Hi
Ive been trying to learn the correct light procedures, Im just a bit unsure on a few of them.
Beacon- do I enable this before pushback, and engine start, what is the correct way, Im thinking beacon>pushback back> engine start? Also is this enabled day and night?
Nav lights is the other one I’m unsure when should be used, day/night at all times ?
Thanks
Beacon > indicates that the engines are running, so they are switched on just before starting the engines.
Nav lights > only required during night ops. (sunset to sunrise)
Should I complete pushback before starting engines? so pushback > beacon > engine start.
Also how comes nav lights only during day.
I will have to watch some youtube videos, seen some good ones on the subject.
Not necessarily. In many cases you are starting the engines during the pushback IRL.
I don’t understand the question about the nav lights.
During the day you can usually see the aircraft without the nav lights being on. 
I usually request pushback, and while I wait for the pushback car to come, I turn on the Beacon lights and be ready for engine start. Once the pushback car is attached and starting to move the aircraft backwards, that’s when I start the engines in sequence (Engine 2 first, wait until stabilised, then start Engine 1) all of this happens while the aircraft is still being pushed back.
Depends on the airport and gate and how far the car has to pushback, usually both engines would be running and stabilised by the time the pushback is complete.
I always do this regardless of day/night.
I turn on Nav Lights as soon as my battery is turned on, and External Ground Power is turned on. Also both day/night. It’s actually the first external light I turn on, and the last external light I turn off before shutting off the entire aircraft.
If you turn on the beacon it’s IRL the sign for all personel to quickly move away from the aircraft since engine start is imminent.
Turning it on prematurely can have some unexpected results IRL. 
All the more reason to do it early then. My logic for turning on the beacon lights when starting to call the pushback is because I want enough time for the ground crew to start clearing the area. To let them know that we’re ready to start the engine soon, so they should clear out the area while the pushback car is approaching.
Once the pushback car is attached and we’re starting the pushback, the hope is everyone would be clear, and we can safely start the engine.
If I turn on the beacon lights just before I start the engine, by the time the ground crew realised the beacon lights are on, it would be too late, they would already get sucked into the engine as they’re starting up already.
I thought you meant nav lights on only during the day though?
I will just keep them on all the time I think.
On the pushback subject, I understood what the beacon was for, making ground crews aware, I wasn’t sure if the push back vehicle irl would pushback an aircraft with engines running.
Ooops, sorry. My bad.
Only required between sunset and sunrise.
(Edited my post accordingly)
Have a look for 320 sim pilot on YouTube. Real life 320 pilot with lots of fs2020 320 guides including one on lights.
From my experience working on ground back in my study time:
Most pilots left nav lights on. As far I know there’s no request for that on ground, but it helps to see wing tips better for ground personal and ground traffic.
Beacon: goes on when the aircraft is ready to move. For ground personnel it means: stay away from aircraft. it goes on when pushback is ready to start and goes off, when engines are shut off. We always waited until we see the beacon off so we can approach the aircraft and open doors.
Taxi lights go on, when engines are running, take off configuration is set and the aircraft is ready to taxi-roll.
Taxi lights go off mostly when the aircraft is entering the gate, because of the ground personal waiting
The beacon needs to be turned on when the aircraft is moving under its own power.
The taxi light is being turned on as soon as you receive the taxi clearance.
Not related to aircraft configuration.
Jut watched that, very good info. I may of missed it but are the landing lights and Take off lights required during the day, Im presuming at night and poor weather normally?
Thanks for all the help everyone.
Usually when entering the runway or latest with the TO clearance you turn the landing lights on.
Regardless if it’s day or night.
(There are no takeoff lights)
Are nav lights not required to be on at all times in Europe? I always turn them on, regardless of the time of day.
I think in the US they’re only required to be on during night time and low visibility weather.
No, not required. Many years ago it was common practise to have them on.
Some airlines started to turn them off to save money. Nowadays some even turn the landing lights off after take off, instead of keeping them on below 10000ft for the same reason.
Ok thanks I also turned them on below 10’000ft when descending to land.
I thought there was a Take off light, perhaps it means something else, it was on the same switch as taxi lights.
Sigh, you are correct. Just checked and Airbus actually calls them take off lights.
It’s obviously too long ago that I flew the A320 IRL!
Anyway. You use the landing and take off lights for take off and landing.
I never understood why Airbus has to do everything different.
I always turn on the nav lights. It’s a good habit to have imo. I didn’t know some airlines actually tell their pilots to turn off the nav lights to save money… I mean, it’s LED, how much can they save with those turned off?
The landing lights, I usually turn off at around 5000ft (depending on the airport elevation) and retract them between 7500ft and 9000ft.
LED nav lights? Not even the landing lights are LEDs except on pretty new airliners.