Strobe light taxi

[KingAirer]

Its a "pain" (pun intended) to see strobe lights taxiing by at night. I always turn them off when i have the beacon going. When flying an aircraft that only has strobes and no beacon, is there anything legal that says that must be on for taxii??

 

[saabcaptain]

When I flew the J31 which only had one beacon, the beacon was defererable but you had to taxi with the strobes on per the MEL which was a pain since it made you look bad. The Saab 340 has of course 2 beacons and if both are out you are no go at night.

 

[ILLINI]

Couldn't you use your PIC authority and turn them off if you felt that it would affect safety?

For example... you have no beacon installed on the a/c but have strobes. If you are in IMC at night, you may turn the strobes off b/c having them on would affect the safety of flight. I would assume the same would hold true if you were taxiing around on the ground. I thought there was a reg that stated this but I can't remember off the top of my head. Maybe some else will be able to post it.

 

[350DRIVER]

I have found that alot of the older trainers have the strobes tied into the beacon so if beacon is "on" then guess what else is going to be on .

I had a student the other day take his instrument checkride in his own aircraft (older 172) and guess what was for the entire checkride.

Simple solution that I suggested to him would be to get the strobes re-wired to the nav lights or if he could afford the panel space get a seperate switch for the strobes. Pretty abnoxious to see strobes on all the time, not to mention the "blinding" of other people that are operating in the same area (s).


3 5 0

 

[EagleRJ]

How about taxi lights?

They can be deferred for night operation, and some Saabs have just one of them, so you have to use one of the landing lights to see where you're going. You'll look like an inconsiderate schmuck to everyone else on the airport, but that's what you have to do.

Sometimes, you just need to exercise your PIC authority before you ever leave the chocks. There's Legal, and then there's Safe.

 

[avbug]

If it's not legal and safe, you shouldn't be doing it.

 

[KingAirer]

I just hate being THAT guy when thats all i have is strobes. It really doesnt effect my vision as much as it does the guy who im taxing beside or around.

 

[DoinTime]

Its a "pain" (pun intended) to see strobe lights taxiing by at night. I always turn them off when i have the beacon going. When flying an aircraft that only has strobes and no beacon, is there anything legal that says that must be on for taxii??

91.209 covers use of lights on the ground at night. You do not need anti-collision lights on the ground at night, only position lights. You do need anti-collision lights in flight (91.205.c.3). Strobe lights or a beacon covers this requirement.

For example... you have no beacon installed on the a/c but have strobes. If you are in IMC at night, you may turn the strobes off b/c having them on would affect the safety of flight. I would assume the same would hold true if you were taxiing around on the ground. I thought there was a reg that stated this but I can't remember off the top of my head. Maybe some else will be able to post it.

91.209
(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.

 

[ILLINI]

Re: Re: Strobe light taxi

91.209
(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.

Thanks DoinTime!

That's exactly the reg that I was referring to in my last post.

So all you guys taxiing around with your strobes on while on the groud...... cut it out!!!

 

[Redtailer]

May be legal, but I used to fly a twin with the strobes wired to the beacon. I cannot tell you how many times I have been called by the tower/ground asking for my position.

I guess if it's not blinking, they can't see it.

See, the soultion is to turn them off until they yell at you.

 

[starchkr]

Ahh yes, good ole part 91...


I know our MEL REQUIRES the strobes to be on at night if the Beacon is either inop or not installed on an aircraft, even on the ground. Part 135 though.

 

[ILLINI]

Ahh yes, good ole part 91...


I know our MEL REQUIRES the strobes to be on at night if the Beacon is either inop or not installed on an aircraft, even on the ground. Part 135 though.

Does your MEL require the strobes to be "ON", or just that they must be operational? I didn't think MEL's specified that equipment had to be "ON", just that they must be working.

 

[Green Banana]

OK, while we are at it, Don't turn on your App and Flare lights until you are cleared to take off. This is common pratice for %90 of airliners. There are always the few boys that get cleared into position and hold with all guns blasing. Then I have to cross up feild and look at this christmas tree of lights at the end of the runway. My life always passes before my eyes.
Got it Alaska boys?

ALOHA

 

[Hawker rider]

Well my jet only has landing lights, that we also use for taxi lights.

When I enter a runway "into position and hold" especially at night, I would like to have some lights on, so that people can see me. It is annoying when you have to cross the runway ahead of me, but if I don't have any lights on at night, especially without any moon, like the last few nights, It is almost impossible to see me standing right before the numbers too.

we might be a very small jet, but if you big boys land on top of me we will also make a "boom"

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Many believe that when you TAKE the runway...EVERY light ON.

Hey, Dont stare at me when you cross downfield, I aint gonna run you over , but I want to be SEEN on the runway.

Many do this after the LAX accident a few year back. Had they had thier lights on, MAYBE it would not have happened....

 

[ksu_aviator]

On a related matter, it would be nice if people would leave their transponders off until taking the runway. I hate having to put up with TCAS alerts on short final. Especially in RDU!

 

[328dude]

Your TCAS alerts you that low to the ground? Weird. It's not supposed to do that. Most TCAS systems will inhibite the audible warning below a certain parameter.

Maybe turn it to the "above" mode would stop that, if you can do that with yours.

 

[ILLINI]

Some airports require you to have your transponder on while taxiing around the airport. Might see more of this in the future to help ground control out.

 

[nat]

Curious what everyone else's take on this is....when you get cleared for takeoff do you turn the strobes on at night no matter what....or do you make special circumstances for yourself....thxs

 

[91100 100 set]

It's a little inconvienent (sp?) once it's time to roll, but studies have shown that not sitting on the centerline of the runway when you're in position and hold will make you far more visible to another plane on short final. Same goes for when you're using a runway for a taxiway. If you're dead on the centerline, the aircraft lights are more likely to line up with the runway lights and cause you to dissapear. I think this might have been discussed during the investigation for the USAir/Skywest runway collision. I've also heard that not lining up completely with the runway will make one more visible when you're holding in position, but I'm dubious about that one. I guess it has something to do with "not looking right" and it's more likely to catch your eye (as if a plane on your runway looks right?)