Page 11 - May 25

I really don’t care if the LED landing lights remain on
(or off) while they are in the wells. They don’t create
heat, don’t take up much electrical power and don’t
annoy anyone. So, it does not matter if the landing light
switch is left in the on position always in flight. Turn it
on and leave it on. In flight, the landing and taxi lights
are dusty switches.
The only person who might be offended by leaving
the LED landing light switch on is the line personnel
during ground operations. I can see where the landing
light could be considered annoying to the line personnel
waving you into the parking spot at night, though during
the day that light is certainly not annoying. Scarily, I
see pilots flying at night attempt to be cool by turning
off the landing light far too early and making much of
their taxiing half-blind on a dark ramp. It is better to
risk annoying a line guy than to drive your airplane into
an unlit obstacle.
I took an informal poll of line personnel as I prepared
to write this article, and I’ve come to the consensus that
line personnel really don’t care about aircraft lighting use
during the day. What do they really want? They’d just
really like for you to make a fast runup so they don’t have
to stand out in the sun/rain/snow/wind for long. Courtesy,
respect, a smile and an occasional Thomas Jefferson
are what they really want. Lights are inconsequential
to ramp personnel.
Commonplace use of exterior lighting is based on an
old system with incandescent lights and propagated by
airline and military pilots, many of whom are cloaked
ramp police who argue that everyone must follow the
checklist. But they don’t really know how your checklist
reads in your Part 91 airplane. They’ll tell you about
the unwritten rules, but only because they were taught
decades ago about them and have lived by “this is the way
it has always been done.” But there’s a new unwritten rule!
When should you turn on and off the lights? You
decide. Consider what type of lights are bolted on your
airplane. For me, I turn all lights on for the entire flight
and almost always while taxiing. I want to look like a
Christmas tree flying around or taxiing around. I want
everyone to see me. I want to be lit up like the Fourth
of July. Turn everything on and leave it on. That goes
for ground and flight. Remember, LED lights are not
annoying.
The only exception on the ground is when I might
be annoying. I try to be friendly to the line personnel
if I’m shining a light directly in their face. If I’m in a
long line awaiting takeoff at a big airport, I’ll fit in and
“while in Rome, I’ll act like a Roman” and wait to turn
on my strobe lights. No one wants to be annoying, or
no one should want to be annoying. I don’t want to be
Pharisaical about either using or not using lights. But
when given the chance, I light up everything.
There are many reasons to have the lights on in all
phases of operation if you have LED lights and few
What’s your opinion?
If you’d like to join this great debate in person, feel
free to stop in at the big blue hangar at KLFK and join
Joe and Deanna in their frequent rehashing of the
subject. Otherwise, they’d love to see your letters
giving them more great tips, tricks, anecdotes and
uses for the lighting systems on your aircraft. Send
your comments to melinda@kingairmagazine.com.
reasons to turn off your lights. Remember, your POH
was probably written decades ago when LED lighting
was not available. Use lights to your benefit. There are
now LED lights, and that changes everything.
The next time you are at an FBO, grab a hamburger
and fries and sit where you have a nice view of the ramp.
At some point, there’ll likely be a modern airplane taxi
with all the LED lights on. If not biased, you’ll notice
how the lights are pleasant, not annoying. You’ll notice
that you see that airplane sooner because of the lights.
LED lights are not annoying and not offensive, unlike
the ramp police. The rules have changed. And I think
that is a good thing. KA
Joe Casey and Deanna Casey live in East Texas and operate Casey
Aviation with locations at Angelina County Airport (KLFK) and Cherokee
County Airport (KJSO). Joe founded the company, which specializes
in PA-46/TBM/King Air training and offers a range of other services.
They manage four Part 91 King Air aircraft and have ferried King Airs
across the globe. Joe has 18,600 hours of total flight time, more than
4,000 of which are in King Air airframes. He is a certified ATP-ME/SE
commercial pilot with ASEL/ASES, rotorcraft-helicopter/instrument and
glider ratings. He also is a designated pilot examiner (DPE) with BE-300
type rating issuing authority up to the ATP level, and he also holds CFI,
CFII, MEI, CFI-H, CFI-IH, CFI-G certificates. A career instructor, Deanna
has amassed 13,000 flight hours since she started flying in 1997 and
is a 25-year Gold Seal CFI/CFII/MEI with more than 4,300 hours dual
given. She has a bachelor’s degree in aviation management from
Auburn University and a master’s in aeronautical science from Embry-
Riddle Aeronautical University. Deanna holds an ATP-ME certificate, is
single pilot typed in the King Air 300/350 and flies all King Air variants
regularly, including the B100 with TPE-331 engines.
MAY 2025 KING AIR MAGAZINE •
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