Simviation Forums

Hello

I'm wondering that how i should use exterior lights in FS. I know that the rotating beacon should be on all the time when the engine is running, but navigation- and strobelights are big  ??? to me. If anyone knows how they are used in real life, please let me know

Navigation lights shall be illuminated on ground. On the boeings "navigation lights" means the red/green wing lights, aswell as the white beacons on the wingtips and tail cone.
The Strobe should be turned on when entering the runway (as with the landing lights), but on some aircrafts the strobe light has an auto position, which means that as soon the aircraft is airborne, the strobe comes on.

Thanks Nexus

I find very annoying that most FS aircraft checklists says to turn on the rotating beacon AFTER you have started your engines

Anyone who flies realworld at night -- pax or crew -- will notice at altitude the strobes are turned OFF as they are quite annoying.

If the flickering light is reflected off any aircraft surfaces into the cockpit, it can affect the crews' night vision. We never had this problem in our Mooney as it's mounted underneath (the Cherokee, on the other hand, was another story).

bill
p.s. as noted, below 10k in  the CZ (Control Zone), usually everything is ON

It's good to shut Strobes OFF in GA aircrafts when flying in clouds since the "reflections" can seriously blind your eyes ...But in airliners the Strobes are ON from runway entry to landing.

But I guess we have our own preferences.

In training I will use the stobes in daylight when close to the airport or if i know there is other traffic in close proximity.
I like to be a visable as possible! And because flying is relaitivly new too me I have yet to get the "hawk" eyes and sometimes have trouble spoting other aircraft real quick so I like too know Im doing whatever possible to make myself visable to all in the area.

As for myself, I leave them on all the time, except after I take off I turn off the taxi, and landing lights. Dont know if that is how they do it in the real world but that is the way I do it on flight sim