Hello,I've got a question about how the external lights on the 737 should be used during a normal flight (for example, when should I turn the Strobe Lights on/off). I'm really confused by now because everyone says something different. Thanks for your help.Joost

Here's what I expect you to do as a controller:All lights OFF unless otherwise noted.At gate, engines off but APU started and/or on external power:Navigation on.Tail logo on.Before starting engines (during pushback).Beacon on. (tells ground crew you're starting engines).Wing - pilot's discretion (some planes have no wing lights).When you have taxi clearance:Taxi light - auto/on.Turn off - on.When cleared for t/o and entering the active:Strobe - on (tells tower you're in T/O mode, and this is also the time you normally set your transponder set to normal (mode C))Before t/o roll but aligned on centerline:Landing - on.Below 10,000 MSL:Beacon on.Tail logo on.Navigation (position on).Landing lights on.Strobe on.At or above 10,000 MSL:Naviation on.Strobe on.Beacon on.Tail - off.Landing - off.After landing, but before leaving the centerline:Landing lights off.After exiting the active (transfer to ground):Strobes off (tells tower you've switched to ground and are off the runway - this is also when you set your transponder to standby).After engine shutdown:Beacon off (indicates engines are off).At the gate:Navigation / logo while at the gate, on battery / external power.Strobes and beacon / navigation always ON during flight.Some airports require you to have lights dimmed in the cabin for taxi and t/o at night, or have the passengers shut their window screens.

Nice post Etienne,Always wondered about a few of these!Thank you

Thank you for your quick reply Etienne, this really cleared things up for me. Also, just one more thing, when should I use the anti collision lights, since you didn't refer to them in your reply. My guess is that you should use them in flight and during taxi. Am I right?Joost

Your navigation lights (red/green/white) are your position lights, normally at wingtips and tail. These are used to indicate to others your aspect and relative size.The beacon (flashing red) is your anti-collision and are on when your engines are running (or if you're about to start them).Note that because of some limitations of the FS9 lighting model and depending on the implementation, some models cannot dissociate some types of lights that should be separately controlled, but as simulated, cannot. In these situations you end up with your main landing lights being tied to your tail light, etc... Just like you can't dim the lights in the main cabin, and your panel light also controls your cabin lights.

Anti Collision lights and Beacon are different names for the same lights, to be on whenever the engines are running. Don`t know if this is specific to SAS NG`s or not, but on their ships the strobes only come on once the main wheels are off the ground, maybe some kind of auto feature like the one for the taxi lights, only in reverse.Cheers,Kjell