems, now a days I try to make my flights as real as possible, even down to no smoking/seatbelt lights in flight (sad huh?) anyway, it never occured to me until yesterday that I have no idea which lights I should have switched on at which times! (apart from taxi & landing lights, but hey, the name gives it away with those). If there is anyone out there who can shed some light (excuse the terrible pun!) on this subject I would be most greatful. Cheers. John

[swayne01]

Usually i refer to what it says in the checklists. However if there aren't any i'll just turn the beacon and nav lights and taxi lights on for taxy. When taxing onto the runway turn the taxi lights off and put the landing lights and strobes on and after takeoff turn the landing lights off at around 10,000ft.

Landing i turn them all on apart from the taxi lights. When landed turn the landing lights off, taxis on and strobes off. Then shutdown whack them all off.

Hope this helps
Scott

[VOHY_VO0I]

This is something i know about strobe lights and landing lights.

Strobe lights and Landing lights should never be on when either parked or taxing. They should only come up once you are on the runway. Even after landing once you clear the runway (i.e., go onto the taxiway) should should switch off the strobe and landing lights.

The reason behind this (i was told) was to avoid other pilots from blinding who are on the taxiway or parked.
Sounds logical to me.

[wji]

An interesting question Don't want to get into a long reply except to say lights cost money. In the realworld they are not used as much as one might think.

bill
p.s. some airlines will even turn the strobes off in  daylight hours when  not entering or exiting the zone (maybe i'm the only one who notices stuff like this)

[legoalex2000]

also, when you are taxiing, you beacon must be on, espically when your engines are on or starting up at the gate.

i heard this from a review tape from King Schools

[garymbuska]

In the real world the nav lights are almost always on except for overnight. The beacon light comes on just before push back or before engine startup the purpose of the beacon is to let ramp personell know that the plane is about to move and start engines. Some air lines wait till they are about to be unhooked from the pushback tug, while others will wait till they are clear of the gate area to start the reason for this is F.O.D
(FORIGN OBJECT DAMAGE) at the gate area. There are a couple of airlines that power back on there own power, but you will never see a turbofan power back as it is not good on the engine and the blast can blow out the glass in the terminal. Strobes are not turned on untill ready for take off as most of them need the air to help them stay cool. Seat belt & no smoking signs are always
on while at the gate, and turned off at pilots discreation.

[MadDriver]

I'm in flight training right now, and my checklist has the strobes on before engine start, and off after engine shut down.  I'm flying Diamonds for my training.  I gotta get going to go fly right now... i'm late.

[beefhole]

Hmm, I'd revise that checklist. I fly a 172 and unless the weather is sour we usually only have our beacon on at all times. That, and what everybody else said here is true-strobe shoudln't be turned on until runway lineup.

[Nexus]

This is for larget aircrafts (737 specificly), but can be used for smaller ones.

Position lights (aka Nav lights): Turn them on when aircraft has electrical power and keep them on during the flight until arrival at the gate. These are the red/green winglights, aswell as a white light on each wing and one located adjacent to the APU exhaust

anti-collision light: red beacons; 1 on top of fuselage, and one on the belly. Turn these on when you're starting the engines and while the engines are running.

Strobe light. Very bright flashing lights on the wing tips and one in the rear. Turn these on when entering the runway and leave them on 'til you vacate the arrival runway.

Taxi light, turn these on after pushback (you don't want to blind the ground crew!). Upon gear retraction you can turn them off.

Landing lights: illuminate them upon departure clearance (or when entering the runway, usually you turn on the landing lights in conjunction with the strobes). Always have them turned ON below 10.000ft

[beefhole]

Yup Nexus, sounds about the same for GA as well

[Saratoga]

Corporate/airline procedures.

before start:
-beacon on
after start:
-nav/taxi on
runway hold short AFTER T/O CLEARANCE!:
-landing/strobe on
climb at 10,000 feet:
-all but strobe off during day, at night, strobe nav and beacon stay on, landing light can be left on, but tend to burn out quickly
descent at 10,000 feet:
-all on
after landing:
strobe/landing off
shutdown:
nav/taxi off before shutdown, beacon off after shutdown

the only exception I know of, it's not written anywhere but most pilots turn off their strobe lights in clouds during the day as it can lead to disorientation very quickly. In the sim this isn't represented so it doesn't matter.

[Midnight_LS1]

The beacon light comes on just before push back or before engine startup the purpose of the beacon is to let ramp personell know that the plane is about to move and start engines.
Some air lines wait till they are about to be unhooked from the pushback tug, while others will wait till they are clear of the gate area to start the reason for this is F.O.D
(FORIGN OBJECT DAMAGE) at the gate area. There are a couple of airlines that power back on there own power, but you will never see a turbofan power back as it is not good on the engine and the blast can blow out the glass in the terminal. Strobes are not turned on untill ready for take off as most of them need the air to help them stay cool. Seat belt & no smoking signs are always
on while at the gate, and turned off at pilots discreation.

That is correct for beacon lights.  In the checklist, it shows to turn on the beacon whenever the engines are ready to be started and keep it on until enignes are shut down.  It's for safety reasons as to let everyone around the aircraft knows it's alive and dangerous once it starts and moves.

As for the strobes, vohy is correct.  
They do not overheat and nor do they require air to cool it down.
It's the brightness of the strobes that is the issue.
Ever seen in maintenance, they're turned on in the hanger too for a check.  
I even felt the lens and they don't even get warmer than outside air temp.

Another thing, stobes uses an module to power them and for doing maintenance on it, they have to be turned off and a wait time of 5 min needs to be observed in order for it to discharge itself.

[Nexus]

which airline uses that procedure exactly?  ???
Anti collision means "engine start or running", so why have it on when engines aren't started?

You sure you haven't got the lights mixed up since I have never seen aircrafts parked with just the Anti collision running  :)

[Saratoga]

Anti collision lights and beacon lights are two different things. I have never seen an aircraft with both and no airliners come to mind with AC lights. Anti collision lights are used to prevent accidents and are designed to be used in the air. The beacon is used to indicate the airplane is either about to start, or is running and it basically a warning to everyone not to come too close to it. It also attracts the attention of pilots taxiing past the gates so they do not get too close. Take a look around an airport terminal, nothing else flashes red but beacon lights just so they stand out.

[Nexus]

uhh Anti collision IS the "rotating beacon lights". Just two different names of the same thing.

Same as position lights and nav. lights. (reed/green on the wings)