Lights!

[Big Pistons Forever]

NOTE: The SOP of turning on landing lights when takeoff clearance is received is a signal to other pilots, ATC, and ground personnel that the aircraft is moving down the runway for takeoff.

I find a more accurate indicator that the aircraft is moving down the runway is that its position is changing with time.How come we turn our landing lights on for take-off?

This exact procedure saved me from a potential runway encroachment incident in YYJ. I was cleared to taxi to runway 09 via taxiway E with no hold short clearnace. As I was approaching the intersection of E and runway 02 I observed a Dash 8 waiting in position. This is not unusual as this the regionals often use the cross runway. However when I was about 50 ft from the hold short line I saw all of the Dash's lights go so I immediately stopped and told told ground I was holding short. Ground came back instantly and in a very rapid voice told me to hold short twice. I found out later that there had been a momentary break down of coordination between ground and the tower and the tower controller thought I had been told to hold short so he had cleared the Dash for takeoff. Bottom line no harm no foul and by following the landing light SOP the Dash gave me a heads up so I could stop before the hold short line. Now somebody in the tower "probably" would have cought the error before I crossed the hold short line but the extra layer of safety and situational awareness the well understood landing light SOP provided helped turn this into a non event.

I am also a firm believer in landing lights on in the aerodrome area. Under certain lighting conditions little airplanes are extemely difficult to see. Katana's in particular are the stealth bomber of the training world. There have been numerous instances where all I have seen is a disembodied landing light with the airplane it is attached to virtually undetectable. And BTW I am very familiar with how much landing lights cost as my little AA1B eats them on a regular basis. However I feel the safety benefits of using landing lights IAW industry SOPs is worth it.

[C23flyer]

I was flying back last night, getting ahead of some crappy wx today (good call as it turns out), and was having trouble detecting any movement from a flashing red light at my altitude, about 5NM off my wing. I'm guessing the plane was moving directly away from me, but other than the altitude (about 1000' above MOCA) it was hard to distinguish the light from a tower's anti-collision light. I notice in the regs. that flashing red is perfectly acceptable, but I was really wishing it had a white strobe.

[nimbostratus]

Nav lights on during the day is useless. The aircraft I fly (a twin engine jet) is designed by the manufacturer to automatically dim all the cockpit annunciators when the nav lights are turned on. This makes the annunciators nearly impossible to see on a bright sunny day. So the boys at the Bombardier training facility train every pilot that comes through to never turn your nav lights on during the "bright" times of day.
As the aircraft was certified by the FAA I am to assume that they are happy with this as well.

That being said, I do turn on the Strobes whenever ever I am taxiing on an active runway and the landing lights are on when cleared for take-off. (Day or night).

[trey kule]

big Pistons, you wrote

the industry SOP

What exactly is an industry SOP? First I have ever heard of the "industry" having SOP's
Always thought they were company specific

[GilletteNorth]

Of all the posts here I found Hedley's to be most helpful regarding light use.

Any aircraft which has one or more people in it should be treated as if the prop is about to start turning.

and

Safety comment for the day: if someone runs at your spinning prop on the ground (pets or kids with moron parents) it's mags off, not mixture ICO.

Good warnings there Hedley.

I find common sense may be sensible, but not very common. Cat Driver says it similarly:

Common sense seems to be lacking and is replaced by blind compliance to " Safety procedures " that are forever being expanded.

I'd just like to add that being able to spot aircraft on the approach from the tower is aided immensely by turning on the landing light. Small aircraft are just a tiny black dot in a large piece of sky otherwise, even when you know exactly where to look, but a bright light is a thousand times better. Please keep doing it.

[Rockie]

The only valid reason not to have any kind of external light on in the daytime is the cost of replacing them. Even NAV lights might catch someone's attention and save their ass, so why not? It's not necessarily common sense to turn them off in the daytime, just a matter of choice.

The position of the landing light switch for takeoff, and the nose light for landing is used more as an SOP reminder to the crew if they have recieved a clearance or not. That too has saved some asses from embarassment if not violation. All the lights end up being on for both whether it's day or night.