The use of high intensity strobe lights while taxiing or
awaiting takeoff holding short of the active runway can be
very distracting, particularly to pilots in the final stages of
approach or during the initial landing phase.
It is recommended that high intensity strobe lights not be used
while the aircraft is on the ground when they adversely affect
ground personnel or other pilots. Circumstances permitting,
high intensity strobe lights should be activated anytime the
aircraft is occupying an active runway, including awaiting
takeoff clearance while holding on the active runway. They
should be extinguished after landing once clear of the
active runway.
I have seen pilots using them while taxiing, which does not bother me.
Waiting for the takeoff on the hold short line and with strobes on did
distract me during the final for the landing. Weather was clear and sunny that day on CYKZ.
Is there a separate rule that governs when the strobes should be used?
When do you guys tend to use them?
Good airmanship says you should keep them off until you have a taxi and hold clearance or take off clearance, which is slightly more friendly than the AIM. Same with your landing/taxi light. It's less of an issue during the bright day light hours but definitely be conscientious of the person on final/short final at night.
My opinion is, turn them on with the Xponder when you enter the runway. I have been recently reprimanded by instructors for not wanting to blind or distract pilots on final. Then again I have a night rating so maybe that's why I'm in the habit of waiting.
Good thread! Recently having dinner at ZBB just at sunset we watched numerous aircraft operating on the airport. It was shortly before official dark; there were aircraft with strobes but no nav lights; aircraft with the silly little Cessna beacon and no nav lights; and then there was the well known TV personality and his Navajo starting up on the east apron and taxiing to the terminal...with more damned red and white strobes on than was safe for any operation. It clearly said "Look at me, I've got lottsa lights!"...But no nav lights!
It was absolutely blinding for anyone taxiing in the dark. The C152s and C172s were more than likely training flights with no doubte instructors on board a few of them but the crusty old bugger in the Navajo should have known better.
Learn from the mistakes of others...you won't live long enough to make them all yourself.
When you're on the ground, your beacon serves that purpose.
If your aircraft has no lights and you are operating in day VFR can pilots still recognize an aircraft on the ground even if it has no lights on, or do pilots have trouble seeing something that obvious?
---------- ADS -----------
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
When you're on the ground, your beacon serves that purpose.
If your aircraft has no lights and you are operating in day VFR can pilots still recognize an aircraft on the ground even if it has no lights on, or do pilots have trouble seeing something that obvious?
Same argument could be made against day time running lights in a car, but they are in place for a reason.
Beefitarian wrote:My opinion is, turn them on with the Xponder when you enter the runway. I have been recently reprimanded by instructors for not wanting to blind or distract pilots on final. Then again I have a night rating so maybe that's why I'm in the habit of waiting.
I agree with Beefitarian. At Sault College strobes is part of our line up checks, (just before moving onto the runway), and post landing checks, (immediately after exiting the runway).
Same argument could be made against day time running lights in a car, but they are in place for a reason.
So using that logic I should not operate any aircraft that does not have a generator or alternator or no beacons or strobes anywhere there may be other pilots because they are limited in their ability to recognize an airplane that is not lit up?
---------- ADS -----------
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
The use of high intensity strobe lights while taxiing or
awaiting takeoff holding short of the active runway can be
very distracting, particularly to pilots in the final stages of
approach or during the initial landing phase.
It is recommended that high intensity strobe lights not be used
while the aircraft is on the ground when they adversely affect
ground personnel or other pilots. Circumstances permitting,
high intensity strobe lights should be activated anytime the
aircraft is occupying an active runway, including awaiting
takeoff clearance while holding on the active runway. They
should be extinguished after landing once clear of the
active runway.
I have seen pilots using them while taxiing, which does not bother me.
Waiting for the takeoff on the hold short line and with strobes on did
distract me during the final for the landing. Weather was clear and sunny that day on CYKZ.
Is there a separate rule that governs when the strobes should be used?
When do you guys tend to use them?
A few of the warriors/archers at ykz have a strobe on the tail that acts as the beacon. But in general, I turn them on when I do my runway checks and off when I do my post landing checks. So just before I enter the runway and just after I exit..
Same argument could be made against day time running lights in a car, but they are in place for a reason.
So using that logic I should not operate any aircraft that does not have a generator or alternator or no beacons or strobes anywhere there may be other pilots because they are limited in their ability to recognize an airplane that is not lit up?
Of course not. You're talking to someone who regularly flies more types without beacons and strobes then types with. But of course, more information and awareness is always (within reason) better then less.
erics2b, I hope you cut me some slack here because the more I read Avcanada the more I realize as time passes I have less and less in common with a lot of pilots it would seem.
I believe it is to late for me to get retrained in my airmanship skills.
---------- ADS -----------
The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no
After over a half a century of flying no one ever died because of my decision not to fly.
Industry standard for use of lighting is as follows
- Nav lights on when electrical power is supplied to aircraft
- Beacon on before starting engine(s)
- Taxi light on when aircraft is moving intending to move on ground and off when aircraft stopped
- Strobes on when entering runway, off when clear of runway
- Landing lights on when cleared for takeoff/commencing takeoff roll (uncontrolled airport), off when clear of runway.
For light aircraft I have modified this slightly
For nav lights, since they are so dim on light singles they are IMO useless during the day, so nav lights are only used near to or in darkness, and for light singles I do not use the taxilight during daylight hours. For ME and MEIFR CPL students, however I do use the taxilight convention to indicate ground movement as a way to help prepare students for their first MEIFR job.
I also emphasize good airmanship when using lights at night, including Taxi lights off when operating on lighted ramps, when approaching another opposite direction aircraft on the same taxi way, when stopped in the runup area, and when holding short at the runway hold line (it is especially important that strobes not be on for aircraft at the runway hold line).
-
Big Pistons Forever wrote:Industry standard for use of lighting is as follows
- Nav lights on when electrical power is supplied to aircraft
- Beacon on before starting engine(s)
- Taxi light on when aircraft is moving intending to move on ground and off when aircraft stopped
- Strobes on when entering runway, off when clear of runway
- Landing lights on when cleared for takeoff/commencing takeoff roll (uncontrolled airport), off when clear of runway.
For light aircraft I have modified this slightly
For nav lights, since they are so dim on light singles they are IMO useless during the day, so nav lights are only used near to or in darkness, and for light singles I do not use the taxilight during daylight hours. For ME and MEIFR CPL students, however I do use the taxilight convention to indicate ground movement as a way to help prepare students for their first MEIFR job.
I also emphasize good airmanship when using lights at night, including Taxi lights off when operating on lighted ramps, when approaching another opposite direction aircraft on the same taxi way, when stopped in the runup area, and when holding short at the runway hold line (it is especially important that strobes not be on for aircraft at the runway hold line).
-
I imagine a happy place where we all did this. You could look at a plane see the beacon light come on and know the pilot was going to start the engine. See the taxi light come on and know the pilot intended to move the craft. We could all skip and sing with the ability to communicate our intention to each other without blinding people with random strobes just because we are afraid of people that don't want to look for other planes.
At night, I turn the strobes off when on short final (when I push the prop forward) - I expect that with two landing lights and the nav lights blazing on the Husky that everyone can see me approaching.
The wing-tip strobes reflect off the ground and create a "freeze-frame" effect as I flare, like trying to land in a disco. Probably an effect of getting older, it didn't used to bother me but now it does. I find it easier to land with less lighting around, not more. I find the intense runway lighting at the "big" airports is very distracting, I'm often asking them to turn it down a little or else I can't see the ground underneath all the lighting.
Going slightly off topic here. One of my pet peeves is that some people dont know when and when not to use the ARCAL system. I understand that you need to find the airport at night, but some people forget to listen to the radio FIRST! If people are landing, DON'T select high intensity runway lighting. It happens many times. Anyone else think like me, or is it just myself? Try finding the airport beacon, or advise the pilot landing that you wish to select high intensity, rather than tune to the radio and click click click immediately.
When you're on the ground, your beacon serves that purpose.
If your aircraft has no lights and you are operating in day VFR can pilots still recognize an aircraft on the ground even if it has no lights on, or do pilots have trouble seeing something that obvious?
Big Pistons Forever wrote:Industry standard for use of lighting is as follows
- Nav lights on when electrical power is supplied to aircraft
- Beacon on before starting engine(s)
- Taxi light on when aircraft is moving intending to move on ground and off when aircraft stopped
- Strobes on when entering runway, off when clear of runway
- Landing lights on when cleared for takeoff/commencing takeoff roll (uncontrolled airport), off when clear of runway.
For light aircraft I have modified this slightly
For nav lights, since they are so dim on light singles they are IMO useless during the day, so nav lights are only used near to or in darkness, and for light singles I do not use the taxilight during daylight hours. For ME and MEIFR CPL students, however I do use the taxilight convention to indicate ground movement as a way to help prepare students for their first MEIFR job.
I also emphasize good airmanship when using lights at night, including Taxi lights off when operating on lighted ramps, when approaching another opposite direction aircraft on the same taxi way, when stopped in the runup area, and when holding short at the runway hold line (it is especially important that strobes not be on for aircraft at the runway hold line).
-
