Landing lights and low drag approaches
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Landing lights and low drag approaches
I was wandering in Windsor on a day with easterlies, so was under finals for Heathrow. Busy as it was, I soon noticed a pattern with BA flights seemingly late to landing configuration, compared with other carriers. Is this a low drag approach procedure? But I also noticed a lack of landing lights; I always thought it was common practice to use them below 10,000ft. Am I wrong and is this also a low drag procedure, keeping retractable lights tucked up for as long as possible? If
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Different procedures for different operators. We extend the retractable landing light on getting our landing clearance and on departure retract them as we select gear up. We used to leave them on until 10000 feet until someone worked out that that increases the fuel burn by about 10 kilo per flight. Doesn't sound like a lot but if you are doing hundreds (or even thousands) of flights a day it all adds up.
Whilst not LHR, at my airline which has a significant presence at LGW, ATC ask us to fly 160kts to 4 miles. In the airbus we fly a low drag approach, selecting the gear at 5 miles and fully configuring at 4 miles. The landing lights are selected on with gear down (although can be selected at an earlier stage if considered necessary).
But the runway turn off lights are inside the fuselage until you extend the gear?
We select gear and land flap at 4dme at lhr, so over windsor would be flap 2, gear up and possibly landing lights extended depending on the wind. Unless you’re in a light 319 you’ll be stable at 1000ra, if in a light 319 flap 3 landings assist with achieving a stable approach at 1000ra.
We select gear and land flap at 4dme at lhr, so over windsor would be flap 2, gear up and possibly landing lights extended depending on the wind. Unless you’re in a light 319 you’ll be stable at 1000ra, if in a light 319 flap 3 landings assist with achieving a stable approach at 1000ra.
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