Landing light at night?

[mikelimapapa]

I've been doing alot of night x-c lately and have noticed other aircraft leaving the landing light on for the entire flight. I have started doing this myself because it was easier to spot the other traffic that had theirs on. Seems like a good idea to me, especially if your not in radar contact with ATC. Any reason not to?

[the beater]

It depends on the model of aircraft. Some have a restriction on the use of landing light such as a time limit or a maximum airspeed for operation. It certainly does make you more easily seen though, and it's one thing less to think about in the event of a forced landing.

[maxeemum]

The good thing about a landing light on finals is, if you don't like what you see turn it off.

On the serious side landing lights and strobes left on in IMC at night can give you some very nasty illusions and back scatter that degrade your night vision. For Circuit OPS landing lights and or strobes great. IFR transit in IMC I dispense with the LL and Strobes (company policy) as IFR you have 1000 ft sep, 10 mins, and 10 nm lateral. In a radar env people can see you and hence see and avoid not really a factor until TOPD and terminal area.

Back in the terminal area and visual its time to be a Xmas tree again.

Night black hole apps in Summer, with the search and landing lights on grass hoppers and dust cause problems with keeping the landing aid visual and hence only turn the kit on to high light obstacles.

Max

[B Sousa]

Anything you use to make your flight safer is OK. Landing lights are just one of those items. Many Helicopters now install a pulse light system within the same circuit and its overriden when the landing lights are turned on.
Have to watch out though when the Temp/Dew Point start getting close, landing light can interfere a bit and if you are IFR, can be a real pain. But then so can strobes (Flicker Vertigo).
Stay safe

[topendtorque]

max

not to mention -- "murph"-- i'll bet he will fix it so the LL CB needs a rest just when on finals an unlit area, after stooging around in the dark on any sort of flight rules. day is for flying and night is for drinking.

[mikelimapapa]

" day is for flying and night is for drinking."


I certainly agree with that one!

[rotorspeed]

In general certainly would not advocate leaving landing light on in cruise. Bulb life will reduce and the chances are one day it will go in transit leaving you struggling on landing. Power demand can be quite high with relays, switches, wiring, generators and batteries all working harder. Considerable heat is also generated which can age plastics.

Exception though is in times and areas of high traffic density, esp at funnel points such crossing airports etc when daylight use is also good.

[rotorfossil]

In congested areas, use landing light. In long x country transits, it is usually beneficial to turn them off, it saves bulb life etc. Another point though is that the back scatter of light reduces your night vision. After half hour or so you can even turn down the instrument lights and it is surprising what you can then see outside that you couldn't see before. Many moons ago used this technique entering jungle clearings at night, only using the lights for the last bit, at which point everything outside the light pattern disappeared.
When your vision is really night adapted, even starlight gives useful ground detail.

[B Sousa]

" day is for flying and night is for drinking."

Very similar to "Night Air has no Lift"

[jon s gull]

I work at night in a high traffic density environment. My policy is to turn off the Landing light[LL] when leaving the circuit and turn on th strobes for ferry, turn off the strobes and all unneccesary lights for work, to improve outside vision. On return to the circuit I douse the strobe when on finals and turn on LL's.

[Lynx206]

I do my best landings without the landing light...although the pitch black night approach in the middle of the Gafa without a landing aid really sorts out the wheat from the chaff.

[maxeemum]

Thanks Topy.

Day and night always good for a drink.

The good thing about having a LDG and a SRC light (redundancy) is murphy will have his work cut out failing both pieces of equipment at the same time. So I guess if you hear the CB pop or smell conduit, arc up the other light source, assuming not on already, yawn and continue to the OGE.

Same goes for Inverter failure go to STBY Inverter, Gen fails use the other two and so on and so on.

Max.

[GipsyMagpie]

Leave it out

I reckon you should leav that light off once you've climbed up. Leave the upper red strobe on and the nav lights on for conspciuity (more than enough) and use the landing light for the purpose intended, seeing where you are going close to the ground (200ft and below). The lower strobe stays off to stop distracting reflections. You don't then end up blinding someone as you fly around and you don't have the backscatter problems. Just remember that as someone has already mentioned, if you're IFR (which you probaly will be at night) you really don't need the OTT conspicuity. You don't see airliners with them on! Or you could just get yourself some night vision gear and turn the whole lot off!

And when you read the next post, please read back to the next line here.

These are the f%^&ing rules!!! Used as taught!!!

[check]

We have been reading what people do and don't do with their landing lights. Perhaps it's time for them to read the official requirements for the use of these lights, so far I see no-one following the rules.

[SASless]

Fly at Night?

Fly in the night? Heavens knows it is too dark to see yet alone think!

[B Sousa]

Come on SAS, your getting old. Throw in some Rain and some Terrain, No Moon and make that Night VFR what its supposed to be........IFR.

[Lynx206]

Originally Posted by check

We have been reading what people do and don't do with their landing lights. Perhaps it's time for them to read the official requirements for the use of these lights, so far I see no-one following the rules.

Rules? There are rules? Bugger!

[800]

Test em on the ground.
Use em to taxi.
After takeoff, turn em off at safe height (after 500AGL).
Let your eyes adapt to night (usually 30 minutes).
Adjust instrument lights to suit (you'll find you can actually see outside - even when its really dark).
Use minimal legal external lighting (as mentioned before - less scatter).
Landing - really depends on special ops or runway approaches. (a height that suits usually by 300ft for runway)
The discussion could really be split into some different ops, such as CTA / Non CTA, VFR/IFR, and more importantly flight over buit up areas vs vast blackness with miminal ground lighting. Also add to that black hole (minimal ground lighting approaches) vs runway (well lit approaches).
It is going to vary greatly depending what your mission task is.
For me, I like to have just enough internal lighting to enable me to see the instruments and have some portion of night vision outside. So this would preclude using the landing light on permanately.
Fly safe.

[Unhinged]

Originally Posted by check

Perhaps it's time for them to read the official requirements for the use of these lights, so far I see no-one following the rules.

Different countries, different rules.

I though maybe you knew something I didn't, so just spent an hour searching the Australian Act/Regs/Orders/etc CD-Rom. I could only find one operational situation in which the use of landing lights is mandatory - LL must be turned on when conducting a straight-in visual approach (day or night) to a non-towered aerodrome.

So, on the contrary, I don't see anyone in this thread not following the rules.

Personally, I only use the LL to increase visibility in high traffic areas - day or night. My night landings are much better with it off.

[maxeemum]

Check.

MATE it appears you may have to go back and re-read the rules so you can finally see the LIGHT.

Was moments behind you unhinged. Good effort.

Check,

Horses for courses.

Max