Hello RomoRocket,
On Flightsim.to search for JayDee checklist and you will see an excellent checklist for the A320 and other aircraft. I have used it and it is quite good.
1 Like
Iâve heard somewhere all exterior lights of the A320 neo are LED.
Thatâs correct, but this procedure exists way longer than the neo.
1 Like
Thatâs also correct 
I was a ramp agent once. My job was pushback, de icer, marshaller ect.
This is the light situation for All Aircraft parked on the ramp.
Beacon light: comes on when ready for pushback. This letâs all ground crew and other Aircraft crew that the aircraft is about to move. Pushback and its own power. Upon arriving at your destination beacon is turned off when the Flight deck know the engines have spooled down and its safe to approach the aircraft.
Nav Lights: gets turned on at all times. Itâs a signal that the aircraft is occupied.
Engine start: engines can be started during pushback. A320 eng 2 & 1. The ground crew during push will give clearance to the flight deck that clearance is good to start engines.
Taxi light: taxi light get switched on when the ground crew have vacated well away from the aircraft giving the flight deck the all clear and also once given Taxi Clearance from ATC.
Landing lights/strobe lights.: these are switched on when given takeoff clearance or line up and wait. Once on runway. Landing lights remain on until you climb to 10,000ft then switch landing lights off. Strobe remains on. As with descending. Landing lights are turn back on once reached 10,000ft and below. The strobes are turned off once you have vacated the runway onto the taxiway and landing lights get turned off, taxi light on.
Hope this helps
6 Likes
Not a requirement and not always the case.
The only trigger for the taxi light is the taxi clearance.
The important point is that you donât request the taxi clearance until youâve got the all clear signal.
Engine start sequence on the A320 can be 1&2 as well and if you start the engines prior, during or after pushback depends on the airport.
Edit: Beacon is turned on when the startup clearance has been received, which is almost always combined with the pushback clearance.
Yes once taxi clearance is given, but it has been known that sometimes the taxi light has been switched on while pushback driver still attached to aircraft and thus tempory blindness. So, the ground crew have to be well away from the aircraft and signal its all clear.
Airbus policy for 320 is eng 2&1. Any other start procedure is down to individual airlines policy, but more often 2 & 1 because 2 is the side where passengers dont embark or disembark.
Yes, beacon comes on when given pushback and start clearance. Pushback comes before engine start, hence when aircraft is about to move.
1 Like
Beacons are turned on just before push back. before pushback. I fuelled planes for a living. Also strobe is on runway.
1 Like
This question comes around a lot actually, as people figure out that the lights are all about communication.
(At least) Over in Europe this is the breakdown:
Nav Lights (also during the day) come on the moment the aircraft is tuned onto the ground controller frequency. It indicates that the aircraft is able to receive hails over the radio. For instance to ask about your intentions/when are you ready, as the controller is figuring out when/how to clear out your neighbor. This is something that obviously doesnât happen in simulators, and thatâs how you recognize make-belief real pilots from genuine real pilots. 
Beacon lights: The moment the aircraft received the push and start clearance over the radio, the pilot indicates receiving this clearance to the ground grew. Immediately followed up by a voice message over the intercom thatâs connected to the wing walker and/or tug.
Taxi lights: these come on to indicate that the aircraft will move itself independently over the platform. Most airline operations require a before taxi checklist that includes setting the flaps and often the take off trim. That is however airline procedure. Regardless: the light indicates independent movement. So despite not being attached to a tug, this bird is about to roll. Make sure to turn them off prior to turning into the gate as itâs really rude to blind your marshaller standing there to guide you in. Also, besides from being rude heâs not being able to help you on precision steering if heâs fighting off all the bright light in his eyes.
Strobe lights: For the entire duration that the aircraft is part of the air traffic segment of aviation. This includes entering (and only crossing) runways. When committed to crossing during taxi too, it is custom to engage the strobes and make sure the guy on approach sees you.
Landing lights: Indicate a hampered speed below 10,000 feet. Both during take off and landing.
The Airbus Take Off position of the taxi light is optional in bad visibility. It does not communicate as such. The powerful landing lights are positioned below the wing and you can add a third powerful light on the nose wheel if that is required. During most operations, especially in day time, that light is not particularly missed. Itâs perfectly fine to keep it in taxi position, as the light shuts itself down the moment the nose wheel is retracted and re-engages after the gear is extended again.
Putting off lights on aircraft to safe moneyâŠ? Well, thatâs pretty new. Budget, over safety communication, used to signal intentions. Right. Besides that, these lights on aircraft arenât really the ones that you have on your desk lamp. That thing back home is designed to break down after 1000 hours so the factory has you buy a new one and keep them in business. For aircraft lights the âtungsten wireâ (that actually runs the light and can be designed to break down) is a whole lot thicker (industrial design) and for the price you paid for it, the factory is kind enough to not but a maximum of 1000 hours on it. Ergo: they are designed to keep doing what you bought them for. Only exception for the strobe lights that wear out differently due to the heavy flashing, they get replaced during operational maintenance every now and then. So sure, lights sometimes break down like anything does during a rough landing, but really not by putting them on and burning them up. The thought however made my day.
6 Likes
Thank you for this rundown, good sir 
The strobe is also required to be on in low visibility situations, no? While taxiing, I mean.
1 Like
I think I saw see one mention of this but not sure. This started as an FAA initiative but many airlines and professional pilots follow this.
When you are cleared to cross an active runway, strobes and landing lights go on. The runway environment begins and ends after you cross the runway hold bars. This is done for visibility and alerts aircraft that there is an aircraft occupying the runway. I do this in my 172 as well as my airport is very busy with parallel runways.
I think a few have said this but in many cases, strobes go on when holding short through the line up and wait ATC instruction. Note, to do this in the A320, you will have to manually turn âonâ the strobes vs putting them in Auto. The Auto setting turns them on and off based on the aircraft weight on wheels sensors.
No the strobes are really quite powerful and they can blind pilots that are on approach. They are part of the ârunway entry procedureâ short checklist. So donât put them on while holding.
Imagine that you are on final approach, cleared for landing and you see an aircraft at the holding point. By not engaging itâs landing lights, strobe lights and transponder, itâs communicating to you to have a safe landing as he will wait for you. If he would put on his strobes now, youâll both be confused but also potentially blinded pending the light of day.
As you pass the holding point, PF orders ârunway entry procedureâ which consists of strobes, landing lights and transponder in Mode C. After that, youâre good to go.
2 Likes
True. Iâve seen this done both ways but waiting until cleared onto the runway is considerate for sure and makes perfect sense. Just like switching off the taxi light when coming on stand.
1 Like
I prefer to use Landing lights for takeoff and Takeoff lights for landing.
1 Like
Nobody has mentioned wing lights. When, where and why? What are they good for other than mechanics on the wings or maybe refueling?
I used to work at an OEM, we were looking at retrofitting with LED 15 yrs ago including for GA airframes, but couldnât justify expense at that time. The financial reward for certification activity simply wasnât there for the manufacturers to do retrofit.
LED approvals need to go through an ELOS - equivalent level of safety certification process to demonstrate compliance, which is why adoption has taken so long.
As you know PZL, an airline often has its own field engineering group to design and disposition field repairs & out of cycle maintenance. US airlines have been able to successfully use their in house engineering to approve LED retrofit for their fleets. It makes more sense for airlines because theyâre buying these bulbs in bulk and getting burnouts and spending maintenence hours on remove and replace whereas the LED has better durability and reduced power requirements.
As a result, they are being converted in the US presently. When you look up here, you are now just as likely to see LED lights including nav, flashing beacon, landing lights and high intensity anticollisions, regardless of year/manufacturer/airframe.
On addl side note - on this side of the world, it is common practice to leave nav lights on at all times, including at the gate, regardless of whether plane is LED equipped or not. Usually we shut down all power including nav only when down for the night.
Ice inspection
1 Like
Takeoff lights are the extra-bright light on the nose wheel.
Landing lights are the one under the wings.
Takeoff is usually done with Landing Lights + Takeoff lights
Landing is usually done with Landing Lights + Taxi light.
2 Likes
Neo - I think heâs being funny
1 Like
Ah good call out @timinorlando. I think this is another light that most airliners will turn on at takeoff and usually extinguish at or before 10,000â here in the states. An old UAL A320 SOP I have mentioned turning wing lights on/off at FL180.