Lights on GA Aircraft

[Sabre 28]

Is there a definitive guide on the use of lights for GA aircraft?

My understanding is below, but please correct me if I'm wrong.

Beacon - on prior to engine start and only off when engine off

Taxi light - on when aircraft moving in taxi - is this supposed to be turned off if the aircraft is held say awaiting traffic? Off when airbourne, on again when leaving runway at destination?

Strobe - on when entering runway and off after leaving runway at destination

Navigation Lights - on when starting taxi and throughout flight, off when shutting down?

Landing Lights - on when given landing clearance or landing if not controlled, but I've also read somewhere that these lights should be left on below a certain altitude?

[allardjd 1,853]

Landing Lights - on when given landing clearance or landing if not controlled, but I've also read somewhere that these lights should be left on below a certain altitude? 

 

 

I'm pretty sure landing lights are supposed to be on when airborne at all times below 10,000' MSL.  

 

John

[CaptCWGAllen 10]

Hi Graeme,

This is how it works for me during my PPL lessons. I fly out of EGGP so it is a mildly busy commercial airport. It's a Tommy, so no beacon ot taxi lights, just landing, nav and strobe. Only VFR flying.

No lights until cleared to line up (or take off if no line up required, which is most of the time) - so always taxi to and hold at the runway with no lights on. When cleared to line up or take off (i.e. before entering the runway) strobe and landing lights go on (and transponder goes from stby to alt). No nav lights - instructor says no one can see them in day time - if it is getting a bit dusky because of a late lesson then we will sometimes switch them on, but more for the panel lights than anything else (one switch operates both).

Landing light goes off at 1000' unless in the circuit - in which case, choice as to whether to switch it off and back on on base, or leave it on for the whole circuit - preference is to leave it on so others can see you (there is quite a lot of GA training activity - about 5 schools at Liverpool including helos).

Landing light and strobes stay on after landing until crossing the threshold of the GA apron.

My understanding is that the beacon would be put on as a warning prior to engine start if the Tommy had one and would stay on until after engins shut down. One woud still bellow 'Clear!' out of the porthole before start-up though.

So that's my tuppence ha'penny.

cheers

Peter

[CaptCWGAllen 10]

Landing Lights - on when given landing clearance or landing if not controlled, but I've also read somewhere that these lights should be left on below a certain altitude?

I'm pretty sure landing lights are supposed to be on when airborne at all times below 10,000' MSL.

John

Quite a few GA aircraft with retractable u/c have them built into the front landing gear so can't have them on once the under carriage is up (almost immediately after take off). Some of these have additional recognition lights built into the wings.

I think commercial aircraft over a certain size are encouraged to do this but not sure they have to. I also believe some airlines do insist on it except in heavy cloud.

cheers

Peter

[allardjd 1,853]

You're right.  From the FAA's Airman Information Manaul, Section 4-3-23...

 

c. The FAA has a voluntary pilot safety program, Operation Lights On, to enhance the see-and-avoid concept. Pilots are encouraged to turn on their landing lights during takeoff; i.e., either after takeoff clearance has been received or when beginning takeoff roll. Pilots are further encouraged to turn on their landing lights when operating below 10,000 feet, day or night, especially when operating within 10 miles of any airport, or in conditions of reduced visibility and in areas where flocks of birds may be expected, i.e., coastal areas, lake areas, around refuse dumps, etc. Although turning on aircraft lights does enhance the see-and-avoid concept, pilots should not become complacent about keeping a sharp lookout for other aircraft. Not all aircraft are equipped with lights and some pilots may not have their lights turned on. Aircraft manufacturer's recommendations for operation of landing lights and electrical systems should be observed.

 

EDIT:  It may be different in other jurisdictions.

[CaptCWGAllen 10]

Edit - Oh already beaten to it - but some other useful stuff in here - but all at pilots discretion seemingly.

Page 209 of this document is pretty useful (Section 4-3-23)

http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/media/AIM_Basic_4-03-14.pdf

cheers

Peter

[brett 2,315]

That is a million dollar question because each country has it's own rules and even then some lights are left open to interpretation, like nav lights, so there is no right answer in a way.

 

I can tell you what I do everywhere to make it easy on myself when flying GA aircraft;

 

Beacon on when power/batt is applied(stays on until power down)

Nav Light on before engine start- this is the contested one but I do it because I can

Taxi Light on before start of taxi

Landing and Strobe on when entering runway or when clearance is given(Strobe stays on until after landing, usually once I exit and calling ground)

Landing Light off once established in the climb (usually above 1000' and doing my climb checklist)(back on if above 10,000')

Weather and dusk to dawn dictates Nav Light usage during flight(nothing says you leave it on in nice weather unless you want to save the bulbs)

Landing Light(and Nav) back on when nearing airport for landing(usually once in circuit and doing landing checks)

Landing and Strobe off once you exit the runway

Nav Light off on engine shut down

Beacon off before Battery off

I will admit that I usually keep my Beacon on all the time but in the real world it probably wouldn't be a good idea because of possible shorts

 

This changes  with commercial aircraft where I follow checklist and procedure or GA aircraft that have integrated lighting switches. I have established these personal rules because of conflicting arguments everywhere I have read, even the FAA allows leaway on nav lights and doesn't stae one way or the other, I think it says "as needed".

 

Nav Lights on in an airport property can often set according to local rules.

 

 

 

 

 

[Corsaire31 419]

I use the same rules as Brett, except I turn Nav Lights on after engine start ... 

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

my lights routine has nothing to do with reality... Just my preference in the sim. For the a2a birds especially, I turn on main battery, fuel pump, and pitot heat, drop flaps. Then I check fuel pressure and turn off fuel pump then I go outside and check the pitot probe then turn pitot heat off and do the walk around. I turn on the beacon and/or stobe lights on just before starting the motor. I turn the nav on after motor start, and leave it on till shutdown. I tend to use both taxi and landing lights at the same time in interests of greater visibility.I tend to shut them off unless it is a lower visibility situation while in flight.

I consider the lights as follows... Beacon and strobe = hey I'm about to start, or "Look at me"

Nav = I am in navigational condition and ready to operate.

Taxi and landing lights = I'm moving within or entering the active traffic area of an airport right Now.

[allardjd 1,853]

Strobes are somewhat annoying to other pilots taxiing near you. The flashing beacon serves the same purpose at short distance and doesn't pierce the back your retinas with each flash.

Generally, as a matter of courtesy, these are left off until told to take the runway (line up and wait; position and hold; cleared for takeoff). After landing they are usually turned off when exiting the runway. This is all from a long time ago and modern practices may be different.

[Quickmarch 488]

When flying at night, especially if "engine out" in a single, turn on the landing light when 100 ft AGL. If you don't like what you see - turn it off.

 

 

 

Quoted from Wilipedia - 

 

The definition of night time as it pertains to the Federal Aviation Regulations in the US is as follows:

1. The standard definition of "night" is the period between evening civil twilight and morning civil twilight. Airnav (ref) is a good source for sunset and sunrise and evening civil twilight and morning civil twilight. Position lights and an approved anticollision light must be used for the period from sunset to sunrise.^[2]
2. The period between sunset and sunrise when aircraft position lights must be on.^[3]
3. The period between 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise which applies to airman currency requirements.^[4]

To log night flight training and required landings, one uses the standard definition of night.^[1][5]

[Sabre 28]

Thanks for all the responses, not sure there is a definitive answer given the area variations but at least I have a better understanding now

[bilirubin 50]

If you see a completely blacked out plane moving in the shadows or one with all lights blazing that will probably be me.

 

I am still getting to grips with the controls that lift me up, keep me there and bring me down again, I don't have time to fiddle with lights

 

Mike

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

When I worked airside on the coaches we always had to keep a look out for any aircraft showing it's flashing beacons, this was due to the fact that it meant it was likely to move and they had priority at all times. Landing lights could be seen for miles approaching LHR  and most jets kept the lot on including taxi lights until parked. I have seen some airliners leave their wingtip lights on even when parked especially when the light is bad and at night as this can be an aid to vehicles manouvring around them. ( A DC-9 for instance has its wingtips almost at eye level when driving a coach and can be a bugger to see under certain conditions, especially when its raining  and the glass is all steamed up !) The VC-10 used to be lit up all over the place when approaching and got the nickname locally as the Flying Chandelier! I think there are regulations but I guess some of it is down to pilots choice.  At sea of course there are a whole different set of rules but that is outside the remit of this thread.

 

[Captain Coffee 2,030]

When I worked airside on the coaches we always had to keep a look out for any aircraft showing it's flashing beacons, this was due to the fact that it meant it was likely to move and they had priority at all times. Landing lights could be seen for miles approaching LHR  and most jets kept the lot on including taxi lights until parked. I have seen some airliners leave their wingtip lights on even when parked especially when the light is bad and at night as this can be an aid to vehicles manouvring around them. ( A DC-9 for instance has its wingtips almost at eye level when driving a coach and can be a bugger to see under certain conditions, especially when its raining  and the glass is all steamed up !) The VC-10 used to be lit up all over the place when approaching and got the nickname locally as the Flying Chandelier! I think there are regulations but I guess some of it is down to pilots choice.  At sea of course there are a whole different set of rules but that is outside the remit of this thread.

 

It is outside the remit of the thread, but this reminded me of an experience at sea on a small sailboat. I was on watch middle of the night and saw a cruise ship come into view rapidly, it was lit up like a floating chandelier, but despite all those lights, I couldn't make out the navigation lights at the bow...they were drowned out by all the House Light Glare (many of them chandeliers no doubt)...it wasn't till it was scary big that I finally figured out it's heading, and altered mine a bit to starboard, till then it was a giant fast blob of twinkly white lights. It passed up about 1.5 miles off of our port side and looked like a bright cliff, way closer than I would have liked to have seen it at night from the cockpit of a 20 foot boat... bet it never even saw us.

 

And to bring it back on thread...I think the basic rule both at sea and in the air (and in parking lots) is DON'T HIT ANYTHING. Any thing you can do to help avoid that is probably OK...including using all your lights, or not having so many lights on that you confuse others.

 

Cheers.

 

(P.S. IMO, Cruise ships should have 6' x 6' Halogen Nav lights on their bows )

[allardjd 1,853]

(P.S. IMO, Cruise ships should have 6' x 6' Halogen Nav lights on their bows

 

 

...and 20' sailboats should have radar reflectors - I hope yours did.  The chances he didn't have radar on is nil, though whether anyone was paying any attention to it may be another question.  Generally, cruise ships run a pretty professional operation but it's not something to bet your life on.

 

John

[brett 2,315]

Aren't the rules of the sea the same with driving, the biggest vehicle has the right of way?

[allardjd 1,853]

In every collision there's a hammer and a nail - you want to be the hammer.

John

[dodgy-alan 1,587]

At sea, Steam has to give way to sail, which in turn has to give way to a rowing boat. However some sailing boat skippers conveniently forget that a 270'000 ton tanker is very limited where it can go and how fast it can manouever, especially in coastal waters. Also whilst a well run ship has good lookouts and radar coverage, there is still a big blind spot dead ahead whereby a small boat can get under the bow and not even be seen nor felt when hit. (I saw it happen on several occasions). Cruise ships are not supposed to show any lights forward of the bridge apart from Nav lights but these days that rule seems to have been forgotten.

[Okano 0]

My understanding is that the beacon would be put on as a warning prior to engine start if the Tommy had one and would stay on until after engins shut down. One woud still bellow 'Clear!' out of the porthole before start-up though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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