A Plane's Lights

A plane has to be fitted with miscellaneous lighting systems, for miscellaneous functions. Such lights usually are modelized in the FS series -albeit more or less finely, especially as far to activate/deactivate them is concerned. We will herein describe how a plane's lights are used in flight. You will note, further, that our tutorial not only works for GA planes but, too, for all types of planes more generally

• the beacon light, or 'rotating beacon,' is a position light as it means that the pilot in command has boarded the plane to the persons on the ground around. It is activated during the engine start checklist, or even as soon as the pilot boards in. You will note that that is not possible in the FS series because the lights there can work with the battery on at the minimum. That should not prevent you however to put the beacon on anyway at that stage according to procedures. The beacon is the last light to be switched off included after magnetos, alternator and battery have been (same remarks than above)
• the strobe or 'stroboscopic light,' is a anti-collision light. It allows your plane to be more easily spotted when in a airport environment and even in flight! You will have to turn it on during the runup checklist and turn it off with the runway cleared checklist. You will also have to turn it on while crossing a runway. Some people stipulate to have the strobe working during flight as that allows for your plane to be spotted by other airplanes. In such a case, you will have to take care to switch the strobe off when flying inside dense and continuous clouds so to avoid reflective effects which may bring to pilot's spatial disorientation. You will note that stroboscopic lights typically are IFR planes' lights as they may miss aboard a VFR GA plane

a GA plane with its lights at night!

• taxi lights, like the name, are used during taxi. You will turn them on when leaving parking and you will turn them off with the runup checklist, where you will replace them with the landing lights instead. After landing, once the runway cleared, you will in turn switch them on once the landing lights turned off. With a airliner, you might turn taxi lights off when closing the gate to not dazzle ground crews. Some, generally, stipulate also to turn taxi lights off at night when there is a risk of dazzling other pilots on the taxiways
• landing lights are the ones used for takeoff and landing. You will light them on during the runup checklist! Once airborne, you will switch them off, aboard a GA plane, once exited the circuit pattern or the airport environment -and, in any case by 1,500 ft MSL on a IFR flight. As far as airliners are concerned that will take place by 10,000 ft. And the reverse for arrival. Landing light eventually are switched off after the runway is cleared, the checklist of which will bring to taxi lights!
• navigation lights, or 'nav lights,' are the lights which identify a plane by night. Like for boats, a red light is pointing to the left side (or wing) of the plane, a green one to the right side (or wing), and a white light to the tail! Nav lights have to be used by nighttime only and you will turn them on after engine start. Just turn them off after your plane put into its parking configuration after a flight. With such a display, navigation lights also allow a pilot to determine which way a other plane it flying

Accessorily, wing lights are lights with lighten the leading edge of a wing and the engine's air inlet are switched on by night. They generally are not modelized with FS default planes. Such lights allow to a better aesthetics in case of airliners, a better visibility with regard to other airplanes and the pilot's visual check of possible presence of frost upon wings and engines. So-called 'turnoff lights' are lights wich are installed, generally, on a wing close to the fuselage. Airliners' pilots use those to better check the plane's trajectory during a turn while taxiing as they are lightening at a angle of 45° relative to the plane's main axis! As far as airliners are concerned, at last, the tail logo's light might look like a commercial effect but it is mandatory at takeoff because it helps to the plane's visibility. That light otherwise is at the captain's discretion