Light'em up

In aviation, the most crucial safety directive is to see and be seen—and the best way to do that is to light up. Compared to all of the other parts of an aircraft, lights are inexpensive protection. They indicate the relative position of other aircraft and their movement. If you add recognition lighting to an aircraft, lights that are pulsed and stroboscopic lights that actually do flash, you’ll be hard to miss. However, aircraft lights can blend in with city lights, runway lighting, or stars—and not all aircraft will have lights turned on.

Many aircraft, especially single-engine models like most of our trainers, are unpretentious when it comes to strutting their stuff. One landing light, position lights, and a rotating beacon or strobe lights are the norm. But just because aircraft are equipped with lights, doesn’t mean they’ll always be on. The landing light might not show up until the gear is extended (especially if the light is attached to the nose strut). Similarly, the beacon might not be mounted in an ideal spot atop the vertical stabilizer, where it would be most visible on a crowded ramp. And some pilots choose not to burn the landing light, for the rather silly reason of the cost of bulb replacement.

Unfortunately, some pilots believe that it’s appropriate to always keep strobe lights off while taxiing on the ground, so that they do not impair the vision of other pilots. However, it may be better to be temporarily blind than blindsided. In the worst case, you may impair someone’s night vision, but at least they’ll be fully aware of exactly where you are.

In addition to the red, green, and white position lights (red to port, green to starboard, and white astern), regulations require one anticollision light for aircraft flying at night. This can be either white or red, and may be either a mechanically rotating beacon or a flashing strobe.

Position lights (on the airplane’s wing tips and tail ) can provide a means for pilots to determine the relative direction of other aircraft in flight: When you see red and green, the other aircraft is probably heading toward you; if you see only red, it’s probably moving from your right to your left; and if you see green, left to right.

The regulations are very specific about how aircraft lighting must be installed on aircraft, for the simple reason that pilots know what to expect when they see a light. The regulations are clear about the required placement of the positions lights, the intensity at which they must illuminate, and even the amount the airframe can block their brillance.

The same goes for all other lighting as well. For anticollision lights, the rules require an effective flash frequency between 40 and 100 per minute (although for overlapping flashes, where there is more than one light, it can be as high as 180 per minute). Regarding the regulations covering how radiant your presence needs to be, here’s something interesting. Did you know that, for most of us, the regulations don’t require a landing light? Look in Federal Aviation Regulation 91.209, which doesn’t mention a landing light. You will see it mentioned in 91.205(c), however. These are the night VFR instrument and equipment requirements for powered civil aircraft with standard airworthiness certificates, but the landing light is only required for aircraft operated for hire.

Strobe lights are fairly easy to replace, which is good because just like aircraft tires, they have a tough life. Each time the light flashes, traces of carbon are deposited on the inside of the tubes, which reduces their brightness over time. (Every 1,000 hours, however, not 10.) Aside from the safety advantages, the irony is that pulsed lighting systems—which never fully turn off; instead, they dim to a low intensity of about 30 percent—extend the life of the bulbs themselves.

Placing landing lights out on the wings makes more sense, because when they’re installed in the cowling area, the engine vibration will shake the filaments. Oddly enough, bulbs that are more powerful tend to last longer, because the thicker filaments in the larger bulbs are more resistant to breakage. Don’t install a bulb that has wattage greater than what the system can supply, however—that will trip the circuit breakers.

When it comes to aircraft lighting, more is always better. While the regulations do allow for some flexibility on when pilots are permitted to turn the various lights off and on, some lights must be on continiously. The beacon, for example, must be operated whenever the engine is running. Strobes are a little more complex. The FAA says that pilots are allowed to turn those off when he or she feels they create a visual hazard. And when the sun sets, it’s time to put on those positions lights.

The landing light is never required for noncommercial operations. Most runways provide enough external lighting to get by, but if you have ever tried taxiing or landing on a dark runway, you’ll see just how helpful a landing light can be. Of course, landing lights obviously do fail, which is why you’ll most likely practice night landings without your landing light. Most students find it to be a fun experience, and not nearly as crazy as it may sound.

Where aircraft lights are concerned, ostentatious displays do not equate to conspicuous consumption. One good thing about using your aircraft lighting is that no one is going to send you an electric bill.

Jeff Pardo is an aviation writer in Maryland with commercial, instrument, helicopter, and glider ratings.