Question about lights

[CharlieDeltaUK]

For those who answered my question yesterday about rule 5, thank you, and I'm hoping forum readers will indulge another question while I get to grips with air law.

Rule 48(2) says "An aircraft shall not depart from an aerodrome if there is a failure of any light which these Rules require to be displayed at night and the light cannot be immeditaely repaired or replaced."

My question: I interpret this to mean that an aircraft should be grounded even if the flight was a day-time flight with no possible night hours. But, I'm sure I've seen the tech log for my normal student training aircraft report things like wing strobes not working. Am I missing something?

[Sir Niall Dementia]

Yep; you are missing something, but as with all CAA docs the wording is terrible.

You can fly during the day without the navigation lights and red strobe, subject to MEL requirements. You can't depart if your flight time will take you past the onset of official night (30 mins after sunset)

Most light aircraft have a placard in the cockpit which says something like "Turn off the wing strobes on the apron in the vicinity of other aircraft, at night or when IMC." The strobes on big aircraft are a long way from the cockpit/cabin and are well shielded from cockpit/cabin windows. On something like a PA28 or any Cessna they are much closer and at night or IMC can cause a horrible distraction.

In fact I believe, but can't check right now that there is no requirement under any set of laws for wingtip strobes, just the ordinary red/white/green nav lights and red strobe.

[BackPacker]

You can fly during the day without the navigation lights and red strobe, subject to MEL requirements.

Since you are apparently still studying for a PPL, you might not have come across that term. MEL stands for Minimum Equipment List and is what it says. However, the average spamcan doesn't have a dedicated one, but has a list in the POH (Pilot Operating Handbook).

Look at the "Limitations" section (normally chapter 2). There should be a "kinds of operations" equipment list, which details the list of stuff that you have to have, and needs to be serviceable, for certain kinds of operations. Where "operations" is normally split into Day VFR, Night VFR and IFR.

[Sir Niall Dementia]

:O Duoh!!! Thanks Backpacker I forget sometimes. I claim old age as a reason:ugh::ugh: