AeroLEDS provides exceptional products for safety and navigation that are critical to pilot operations. Aviators looking for exceptional products are sure to find a number of options made by AeroLEDS, if you have questions regarding options for aircraft view our shortlist of recommendations and requirements for aircraft lighting.If you are looking for lighting that meets safety or visibility requirements for your aircraft Whelen Engineering has great choices pilots can trust. Whelen aircraft lights are manufactured in the United States and are available in a range of different voltages.
Airplane lights for certified and experimental airplanes are available for sale and installation at Pacific Coast Avionics. Landing LED, Anti-collision LED, beacons, and more can be prepared or shipped to your location for free on any order over $100.
Strobe lights are fairly easy to replace, which is good because just like aircraft tires, they have a tough life. Each time the light flashes, traces of carbon are deposited on the inside of the tubes, which reduces their brightness over time. (Every 1,000 hours, however, not 10.) Aside from the safety advantages, the irony is that pulsed lighting systems—which never fully turn off; instead, they dim to a low intensity of about 30 percent—extend the life of the bulbs themselves.Position lights (on the airplane’s wing tips and tail ) can provide a means for pilots to determine the relative direction of other aircraft in flight: When you see red and green, the other aircraft is probably heading toward you; if you see only red, it’s probably moving from your right to your left; and if you see green, left to right.It’s a good idea to preflight aircraft lighting whether you’ll be flying during the day or at night. Turn on the master switch, light up all the external lights, and do a quick walkaround to make sure everything is working. If something isn’t illuminating, you have a decision to make. Can most airplanes be flown without certain lights? Sure. Landing lights aren’t required, but they’re a good idea. The beacon, strobes, and position lights are a different story. During the day the position lights aren’t required, but what if you have to wait out weather somewhere and fly back at night? Now you’re grounded for good. In most cases, the beacon is a required piece of equipment that will need to be repaired prior to any flight.
Why do they dim lights for landing?
The “dimming of cabin lights” only happens when it is dusk, dawn or dark outside the aircraft. This is a safety measure, and is to ensure your eyes are adjusted to the gloom enough to see the floor lights leading you to safety along the aisle in the event of a crash or emergency evacuation.
In aviation, the most crucial safety directive is to see and be seen—and the best way to do that is to light up. Compared to all of the other parts of an aircraft, lights are inexpensive protection. They indicate the relative position of other aircraft and their movement. If you add recognition lighting to an aircraft, lights that are pulsed and stroboscopic lights that actually do flash, you’ll be hard to miss. However, aircraft lights can blend in with city lights, runway lighting, or stars—and not all aircraft will have lights turned on.
Why do planes have LED lights?
They are known as landing lights, and as their name suggests, they are designed primarily for landing purposes. During the nighttime hours, it’s difficult for pilots to see people, vehicles or small objects on a runway.
The regulations are very specific about how aircraft lighting must be installed on aircraft, for the simple reason that pilots know what to expect when they see a light. The regulations are clear about the required placement of the positions lights, the intensity at which they must illuminate, and even the amount the airframe can block their brillance.
Why are runway lights blue?
Airport taxiway lights are always blue. These lights guide the flight crew and vehicle drivers in low visibility conditions, which includes nighttime operations. In the dark, humans best see the color blue green, which is why taxiway edge lights are blue and centerline lighting is green.
Many aircraft, especially single-engine models like most of our trainers, are unpretentious when it comes to strutting their stuff. One landing light, position lights, and a rotating beacon or strobe lights are the norm. But just because aircraft are equipped with lights, doesn’t mean they’ll always be on. The landing light might not show up until the gear is extended (especially if the light is attached to the nose strut). Similarly, the beacon might not be mounted in an ideal spot atop the vertical stabilizer, where it would be most visible on a crowded ramp. And some pilots choose not to burn the landing light, for the rather silly reason of the cost of bulb replacement.When it comes to aircraft lighting, more is always better. While the regulations do allow for some flexibility on when pilots are permitted to turn the various lights off and on, some lights must be on continiously. The beacon, for example, must be operated whenever the engine is running. Strobes are a little more complex. The FAA says that pilots are allowed to turn those off when he or she feels they create a visual hazard. And when the sun sets, it’s time to put on those positions lights.
Unfortunately, some pilots believe that it’s appropriate to always keep strobe lights off while taxiing on the ground, so that they do not impair the vision of other pilots. However, it may be better to be temporarily blind than blindsided. In the worst case, you may impair someone’s night vision, but at least they’ll be fully aware of exactly where you are.
This beginning pilots’ resource guide explains what you can expect from your introductory flight through initial training—and how to turn your dream of flying into reality. Simply enter your name and email address.
Can you fly day VFR without a landing light?
These lights are not a must for day operations, but they must be available for night operations. These lights are used to aid the pilot during the landing maneuver. The landing lights must be installed such that: No objectionable glare is visible to the pilot.
Placing landing lights out on the wings makes more sense, because when they’re installed in the cowling area, the engine vibration will shake the filaments. Oddly enough, bulbs that are more powerful tend to last longer, because the thicker filaments in the larger bulbs are more resistant to breakage. Don’t install a bulb that has wattage greater than what the system can supply, however—that will trip the circuit breakers.
In addition to the red, green, and white position lights (red to port, green to starboard, and white astern), regulations require one anticollision light for aircraft flying at night. This can be either white or red, and may be either a mechanically rotating beacon or a flashing strobe.The same goes for all other lighting as well. For anticollision lights, the rules require an effective flash frequency between 40 and 100 per minute (although for overlapping flashes, where there is more than one light, it can be as high as 180 per minute). Regarding the regulations covering how radiant your presence needs to be, here’s something interesting. Did you know that, for most of us, the regulations don’t require a landing light? Look in Federal Aviation Regulation 91.209, which doesn’t mention a landing light. You will see it mentioned in 91.205(c), however. These are the night VFR instrument and equipment requirements for powered civil aircraft with standard airworthiness certificates, but the landing light is only required for aircraft operated for hire.
The landing light is never required for noncommercial operations. Most runways provide enough external lighting to get by, but if you have ever tried taxiing or landing on a dark runway, you’ll see just how helpful a landing light can be. Of course, landing lights obviously do fail, which is why you’ll most likely practice night landings without your landing light. Most students find it to be a fun experience, and not nearly as crazy as it may sound.
Where aircraft lights are concerned, ostentatious displays do not equate to conspicuous consumption. One good thing about using your aircraft lighting is that no one is going to send you an electric bill.Runway Status Lights is a fully automatic, advisory system designed to reduce the number and severity of runway incursions and prevent runway accidents while not interfering with airport operations. It is designed to be compatible with existing procedures and is comprised of Runway Entrance Lights (RELs) and Takeoff Hold Lights (THLs). The Runway Entrance Lights system is composed of flush mounted, in-pavement, unidirectional fixtures that are parallel to and focused along the taxiway centerline and directed toward the pilot at the hold line. A specific array of Runway Entrance Lights include the first light at the hold line followed by a series of evenly spaced lights to the runway edge; and one additional light at the runway centerline in line with the last two lights before the runway edge (See FIG 2-1-9). When activated, these red lights indicate that there is high speed traffic on the runway or there is an aircraft on final approach within the activation area. Runway Status Lights is a fully automated system that provides runway status information to pilots and surface vehicle operators to indicate when it is unsafe to enter, cross, or takeoff from a runway. The Runway Status Lights system processes information from surveillance systems and activates Runway Entrance Lights and Takeoff Hold Lights in accordance with the motion and velocity of the detected traffic. Runway Entrance Lights and Takeoff Hold Lights are in-pavement light fixtures that are directly visible to pilots and surface vehicle operators. Runway Status Lights is an independent safety enhancement that does not substitute for an Air Traffic Control clearance. Clearance to enter, cross, or takeoff from a runway must still be issued by Air Traffic Control. Although Air Traffic Control has limited control over the system, personnel do not directly use, and may not be able to view, light fixture output in their operations.The FAA developed Runway Status Lights as part of an ongoing effort to explore new technologies. The system aims to improve air crew and vehicle operator situational awareness through accurate and timely indication of runway usage.
What are landing lights used for?
Landing Lights – Landing lights are high intensity lights used to illuminate the runway surface for takeoff and landing and also to facilitate the aircraft being seen by other pilots.
Runway Status Lights tell pilots and vehicle operators to stop when runways are not safe. Embedded in the pavement of runways and taxiways, the lights automatically turn red when other traffic makes it dangerous to enter, cross, or begin takeoff. The lights provide direct, immediate alerts and require no input from controllers. Runway Status Lights are operational at 20 airports across the US.Airport taxiway lights are always blue. These lights guide the flight crew and vehicle drivers in low visibility conditions, which includes nighttime operations. In the dark, humans best see the color blue green, which is why taxiway edge lights are blue and centerline lighting is green. Blue taxiway edge lights are typically the first lights an airplane passenger sees. These lights are either elevated, like Hali-Brite’s taxiway lights, or set into the ground.Airports consists of a variety of lights, all flashing and illuminating in different colors. When it comes to the question of what color airport taxiway lights are, the viewer needs to take one important aspect into account: taxiways aren’t the same as runways. A runway is the paved airstrip used for an aircraft to take off and land whereas a taxiway is a path that connects to a runway. Since runways and taxiways have different purposes, they utilize different colored lights.
Do I need a landing light?
According to CFR 14 and FAR Part 91.205, a landing light is required for all aircraft used in commercial operations at night. Landing lights may not be lit when taxiing or near an airport gate; this can cause flash blindness to ground crew and other pilots.
Taxiways also consist of several other types of lights, besides traditional blue edge lights, like centerline lights, as briefly mentioned earlier, clearance bar lights, runway guard lights, and stop bar lights. Centerline lights are placed at the center of a taxiway and are green, unless they are where a taxiway crosses a runway, then they’ll alternate between yellow and green. Clearance bar lights are yellow and installed at holding positions or used to indicate an intersecting taxiway. Runway guard lights are also yellow and are used to indicate an active runway. Lastly, stop bar lights are red unidirectional lights embedded in pavement and used so that aircrafts and vehicles don’t inadvertently enter a runway without clearance.So, simply taxiway lights are blue and the rest of the runway contains a variety of other colors, like white, yellow, red, or green. All airport lighting is important, but edge lights are considered one of the most integral guides for pilots and vehicle drivers during low visibility conditions. Hali-Brite provides a variety of low-intensity elevated runway and taxiway lights. Check out our catalog today and contact us for more information. On the other hand, runway lights range from white, yellow, to red and green. An airport’s choice of runway light configuration depends on their locality’s weather conditions, but the edge lights are almost always white. The lights placed at the last 2000 feet of a runway are yellow. The reason for this is to let pilots know that they’re almost at the end of the runway. Other runway lights include threshold lights, which are green, end lights, which are red, and REILs, or runway end identifier lights, which are bright strobe lights. The lights you see on the front of airplanes, as well as other areas, aren’t actually headlights. They are known as landing lights, and as their name suggests, they are designed primarily for landing purposes.During the nighttime hours, it’s difficult for pilots to see people, vehicles or small objects on a runway. Airports typically illuminate their runways with lights. Nonetheless, these lights generally outline the perimeter of the runway and not the runway itself. If a person or vehicle is on the runway, the airplane could inadvertently strike them or it when landing. Landing lights, however, allow pilots to better see the runway when landing. When turned on, the airplane’s landing lights will illuminate the runway below, allowing the pilot to take evasive maneuver if there’s a person, vehicle or object still on the runway.Monroe is committed to customer satisfaction, we strive for Continuous Improvement in our products and our people. Monroe Aerospace is AS9100D & ISO 9001:2015 certified. Read More
While the exact number varies, there are typically around 8,000 to 20,000 airplanes in the air at any given time. Some of these flights occur during the daytime, whereas others occur at night. For nighttime flights, airplanes use headlights — similar to those found on automobiles. But airplane headlights aren’t used for the same reason.
It’s important to note that not all airplanes have landing lights. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) only requires the use of landing lights for certain types of airplanes. With that said, the FAA encourages the use of landing lights for both takeoffs and landings — as well as flights below 10,000 feet — but it doesn’t necessarily require them. Only commercial airplanes that fly at night are required by federal law to use landing lights. Private airplanes and military airplanes, on the other hand, are not required to use landing lights.
In addition to illuminating the runway, landing lights also reduce the risk of collision between two or more airplanes. Air traffic controllers are responsible for guiding airplanes to the runway so that they can land. But there are instances in which two or more airplanes may head for the same section of runway at the same time. If it’s nighttime, the airplanes may not see each other, thereby increasing the risk of collision. Landing lights illuminate airplanes during the nighttime hours to prevent collisions such as this. To put the power of landing lights into perspective, large commercial airplanes can typically be seen from up to 100 miles when flying tat nighttime with their landing lights turned on.REILs are installed at many airfields to provide rapid and positive identification of the approach end of a particular runway. The system consists of a pair of synchronized flashing lights located laterally on each side of the runway threshold. REILs may be either omnidirectional or unidirectional facing the approach area. They are effective for:
Some airports may have a row of three or five in-pavement yellow lights installed at taxiway/runway intersections. They should not be confused with clearance bar lights described in paragraph 2-1-10c, Clearance Bar Lights.
Since the PVASI consists of a single light source which could possibly be confused with other light sources, pilots should exercise care to properly locate and identify the light signal.Radio control of lighting is available at selected airports to provide airborne control of lights by keying the aircraft’s microphone. Control of lighting systems is often available at locations without specified hours for lighting and where there is no control tower or FSS or when the tower or FSS is closed (locations with a part-time tower or FSS) or specified hours. All lighting systems which are radio controlled at an airport, whether on a single runway or multiple runways, operate on the same radio frequency. (See TBL 2-1-1 and TBL 2-1-2.)
If after crossing a stop bar, the taxiway centerline lead-on lights inadvertently extinguish, pilots should hold their position and contact ATC for further instructions.
Although the CTAF is used to activate the lights at many airports, other frequencies may also be used. The appropriate frequency for activating the lights on the airport is provided in the Chart Supplement U.S. and the standard instrument approach procedures publications. It is not identified on the sectional charts.Virtually all aircraft types are fitted with external lights of some description. The type, purpose and complexity of the lighting systems installed on the exterior of a particular aircraft vary in accordance with its size, role and normal flight environment. External lights, in general terms, serve one of three purposes:
Some of the lights of the first two categories are a regulatory requirement during hours of darkness. Minimum Equipment List (MEL) relief may be available under some circumstances.
Note that there is often overlap in the utility of some of the external lights. As an example, landing lights greatly improve a pilot’s ability to see the runway during takeoff and landing but also enable the aircraft to be seen by ground personnel and by other airborne traffic.The following lighting systems are intended to reduce the potential of collision, by making the aircraft more visible to other aircraft while in flight and to ground traffic while manoeuvering on an aerodrome:
Why do runways use blue lights?
Airport taxiway lights are always blue. These lights guide the flight crew and vehicle drivers in low visibility conditions, which includes nighttime operations. In the dark, humans best see the color blue green, which is why taxiway edge lights are blue and centerline lighting is green.
You can click the links below to be taken to the online Whelen catalogue. This will open in a separate window. Once you have found the part number you need just enter in the search box above for pricing and availability.
We can only offer trade accounts to aviation companies. If you are either a private owner or work for a non aviation company you are still able to place orders online by creating you own password.
Whelen Aerospace Technologies is proud to announce the newest member of the Parmetheus™ product family, The Parmetheus™ G3. Keeping the tradition of industry leading performance and value, the new G3 Series is 2.5 times brighter than the Parmetheus™ Plus all while maintaining the same form, fit and functionality of a drop-in LED replacement for legacy landing lights. Available in PAR 36 landing or taxi and PAR 46 in landing, the G3 is now available in variable voltage 14-28 VDC.In the United States, for example, landing lights are not required or used for many types of aircraft, but their use is strongly encouraged, both for take-off and landing and during any operations below 10,000 feet (3,000 m) or within ten nautical miles (19 km) of an airport (FAA AIM 4-3-23). According to CFR 14 and FAR Part 91.205, a landing light is required for all aircraft used in commercial operations at night.
Key considerations of landing light design include intensity, reliability, weight, and power consumption. Ideal landing lights are extremely intense, require little electrical power, are lightweight, and have long and predictable service lives. Past and present technologies include ordinary incandescent lamps, halogen lamps, various forms of arc lamps and discharge lamps, and LED lamps.
Landing lights are lights, mounted on aircraft, that illuminate the terrain and runway ahead during takeoff and landing, as well as being used as a collision avoidance measure against other aircraft and bird strikes.Aircraft landing lights are also used in light shows for many concert environments. Known as “ACLs”, they are used because of their intense brightness. They are normally wired in a series circuit of four fixtures, as most of the lamps used by the entertainment industry are 28 volt lamps. The introduction of ACLs into rock concerts was initially developed by Howard Ungerleider, who is best known as the long-time lighting designer for the band Rush.
Almost all modern aircraft are equipped with landing lights if approved for nighttime operations. Landing lights are usually of very high intensity, because of the considerable distance that may separate an aircraft from terrain or obstacles. The landing lights of large aircraft can easily be seen by other aircraft over 100 miles away.
In many jurisdictions, landing light fixtures and the lamps they use must be certified for use in a given aircraft by a government authority. The use of the landing light may be required or forbidden by local regulations, depending on a variety of factors such as the local time, weather, or flight operations.Landing lights are typically only useful as visibility aids to the pilots when the aircraft is very low and close to terrain, as during take-off and landing. Landing lights are usually extinguished in cruise flight, especially if atmospheric conditions are likely to make the lights reflect or glare back into the eyes of the pilots. However, the brightness of landing lights makes them useful for increasing the visibility of an aircraft to other pilots, and so pilots are often encouraged to keep their landing lights on while below certain altitudes or in crowded airspace. Some aircraft (especially business jets) have lights that— when not needed to directly illuminate the ground—can operate in a flashing mode to enhance visibility to other aircraft. One convention is for commercial aircraft to turn on their landing lights when changing flight levels. Landing lights are sometimes used in emergencies to communicate with ground personnel or other aircraft, especially if other means of communication are not available (radio failures and the like). Additionally, landing lights have at times been installed as a vehicle high beam in the hot rod scene, although this is not legal.
Our streamlined designs have some of the industry’s smallest foot-prints and create an aerodynamic profile that produces less drag with higher performance than traditional Xenon strobes and other competing LEDs.
We have homebuilders and light sport pilots on the AeroLEDs team, so we know first-hand the decisions you face when selecting lights for your aircraft. AeroLEDs partners with numerous Experimental Aircraft Manufacturers to provide you with a hassle-free lighting solution and industry leading performance to set your aircraft up the way you want it.SunBeam LED landing light with recognition is manufactured under FAA-PMA standards in a rectangular format for a completely versatile installation. Common installations include: Diamond DA-20/DA-40, Cessna Columbia, Liberty XL, some Cirrus models and some Grumman models. SunBeam comes standard with AeroLEDs signature integrated Pulse (WigWag).
AeroLEDs is certified to equip rotorcraft from virtually every major manufacturer to help you save more lives, complete more missions, and get more done. Our integrated pulse feature provides optimum air to air and air to ground visibility during extreme operating conditions and negates the need and extra weight of external pulse light boxes. Our lights are NVG friendly and offer improved visibility and reliability when you need it most.
AeroLEDs™ is an industry pioneer and leader of LED-based aerospace lighting. Designed and manufactured in Boise, ID. (USA), AeroLEDs state-of-the-art LED aircraft lighting solutions are designed with the focus on performance, efficiency, and reliability. Tested for some of the most extreme operating conditions on the planet and far-exceeding the performance and longevity of legacy lighting systems. Ideal for use in Experimental, Certified, Commercial, Rotorcraft, ARFF, UAV/UAS, Space and Military applications – AeroLEDs serves every spectrum of the worldwide aviation market.Our LED Ice Light provides optimum illumination of your wing to check for the formation of ice. It outputs a substantially wider beam spread and lasts significantly longer than incandescent bulbs.Highest performance in the industry: Our Landing, Taxi and Recognition lighting will truly transform your nighttime flying experience and provide unmatched daytime recognition for added safety.
Innovation and engineering are the cornerstone components of AeroLEDs. We design, develop, and manufacture external aircraft lighting solutions for over a dozen tactical military platforms utilizing our products in both overt and covert operations. Our state-of-the art LED lighting products are designed to support your mission and keep our pilots safer.
Our Beacon Lights output significantly more light and draw less power than standard beacons. They require zero maintenance and have an extremely low profile for reduced drag.AeroLEDs and Vans Aircraft are proud to introduce the AeroSun VXi fully integrated lighting solution. AeroLEDs AeroSun VXi is designed in conjunction with the all-new Vans RV Carbon Fiber Wingtips.
What are runway turn lights?
Runway Status Lights tell pilots and vehicle operators to stop when runways are not safe. Embedded in the pavement of runways and taxiways, the lights automatically turn red when other traffic makes it dangerous to enter, cross, or begin takeoff.
Our aircraft lights are designed by pilots for pilots. AeroLEDs engineers promote innovation and design integrity to bring aviation lighting from a forgotten necessity to a desired accessory. AeroLEDs are certified for installation on nearly every Part 23 make and model ever produced. We can equip your aircraft with the highest quality lights that are measured by performance, not cost. From nose to tail we offer a vast array of certified LED landing and nav light replacements to bring your aircraft to life and keep you flying safer.
The first true dual-function LED Landing AND Taxi light. NOW STC APPROVED for PAR36 configurations, this new state-of-the-art design will be a game changer for pilots of virtually any aircraft, providing a tailored lighting experience when operating both at night, during the day, and in conditions of reduced visibility. The Sunspot Equinox is the perfect solution for single light applications or for the pilot who can’t decide on whether to install a landing or a taxi light.
Can you fly VFR without a landing light?
Can most airplanes be flown without certain lights? Sure. Landing lights aren’t required, but they’re a good idea.
As a pioneer in LED lighting for aviation, AeroLEDs understands the needs of the BizJet and Commercial Aviation markets around the globe. When a quick ROI is of upmost importance look no further than AeroLEDs. Tested to the strictest DO-160 standards and FAA-PMA Part 25 Certified, AeroLEDs landing and taxi lights are designed to handle the demand of frequent take-off and landings keeping your aircraft in the air and not in maintenance. We offer drop-in solutions to line fit lighting equipment and customized solutions that are tailored for your Commercial aircraft or fleet.When size and power consumption is the driving force for your needs, we have you covered. Our engineering department has developed some of the most compact lighting solutions in the industry. Without sacrificing performance, we keep your UAV/UAS aerodynamic and in the air longer.
Parmetheus Plus™, an LED landing light 80% brighter than the Parmetheus™. New and improved optic technology now rivals the light output of HID (High Intensity Discharge) and surpasses all LED offerings on the market. The Parmetheus Plus is external flasher friendly, lightweight, low current, and moisture resistant. Parmetheus Plus™, an LED landing and taxi light 40% brighter than the Parmetheus™. New and improved optic technology now rivals the light output of HID (High Intensity Discharge) and surpasses all LED offerings on the market. The Parmetheus Plus is external flasher friendly, lightweight, low current, and moisture resistant. WAT (Whelen Aerospace Technologies) Parmetheus Plus™, an LED landing and taxi light 40% brighter than the Parmetheus™. The Parmetheus Plus™ is external flasher friendly, lightweight, low current, and moisture resistant. The new innovations in optic design represent WAT’s commitment to providing state of the art technology to the Aviation industry.
In some smaller aircraft, there are no strobes. They only have the beacon. In others, only one light can be switched on at a given time. You either have the option to turn on the strobe or the beacon. The Dash 8 classics are an example of this. Thus, when on ground operations, pilots have the red beacon on, and once on the runway, they turn on the strobes, which switches off the beacon.
The logo lights are placed on the upper surface of the horizontal stabilizer of the aircraft. When turned on, they shine up the airline colors. They again help to attract attention and, at the same time, they are great for advertising when the aircraft is on the ground at night.
In an aircraft, there are several external lights. Some of these lights are there by the regulations. This is specified in the EASA SERA (Standardized European Rules of the Air), section 3, chapter 1.
Strobes are synchronized flashing white lights. There are three strobe lights. One at the extremities of each wing, and one below the tail cone of the aircraft.The runway turn-off lights are usually found on the nose landing gear and are at angles of 45 degrees. They help to view the runway and the taxiways during turn maneuvers.
The landing lights are not only used for landing. Many operators have policies that urge the pilots to keep the landing lights on whenever the aircraft is below 10,000 ft. This helps to attract attention, as below 10,000 ft, there may be a lot of airplanes flying around in close proximity.The navigation lights, also called the position lights, consist of three lights – one on each wing and the other on the tail cone. The navigation lights on aircraft are like the ones on ships and other sea vessels. The port or the left-wing light should be red, and the starboard or the right-wing light should be green. And finally, the one on the rear (astern) or the tail cone must be white. They help an observer to identify which direction the aircraft is heading. When the aircraft is stopped during the taxiing phase, it is recommended to switch off the lights so as not to distract other pilots who are taxiing around. This is not mandatory. However, following this soft rule shows airmanship. In normal operations, the beacon(s) are used on the ground and in flight. They are turned on during the pushback and remain on until the last engine is shut down. The strobes, on the other hand, are only turned on when lining up on the runway for take-off. This is because the very bright flashing characteristics of the strobes can be a nuisance for those working around the aircraft and other workers in the apron area.
