strobe lights & beacons

[fonawah]

What is the difference between these two lights and when are they needed during a flight?
Many thanks

[Mark 1]

Rules of the air (rule 9 I think) requires anti-collision lights (if fitted) to be displayed in flight by day and night and there is also a requirement to display them on the ground when the engines are running.

I believe it is optional to use either flashing/rotating beacons or strobes.

You are allowed to turn them off if they could cause a distraction to flight crew (e.g. descending through cloud at night or taxying close to other aircraft).

[fonawah]

Cheers Mark 1

[mikef]

I was taught to turn the beacon on prior to engine start and off after shutdown. Strobes are turned on prior to entering a runway and off when exiting the runway. Therefore, they are on at all times in between.

I agree that you should turn either of them off if they are a distraction during flight but I've found that most designs fit shields to the wing, inboard of the strobes so that they don't annoy the pilot. Beacons shouldn't be a distraction being fitted under or on top of the fuselage or tail plane.

[Spitoon]

As Mark 1 says, there's something in the UK leg that requires an anti-collision beacon - if there is one - to be on while the aircraft is in flight etc. (although, strangely, they are not required to be fitted to all aircraft). An anti-collision light is red and - if my memory serves - must visible in all directions. Some are strobes with red covers.
There's absolutely nothing in the leg about the white strobe lights that are often fitted to wingtips and other extremities. That is to say, as far as the UK is concerned, there's nothing to say you have to have them on or off in any particular situation. There is an Article in the ANO that says you mustn't display lights that may be misleading but I've never heard of anyone claiming that white strobes are misleading.

[Fraudsquads]

Just to add the the question if I may.

On a recent flight the white wing-tip strobes were on during initial climb on departure from EXT then turned off. They were then turned back on during the cruise over Southern France, they were off again when flying over Italy. Then back on for approach into Cyprus

Were they just activated at possible points of crossing traffic?

Could the be a proceedure introduced as a result of the Swiss DHL crash?

Thanks in advance
FS

[international hog driver]

Beacon

On before push back and/or engine start.
Off at chocks and Shut down

Nav Lights

On.
Off only when the aircraft master is off or Maintenance

Helps stop ramp rash when left on, on the ground.


Strobes

On upon runway entry
Off on runway exit and at crews discretion when in certain cloud conditions when the crew is trying to preserve night vision.

[chiglet]

Day and Night
Nav Lights, ON
Anti Coll, ON
HISLs, ON
if fitted
AFAIK, on runway, ready for t/o
A/Col [ I believe] should be Red, but a/c below 5700kg [sometimes] have white:confused:
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

[Tee]

This one has caused arguments amongst my fellow aviators - can an aircraft depart (daytime flight) if it is known that the beacon is unserviceable?

[Mark 1]

Tee - The Rules of the Air (UK) say quite specifically that you can fly with an unserviceable ACB, so long as it is repaired as soon as possible.

[mikef]

Except in the case of certain Cessna 310's where the beacon is a MEL item and it being unservicable grounds the aircraft!! :p :p

[Spitoon]

Tee and Mark 1 - not quite so simple. If I recall correctly (and again I'm doing this without a look at the books), you can't depart with a u/s beacon but if it fails in flight - which can, of course, be on the ground before t/o - you must get it fixed asap. If the quickest way to get it fixed is to continue to destination then so be it.

The only exception is if the flight will be in controlled airspace throughout and all of the ATSUs along the route will accept it.

[PA38]

I have been watching the Police islander flying around my local area tonight, with just basic nav lights on. No beacons or strobes this was in the dark, so after reading all the post's are the Police exempt from having a red rotating beacon or stobes?

[Spitoon]

The relevant text of the Rules of the Air Regulations is
11 (1) A flying machine when flying at night shall display lights as follows:
(a) in the case of a flying machine registered in the United Kingdom having a maximum total weight authorised of more than 5700 kg or any other flying machine registered in the United Kingdom which conforms to a type first issued with a type certificate on or after 1st April 1988 the system of lights in paragraph (2)(b);
(b) in the case of a flying machine registered in the United Kingdom which conforms to a type first issued with a type certificate before 1st April 1988 having a maximum total weight authorised of 5700 kg or less, any one of the following systems of lights:
(i) that specified in paragraph (2)(a), or that specified in paragraph (2)(b); or
(ii) that specified in paragraph (2)(d), excluding sub-paragraph (ii);
(c) in the case of any other flying machine one of the systems of lights specified in paragraph (2).
(2) The systems of lights referred to in paragraph (1) are as follows:
(a) (i) a steady green light of at least five candela showing to the starboard side through an angle of 110° from dead ahead in the horizontal plane;
(ii) a steady red light of at least five candela showing to the port side through an angle of 110° from dead ahead in the horizontal plane; and
(iii) a steady white light of at least three candela showing through angles of 70° from dead astern to each side in the horizontal plane;
(b) (i) the lights specified in sub-paragraph (a); and
(ii) an anti-collision light; So, there's your answer - somewhere in there. If I'm not mistaken, Islanders have a MTWA of less than 5.7 tonnes so it depends on when the type certificate was first issued. Islanders have been around for a good few years - certainly before 1988 - but whether they are all built to the same (original) type certificate I don't know.

In all probability there is no requirement for the Islander flying around your area to have an anti-collision beacon and, if it isn't fitted with one, all it needs to show is nav lights. In routine operations I don't think that aircraft operating in accordance with a Police Air Operator's Certificate has any alleviation for the display of lights.