Lights!!!

[Saratoga]

actually, it differs. Some companies offer their airplanes with the AC lights being beacon, nav, and strobe. Some offer a combination of two of them. And some offer just one alone. It really depends on what kind of airplane you are in. Many homebuilders use AC to operate all their lights except for landing, while most company-built airplanes come with seperate switches for all. And the names for lights in Europe are different from the names for lights in America.

[jb2_86_uk]

Wow guys, thanks alot, thats been a great bunch of replies and a lot of help. I can now operate my lights properly! Another trivial thing about simming, I ought to start a new topic for this, but i can't be bothered, is there a max speed for taxiing around the airports? Ive asked a buddy of mine who has just started in the University of Birmingham (UK) Air Squadron, he says they are told to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, or to just hold a steady safe speed. Was just wondering if this is military specific or correct for all general aviation.
Ta. John
PS I couldnt join the air squadron because i wear glasses  :'(. I go gliding instead

[Archer <]-]

Wow guys, thanks alot, thats been a great bunch of replies and a lot of help. I can now operate my lights properly! Another trivial thing about simming, I ought to start a new topic for this, but i can't be bothered, is there a max speed for taxiing around the airports? Ive asked a buddy of mine who has just started in the University of Birmingham (UK) Air Squadron, he says they are told to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front, or to just hold a steady safe speed. Was just wondering if this is military specific or correct for all general aviation.
Ta. John
PS I couldnt join the air squadron because i wear glasses  :'(. I go gliding instead

I think the taxiing speed differs between airports
Kind of like different highways/roads, each one has its own procedure...

[Saratoga]

Well...most GA airplanes would taxi pretty slow, especially if there was a student on board. Airliners can do 30 knots max (that's what my checklists say and my airline practices anyways) around international airports and safe speeds at smaller airports. Really, as was said, it is just basically the safe distance from the plane in front of you.

Then again, no one said you couldn't floor it to beat someone else to the runway.

[Nexus]

Saratoga, that may be right. Though I have never seen it, let's just end it there

[Saratoga]

I take back my last post. It was real world oriented, where the time spent between gates is the most important figure the airline wants to know. Time is money to them. I typically in an airliner park it right on 30 knots for the taxi, with about 5-10 for turns. Slower for the 727 and 757 so the passengers in back and front don't get slung around. In the small turboprops, you could pull a turn at 20 or so, though it would be extremely uncomfortable and not too good on the tires. Brake usage is a big thing during taxiing too, both for takeoff and landing. Brake temperatures are a major thing we airline pilots monitor. Because, if the fecal matter were to impact the spinning blades and we were to have to do a rejected takeoff, you want maximum brake performance to make sure you can stop on the runway. On landing, the temperatures are just something you keep an eye on during the roll...not anything you give thought to just a glancing check.


edit: oh and Nexus, I noticed you spoke of cabin noise as a reason for not going all that fast while taxiing. If you have ever been to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas, Texas (I am based out of there) you would see that there are bridges that allow planes to taxi over the highway that cuts the airport in half. Well apparently the guy that designed those there bridges wasn't payign much attention, and there is a very very noticable bump at both ends. When I was just hired several years ago and was still a junior first officer with basically no experience, I hit that thing doing about 25 knots in a little Embraer 120 turboprop and it shook horribly and was incredible freakin' loud. Looking back, it's funny now, but it didn't do much to cheer up the passengers or my captain.

[Nexus]

Ouch! Did you adress the cabin on the PA and apologize?  ;D
Kinda reminds me of my first landing at an airport with centreline lights (something my homebase don't have...donnu why)
Even though I should've expected what caused the noise and shaking..but at first I was like "ARGH FLAT TIRE ON THE NOSE!"  ;D

Boy I felt stupid...my instructor just looked at me as if I was 3 years old  ::)

[Saratoga]

Yes...my captain and I kind of looked at each other for a second, he asked me if I knew it was there and I was like "No sir" and so when we got around to doing the preflight passenger briefing, he just mentioned that there was some work being done on the bridge that we were not informed of, apologized, and no one said anything to us during the "200 goodbyes". Actually...30...but either way...it's a phrase.

And I am with you Nexus, stupid centerline lights can get real annoying real fast. Ahh the joys of flight training.

[Nexus]

Well get this, my mom was on a flight to Thailand and the 744 was landed very hard and violently (dry runway despite).
Upon gate arrival the captain actually apoligized to the pax via the PA.
Classy move

[Saratoga]

Congratz on the 2000 and funny story. Sucks for the pilot but hey either way. I have had my share of rough landings as an airline pilot, we all have, but then there are those wonderful feather-soft landings that are so nice you almost forget that the runway is very rapidly getting shorter. Coming into DFW one evening from Jackson, Mississippi, there was almost no traffic landing at DFW and the winds were calm so the runway was barely being used. We went down almost 4000 feet of runway about 2 feet off the ground just letting speed bleed off...then finally the speed sunk down to around 100 knots, seems insanely low but with it's lift devices and low fuel it cal pull it off, and the speed was low enough that I finally heard the wheels screech. No reverse thrust necessary, spoilers and triple slotted flaps on a 727 give enough drag to get you down to your braking speed. I got a lot of "nice landings" and smiles as the passengers disembarked (then it was a day off, beat that!)

[MattNW]

Taxi speeds. I asked my flight instructor about that once, and his answer;

"A fast jogging speed with about a fast walk for turns is the recommended speeds. In reality however it depens on how fast that big airplane behind you wants to taxi."  ;D

[Nexus]

100kts, wow that is very low for the 727 (or any airliner the same size). Usually that's enough to bring the Q400's down which passes my house all the time.  :)

Triple slotted flaps are awesome but aren't used nowadays eh? Double slotted for the 737NGs and even single slotted on the Airbus?