A320 Lights - Takeoff sequence??

[beardedclam]

Struggling to find this in FCOM or FCTM or QRH.
Is this correct. (Nav lights / beacon excluded)
1.Taxi with TAXI light only.
2.When cleared to line up, all lights on. Taxi, take-off, Runway turn off lights, Landing lights and wing lights.
3. After flaps up, spoiler disarmed: Which lights off?
4. If landing lights are off after t/o (if) why are they not retracted until 10000ft? Surely a drag penalty?
Thanks. (Any logic appreciated.)
Type rated but unemployed....

[500 above]

2.When cleared to line up, all lights on. Taxi, take-off, Runway turn off lights, Landing lights and wing lights.


We do not turn landing lights on until the takeoff clearance is obtained. Not a'bus, but this is generally not type specific just airmanship.

Edit:

The FAA have long ago issued the following best practice, which our company (EU) follows:

(d)
Entering the Departure Runway for Takeoff or LUAW. When entering a runway, either for takeoff or when taxiing into LUAW, flightcrews should make their aircraft more conspicuous to aircraft on final behind them and to ATC by turning on all lights, except for landing lights, that highlight the aircraft’s silhouette. Strobe lights should not be illuminated if they will adversely affect the vision of other pilots. At night, and cleared to LUAW, consider lining up slightly to the left or right of the centerline (CL) (approximately 3 feet) to enable a landing aircraft to visually differentiate that your aircraft from the runway lights.
(e)
Takeoff. Turn on all lights, including landing lights, when takeoff clearance is received, or when commencing takeoff roll at an airport without an operating control tower.

From here: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC%20120-74B.pdf

[Skornogr4phy]

In my company the landing lights issue is a personal one. Some like to keep them on up to 10,000 for added visibility, whereas others are happy to rely on the TCAS in controlled airspace, and just switch them off after flap retraction. Personally I find the lights make very little difference in the ability to see an aircraft flying at 250kts during the day time so I switch them off.

[vilas]

beardedclam
Taxi with taxi lights and also run way turnoff in the night.
When cleared to enter run way put all lights on. Only taxi light you may put to take off position when cleared for take off. You should light up when entering live run way.
After flaps up, spoilers disarmed put turn off and taxi lights to off. These are outer lights, landing lights are the centre two lights.
Landing lights do not go off after take off but these outer lights go off. Landing lights remain on till you switch them off at 10000 or 5000ft. Night they are clearly visible, day time they are supposed to deter the birds also. Opinions may differ on this.

[Capt Scribble]

Iaw company SOPs is your answer! We stow the landing lights with Flap zero, on at 10,000 in the descent.

[aa73]

Please, please do NOT turn on **all** your lights when lined up on a runway. #1, it blinds the heck out of everyone holding short right beside you at night. #2, it tends to create much anxiety for someone who is crossing the runway down field, as your aircraft all lit it gives the impression that you've gotten takeoff clearance.

Runway turnoff and wing illumination (ice lights) are fine in position. The rest (Strobes and landing lights) on when receiving takeoff clearance.

This seems to be an issue with non US airlines. Taxiing around at JFK at night, it is not uncommon to be blinded by a foreign airline taxiing straight towards you with a bunch of lights right in your face. Seems like common courtesy goes out the window. If you're facing someone, especially at night, turn off your forward facing lights!

Airbus extendable landing lights cause a loud rumble for anyone sitting in rows over the wing. I agree, switch them off when retracting flaps. Leaving them on to 10 is just plain loud. Turning them on at 10 on descent, same thing: turn them on when extending first set of flaps. Same goes for 737 belly extendable lights. Company sop should leave room for captain discretion.

Just some observations...carry on. merry Christmas to all!

[Denti]

It is usually a company procedure which may or may not be based on OEM procedures.

In my outfit, both on the bus and on the 737, we have to switch on taxi and runway turn off lights for taxi and have to add the strobe lights if crossing a runway. All taxi-related lights off when coming to a stop (waiting for other aircraft or holding short). Upon entering the runway the strobes have to be added, same as for crossing, on the boeing the taxi light is switched off when lined up. With the take off clearance the landing lights have to be switched on. With flaps zero the runway turn off light and the taxi/take off light will be switched off, on the 737 the outboard landing lights will be switched off. At FL100 the remaining lights (landing for A320, runway turn off, logo and inboard landing light fpr the 737) will be switched off. The logo light on the 737 is only used during night.

[wheels_down]

Just curious, why are 320 extendable lights so loud?

[INeedTheFull90]

The extending surface is fairly large and extends at around 90degrees so you a lot of form drag. Dditionally the lights are right below the cabin at the wing root so the noise will be louder simply because it's closer whereas other airliners with extenting lights are located toward to tip of the wing.

[Skornogr4phy]

People I know use the 320 landing lights as "alternate speedbrakes". I'd be interested to know how much difference they make. Some say none at all, and others say a noticeable amount.

[vilas]

Skornogr4phy
Although there is no speed limit for extending landing lights they have been lost sometimes.

[Amadis of Gaul]

They're referred to as Polish Speedbrakes at my airline.

[INeedTheFull90]

Italian speed brakes in my place.

[Valmont]

The poor's speedbrakes at mine.
Usually above -200 to -300fpm at FL100 when you extend them.

[Metro man]

It's the wing lights which blind other pilots and it seems to be SOP for some airlines to have them on during the walk around.

Our SOP is for lights off after flap retraction and on with the gear extension, however I like to have the lights on below 10 000' in non radar environments. Controllers in India will tell you to put your lights on if they can't see you.

[Valmont]

What we do:

- When taxi clearance obtained: nose sw on TAXI, rwy turn off ON
- Strobe ON to cross or enter a rwy
- Nose sw on Takeoff T.O. when cleared for line up and Landing Lights ON, but technically we do put the Landing Lights on as soon as we are clear to lineup and wait for the actual takeoff clearance to put the nose sw to TO.

After Takeoff, when flaps retracted and spoilers disarmed: Nose SW, Rw Turn off OFF and we keep the landing lights till FL100 even though airbus SOPs doesn't require you to.

Now we are expecting some changes soon for fuel burn reduction: retraction of landing lights as soon as flaps are retracted and extension when setting flaps 1 during approach.

[Cough]

They are the Tesco's in my place.

After all, every little helps....

[CanadianAirbusPilot]

My airline SOPs are very similar to that of the US airlines. Taking position, all lights on with two points, hesitate on the strobes if someone is behind/close to me until I am farther away and secondly landing lights only get extended. When we receive take off clearance we turn them on.

At 10,000 feet. Strobes now stay "on" rather than "auto" and everything else except Nav/Logo and Beacon go off. On decent at our in range check (10,000 but sometimes different going into higher elevation) landing lights on. When we get cleared the approach our nose light goes to taxi and when we get cleared to land it goes to T/O.

After landing everything stays on until we clear the runway. Then back to how we taxied out.

[de facto]

This seems to be an issue with non US airlines. Taxiing around at JFK at night, it is not uncommon to be blinded by a foreign airline taxiing straight towards you with a bunch of lights right in your face. Seems like common courtesy goes out the window. If you're facing someone, especially at night, turn off your forward facing lights!


I feel your pain...seems that airmanship is more and more inexistent on the ground..
No idea why airlines want to use taxi lights for take off,(airbus being different as they have a T/O taxi light position) ,runway turnoff during taxi,wing ice light at the gate or taxi....
YouR aircraft is large,,,dont worry people will see you at night even if you forgot to switch on your wing light...:ugh:

At underlighted,active backtrack or simply middle of nowhere airports then yes please light up that christams tree..it might be useful but please switch off these forward facing lights when someone is in front of you even if you taxi...