Lights

[Boeing343]

Hi everybody,  ;D
Does anyone know when I have to use lights?
So when do I have to turn on the strobes and the nav lights etc....
I only know for sure that I have to turn off the landing lights above the 10.000ft  :-[
Can anyone help me out here?  ???
Thanks  :P

[Calb]

The whole purpose of the marker lights -- Navigation (wing tips & tail), strobes and rotating beacons is to enhance the chances of being seen by others. Purely a safety issue.

The Navigation lights don't contribute much during daylight but strobes and rotating beacons sure do and it is in the best interests of everyone if they're turned on whenever the aircraft is moving.

However, there is one exception. When flying in cloud, it is strongly recommended strobes and beacons be turned off. This is because the flash of these lights becomes very visible as a flashing glow that surrounds the aircraft and has been known to cause vertigo (disorientation) in some pilots.

To make a looooong story short - it boils down mainly to safety which is the pilot's (your) responsibility.

Cal

[BDS]

Calb pretty much broke it down but from what I've been taught in my lessons and through working at my local airport is:

Nav lights show other aircraft whether your coming or going and depending on which light you see (red, green, white) tells which part of plane your looking at, and which direction in relation to you its heading.

Beacon, or Strobe lights, should be turned on whenever your engine is running or the plane is moving - hence why it is also referred to as an anti-collision light.

Landing lights should remain on anytime you are within 10 miles of the airport in which you are taking off or landing. Makes it much easier for other aircraft to see you as well as the tower when you are inbound.

And Taxi lights - well - thats pretty self explanatory.

[tortoise343]

Thanks for the replies and I'm sorry for the double post  :-[

One more Question; do the Nav lights have to be turned on when it's night?
That was all
thanks in Advance  8)

[Calb]

Yes, in most juristictions, Nav Lights must be on during the dark spell (night ) which is (logically?) between sunset and sunrise.

I'm not certain but I think in Canada, sunset occurs when the center of the sun's disk is 3 degrees below the horizon and runrise occurs when it's still 3 degrees below the horizon -- real hair-splitting stuff -- so don't quote me. I vaguely recall reading it in the Ground School material when I getting my CPL back in 1966.

Cal

[JUSTASEK]

I turn my beacons and my strobes on when I'm just about ready to taxi.  Landing lights I turn on while I'm on final, and my taxi lights I turn on, well, I don't need to clarify that I hope.

As for the reds and greens...they work very similar to the red and green lights on boats.  (We are, after all, flying ships, right?)  They can tell you whether an airplane in the semi-distance is coming at you or going away from you, as long as you can remember which side the red is on and vice versa.

Interesting side note:  On boats, the red/green lights act as a sort of traffic signal to let other boats know who has right of way.  Pretty cool...