Centreline Lights on Take-Off

[Eurotraveller]

A slightly trivial question perhaps in the grand scheme of things but here goes...

I was flying with a Captain a few weeks ago, and once airborne he commented that by tracking the centreline exactly during the take-off (and running over the centreline lights as I did so) I was inducing unneccessary wear and tear on the tyres, and was making things uncomfortable for the passengers as we 'bumped' over the lights.

The suggestion was that I modify my technique to track ever so slightly off-centreline and thus miss the lights.

I guess that running over the lights at high speed must put some wear on the tyres, but does it really increase wear by that much?

I guess missing the lights would be more comfortable for the passengers but i suppose old habits die hard and I'm not immediately comfortable with the idea of offsetting left or right of the centreline.

Cheers,
Eurotraveller

[Piltdown Man]

I don't know about the wear and tear, but it's irritating having some clever sod hit every taxiway and centreline light. But why do you do it though? It's not as if every light is actually in the centre or that the paint is even in the middle. Close enough is good enough and you won't measurably affect safety by offsetting your groundtrack by 300mm or so. However, you will give everybody a better ride and reduce cockpit stress.

PM

[skeletor]

It's a good idea to miss the lights during the take-off run. Not just for the reasons given; the tyre can obviously fail with potentially serious consequences (ie the concorde). Best to look after the tyres IMHO.

(that said.......it's quite satisfying to hit each and every light on landing:))

[STBYRUD]

If my memory serves me right most center line lights I've seen are actually slightly offset from the painted centerline, improve your tracking in that case ;) And yes, I've heard the same comment about increased wear - and its probably a very good point.

[Eurotraveller]

Thanks guys, some good points there, guess I'll have to change the habit of a lifetime!!

Cheers
Eurotraveller

[TyroPicard]

Drive your eyes along the lights and the nosewheel will miss them... everyone else does it that way!

[FullWings]

I think there must be magnets in the light fittings as sometimes it requires a fair effort to not follow the centreline:

Bom......bom....bom...bom..bom bom bom bombombombombmbmbmbm

"Great tracking!"

"@%^$!"

[BOAC]

Drive your eyes along the lights and the nosewheel will miss them... everyone else does it that way!- oh no! Now look what you've done! We will be inundated by boring old f***s who flew Tridents with offset nosewheels..............:)

PS My solution is, after take-off, to say "I made that 65, what did you get...?

[Meikleour]

Ah, tales of the "gripper". Only aircraft to be famous for how quickly it could descend rather than how well it climbed!!!

[Captain Oryx]

Depends on if the Captain/Instructor is a jerk.

I once had an instructor who kept harping on centerline. After two t/o's and landings I made it a point to hit every centerline light I could. Never heard another word.;)

[blousky]

Once I had a captain telling me with a tad of sarcasm: "Are you trying to hit them ALL?"
We had a good laugh; and since then I avoid them as much as I can.

[QAR ASR]

Good way to earn a beer with a small wager.

Although have to admit the smaller types to shake and rattle in way that an engineer would disapprove of.

Suppose it depends how company minded you are feeling on the day.

[rogerg]

Whatever happened to common sense!!!

[lederhosen]

Lighthearted jibe with my mob (pun definitely intended) is to ask the copilot if he can try and hit every second light!

[mnttech]

In the US, AC 150/5340-30B "The line of lights is offset a maximum of 2 feet (0.6 m) from the runway centerline to the edge of the fixture... See AC 120-28 and AC 120-29 for additional information."

If the strip is 3 feet wide, that would put the lights just at 6 inches off the edge of the light.

Quick, which side of the centerline are the lights? On the side toward the terminal or on the side away? Or are they in the center and the paint goes around them?

[Sir George Cayley]

Royal Flight pilots never hit light fittings, so what good for the head of the Betty Windsor Flying Club should be good enough for you.

But just to 'hammer' home the point - inset runway light fittings have been designed to build standards. Both the UK and US publish these. Except following the famous failure of a fitting at LHR studies have shown that shear forces imparted from a/c wheels and tyres are much higher than in the old days.

Steps have been taken to reduce the risk and since then no more incidents have been reported.

So do your part and reduce wear and tear on the fittings eh?

Sir George Cayley

[singpilot]

It was considered a running bet at my company to see how long you could straddle the centerline lights with the nose tires. Was a nickle for every one you hit. I was amazed how good you get after being broke for a week. Yes, both T/O and Landing.

I think our Scottish Chief Pilot never paid more than a dollar, and that was a day with a gusty crosswind. He was so good at it it was scary. When challenged if he was really straddling, he'd offset first left, then right tire.

When I first started, I was lucky to have the mains straddling the centerline lights. Amazing what 37 years of practise can do for skills.

[tocamak]

Royal Flight pilots never hit light fittings

What, never ever?

[9.G]

don't really care about wear and tear but certainly wanna hear that annoying rhythmic jiggling noise specially if LVTO is performed and the visual reference is temporarily lost. Kinda makes me feel better being still on the centerline :ok:

[DA50driver]

On the terminal side.

[an3_bolt]

Yeah - what about offsetting the aircraft from the lights so that you do not smash them up with the tailskid when over rotating :}...... like I saw a "singaporean" airline flying a 777 at YSSY several years ago do.

He was very good - exactly on the centreline when he smashed several runway turnoff lights (the centreline lights did not exist at YSSY then..)........ we informed him of his accurate tracking abilities and the smoke/dust we observed at runway contact as did ATC - and he said nothing and kept sailing on to Singapore.:oh:

Delay - about 30 mins for runway cleanup / vacuum and hole filling goo to set.

[john_tullamarine]

I was amazed how good you get after being broke for ...

Classy.

[SoundBarrier]

how apt was the timing of this thread. I just smiled yesterday when as pax I was flying from EDI to Heathrow. Every single cats-eye....on the taxi, in the turn and on the take off roll. Every bl:mad:dy one!

HEHEHE! I just grinned.

Was it you John?


and by the way it was only 117 of them , nowhere near 184!:}

[john_tullamarine]

Was it you John?

Not guilty, your Worship. My skill level used to be associated with sometimes accidentally hitting them and, at other times, accidentally missing them .. sort of a hit and miss type of thing, I guess ...