Page 6 - May 25

airport cafe lunch table or, more likely, within a social media group. You know the ones – lean of peak
There are many great debates among pilots, many of which you’ve probably debated yourself over an
versus rich of peak, twin-engine safety versus single-engine safety, glass cockpits versus steam gauges,
parachute or no parachute, etc.
There is no shortage of debate topics or opinions in
a room full of pilots! The topic we are going to tackle
today is one that is a regular discussion in our workplace
hangar: When do you turn on certain aircraft lights?
You would think this is a cut-and-dried issue, but
somehow highly experienced pilots manage to duke this
out regularly. After you read this article you’ll realize my
husband, Joe, and I are never going to agree or even agree
to disagree just to stop the debate. We repetitively argue
our respective sides to one another and whatever poor
pilot happens to be nearby and typically starts staring
at their shoelaces in an effort to remain quiet and not
get dragged into the debate.
She Said
My husband says I’m a
consummate rule follower,
and he’s not wrong. Rules
give me a sense of freedom while
they make him feel constrained.
Regarding aircraft lighting, I like
rules because they are also status
indicators that mean something to
those around us. Let’s examine this
from my perspective. I’ll start in the order I would use
these lights, from startup to shutdown.
Beacon: This is one of only two switches I would
contend should be a dusty switch in the lighting category.
This means that in the aircraft I fly, it is never touched
or turned off if it has its own switch apart from wingtip
strobes and is not tied to the overall strobe lighting
system. The beacon falls into the anti-collision light
category that the FAA says should be operational if the
engine is running, except where it creates a safety hazard.
If power is being applied to the aircraft, the beacon is
running.
A visible beacon ensures anyone walking around nearby
has a chance to notice there is an aircraft that has power
4 •
­ KING AIR MAGAZINE MAY 2025