Which Aircraft Lights

Discussion Hub General Discussion
4

Rule of thumb:

  • Nav / Position: ON as long as aircraft is powered (batteries / ground) gate to gate; may not be necessary during daylight

  • Beacon / Anti-Collision: ON when you’re about to start the engines until after engines are shut down

  • Taxi: ON when you’re away from the ramp and about to start taxi; usually turned off automatically when landing gear is retracted

  • Start(Taxi): ON when you’re about to enter the runway; auto off when landing gear is retracted

  • RWY Turn-Off: ON when you`re taxiing at night or under low visibility; auto off when landing gear retracted

  • Wing: ON at night or under low visibility at all times;

  • Logo: ON at night or under low visibility at all times; usually gets turned off automatically when landing gear is not pressurized (= after lift-off)

  • Landing: ON when you’re about to enter the runway after take-off clearance up to around 10,000 feet; ON when descending through 10,000 feet until runway is vacated

  • Strobe: AUTO during daytime; ON during night when you`re about to enter the runway / got take-off clearance until runway is vacated after landing

This is how I do it in the A320neo after having learned a thing or two about the topic.

It should be roughly the same with other aircraft as there’s good reasons for the lights to be set at a specific point as explained in these videos:

LIGHTS on Airplanes explained by "CAPTAIN"Joe - YouTube
Airbus Lights: What you didn’t (need to) know! With a Real Airbus Pilot in Flight Simulator - YouTube

7 Likes