Aircraft Lights

[amaru]

Hi all,

I have been a user of FS2002 for a long time, in FS2002, you turn all aircraft lights on during a night flight and all off during a day flight. But lights are more realistic in FS2004, where you have some lights on during day flights as in the real world. I don't know what lights to turn on and off during an IFR flight, at day or night...Will someone please show me when to turn lights on and off during an IFR flight, which lights and when (e.g. strobe light before pushback and after parking at gate)?

Many thanks.

[ThomasKaira]

Commands are:

L=turn on or off all lights
Ctrl+L=turn on or off only landing and taxi lights.

Press those two in that order to have a standard flight light configuration. (Beacons, navs, strobes)

Ctrl+L again turns the landing and taxi lights back on, make sure to do that at night or in bad weather.

Some aircraft have logo lights, you choose what to do with those. I personally like to leave them on.

[Fozzer]

I've got a funny feeling that this subject was covered a week or so ago...

"When to switch on, and use the Aircraft lights".

Someone went into great detail explaining the correct procedure.

During my GA flights I generally use my external lights to make myself visible to anyone around me...(rather like the headlight on my Motor-Bike......!

F...G-BPLF... 8-)...!

[Brett_Henderson]

I'll quote myself  

Here's how I do lighting..(light GA)

The only hard and fast rules are:  Beacon is on just before start-up and off after shut-down, and Nav-lights on at night when the engine is running.

Everything else is pilot discretion and is situational.

When I'm on the runway for take-off, or in the pattern, or on final; everything that produces light is on, night or day.

I don't use landing or taxi-lights or strobes, on the ground, unless I need them. You don't want to be taxiing on a runway parallel taxiway, with with strobes and landing lights blinding in/out bound pilots.

If you're IMC (even on take-off or final) you might need to turn ALL (except the beacon) the lights off, as they can be a distraction, illuminating the cloud that you're IN..  

[Ashar]

And I too will quote myself...

1. At the gate/ramp, your Nav light should be on...When you are getting ATC clearance, turn on the rotating beacon lights (the red ones)...

2. After pushback, turn on your taxi lights...Continue to runway...

3. After Take-Off is approved, Landing lights and strobe lights (the bright white lights) should be turned on...

4. At 10,000ft, landing lights should be turned off...You can also turn off taxi lights if you wish...

5. While cruising, landing light should be Off...All other lights (nav, rotating beacon, and strobe) should be on...

6. When you descend, turn on your landing lights below 10,000ft...Taxi lights may be turned on after the gear comes down...or after touchdown...up to you...

7. After turning onto the taxiway, landing lights off and strobe lights off...Taxi light should be on...

8. If you are going to cross an active runway while you are taxi-ing to your stand, turn on Strobe lights and quickly vacate/clear the runway...If not, ignore this step...

9. As you are about to turn in order to line up with your gate, turn off taxi-lights or the ramp agents will be blinded (only applies at night)

Hope that helped somewhat...It's what I have collected over the year from many different web sites and from my own personal experience....

[Nexus]

rotating beacon (aka anti-collision) is turned to ON upon engine start, to warn others, especially those poor ramp agents with mufflers....  ;)

[Ashar]

rotating beacon (aka anti-collision) is turned to ON upon engine start, to warn others, especially those poor ramp agents with mufflers....  ;)

Aren't the engines started once the aircraft has been pushed away a significant distance from the gate? At that time, I think there are only 2-3 ramp agents around... :-/

[Nexus]

[quote][quote]rotating beacon (aka anti-collision) is turned to ON upon engine start, to warn others, especially those poor ramp agents with mufflers....

[Rocket_Bird]

Nexus is correct.  Ive worked as an airline ramp agent for a little bit in the past.  The beacon light is turned on just  before pushback as safety for the ground crew (rarely earlier or later), and also alert nearby vehicles to not drive behind the airplane as pushback is imminent.  Also serves as a warning for engine start as nexus mentioned.  They will also have the beacon on at the gate if an airstart is required (that is when the APU is innop), hence engine start.  

With NAV Lights, I noticed that for GA, the lights can burn out easily, and normally should be kept off except for at night.  For airliners, they are always on, probably to indicate power on the aircraft.

[JBaymore]

Question:

At the gate, the APU is frequently running during boarding operations.  Since this is a "running engine" I have always understood it that bwefore you start the APU... you turn on the red rotating beacon.

Some of what has been said above seems to not match with this.

Is this up to particular airline procedures....... or is the beacon ALWAYS on when ANY engine is running on air transport aircraft including the APU?

best,

....................john

[Nexus]

[quote]Question:

At the gate, the APU is frequently running during boarding operations.

[JBaymore]

Nexus,

Thanks.  That always seemed to fit my thoughts as to the whole subject.  Typically the APU is up high and well away from the logical places support crew likely would be.

So given the source of this information....... I respect your knowledge greatly..... I'll now change my "official" SOP in my pit to reflect beacon on just prior to the first main engine start..... and let the dumb-a--- climbing on the tail get what he or she deserves.  ;)

I'm never up there then....... I'm starting the APU  ;D .

best,

....................john

[Ashar]

Yes it kinda would be hard to get killed by the APU seeing as it's up near the tail of aircraft