New 737's.. Why no nose gear lights?

[PhatAJ2008]

I see they are further back, and fold down. Is there a reason for this?

 

[Reebo]

I see they are further back, and fold down. Is there a reason for this?

?????? I don't understand. I do walk arounds on 737's all the time, brand new ones too!!! And all the nose gear lights are the same, -300,-500,-700. Not sure what you're seeing.

 

[geardown]

The lights by th main gear replace the older model lights that folded out of the flap fairings 2/3 way out on the wing. The new 73s still have nose gear lights.

 

[pianoman]

Correct me if I'm wrong but colleagues who've flown the 73 have told me the old retractable lights were MX hogs and broke down a lot. Maybe not worth the small savings in drag?

 

[SkiFishFly]

They still have retractables. They are in the underbelly now instead of out on the wings.

 

[PhatAJ2008]

I guess I never see Southwest using thier nose gear lights on their newer a/c, only the retractable ones near the middle.

 

[skydraulic]

I see they are further back, and fold down. Is there a reason for this?

Job security for an engineering group at Boeing.

 

[Juniority]

At BWI during the winter of 05-06 we discovered that if you try to take off on a runway that has only been halfway plowed you can knock the retractable landing lights right off the belly of a nice new -700.

 

[ClubORD]

At BWI during the winter of 05-06 we discovered that if you try to take off on a runway that has only been halfway plowed you can knock the retractable landing lights right off the belly of a nice new -700.

That was really funny...nicely done!

 

[RedBelly]

No joke ClubORD... on a contaminated runway, the nosegear can kick up debris into the lights on the belly.

 

[DrewBlows]

Do the retractable lights have a maximum extension speed?

 

[LearAv8r]

Do the retractable lights have a maximum extension speed?

No, but they have a maximun taxi speed.

 

[WMUSIGPI]

No, but they have a maximun taxi speed.

Didn't know Southwest had a maximum taxi speed.... I thought that was only at Northwest.

 

[PTinbound]

I flew with a wise old captain who had just had his last PC. He mentioned our 30 knot taxi limitation and explained: "You, what a lot of people don't understand is that it's the same as in the air - plus or minus ten knots...."

 

[ASApuppy]

The lights were moved from the Flap track Fairing to the Wing to Body Fairing on the NG for the purpose of increasing bulb life. There is 10 times the vibration at the Flap track than the new location.

This is fact. I personally conducted the FAA Certification tests on the new location back in 1997.

 

[DrewBlows]

The lights were moved from the Flap track Fairing to the Wing to Body Fairing on the NG for the purpose of increasing bulb life. There is 10 times the vibration at the Flap track than the new location.

This is fact. I personally conducted the FAA Certification tests on the new location back in 1997.

I'm not particularly familiar with the light systems of the 737, but is there no place on the wing leading edge where lights could be mounted without some complicated (i.e. moving parts) system?

 

[SuperFLUF]

I'm not particularly familiar with the light systems of the 737, but is there no place on the wing leading edge where lights could be mounted without some complicated (i.e. moving parts) system?

Yeah, they have some there too.

 

[Jim Smyth]

At other Airlines I worked for we used the nose taxi light for takeoff and landing clearances. Southwest teaches not to use it for anything other than taxi/ground operations. When I got into the left seat I started using it again as a mental reminder and was asked during a sim debrief why I was using it. I told the instructor it was a saftey issue plus I am old and cant see as well as when I was younger. That was the end of that discussion.