Hello everybody:Can someone kindly provide a brief primer on the use of lights ion a Cessna 172?Is it:Beacon on before engine start;Nav lights on before taxi;Landing lights and strobe on during take-off and in the pattern?Thanks in advance.

Bump

According to what I was taught...The beacon is used as a means to show that engines are either currently running or about to be started. It ensures that people who are meandering through the area don't get themselves blasted by jet wash, sucked into intakes, or julienned by a prop. :-lol Of course, you're also supposed to look out the window and give a verbal warning to clear the prop area before turning the key.Nav, strobes, and taxi lights (if you've got them) should be turned on before taxi. Landing lights go on during takeoff and when in the pattern.

Thanks BillPap

strobes are turnrd on just prior to take off and turned off when clearing the active. Reason for this is it blinds other pilots when on the ground so you dont want them on when taxing around. Kil~

Also, Nav lights are usually not used during the day. It's a good idea to switch them on when it starts getting dark, though.

I've always left my nav lights on during the day for the same reason that some states require motorcycle headlamps be left on. It may not make me much more visible, but if it helps....

There are 2 reasons why most pilots don't run nav lights during the day:Most pilots agree that nav lights are useless during the day because they just aren't visible to other pilots in the air. Between dusk and dawn, yes. But not during the day.The other reason pilots don't usually run nav lights during the day is because the lifespan of nav/position light bulbs are very short. These bulbs aren't like the ones you use in your normal household lamps. They are designed to withstand much more vibration. But even so, they have relatively short burn lives. And they are expensive. (What ISN'T expensive on an airplane?) I think average bulb prices are between $35-$100 per bulb.A recent innovation that is becoming available to generation aviation is new position lights that use LED's (light-emitting diodes). These rock! They use a lot less power than conventional aircraft lights, have no filaments to break, and last 10,000+ hours. I wouldn't mind turning those on during the day.The taxi light IS visible during the day, and I definitely always have that turned on just before takeoff. I leave it on until after I'm back on the ground and clear of the runway. Same thing with the strobes.

I fly freight in a caravan and this is how we do it:-Nav lights on when battery is on, day and night.-Taxi lights on when taxing.-strobe on when on the runway and in flight.-landing lights on for takeoff and landing.