stupid question

[Guest Andalouse]

First off all happy new year to you all....what is the wing light used for and when?thanks

[rgamurot 1]

I thought it was used for checking for ice on the wing but considering the pilots can't see the wing from the cockpit anyway, it could be for ground crews to see the wing while de-icing.I remember during a flight from Honolulu to Houston, the wing lights were switched on once we were on the runway and getting ready to fly out. But that was a CO B764. Then again that was also in early May and we never have ice issues on the ground here (ever).Actually, I really don't think it's a stupid question. I'm interested to find out what they're really for.Ryan GamurotLucky to live Hawai'ihttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

[Qavion 19]

"I thought it was used for checking for ice on the wing but considering the pilots can't see the wing from the cockpit anyway,"here is the normal view (if the pilot turned his head through 130 degrees (ouch) http://forums.avsim.net/user_files/164332.jpgYou could probably see more, if you flattened your face against the glass.What ice looks like from this distance, I really don't know.Cheers.Q>

[downscc 1,327]

All aircraft certified for flight in known icing conditions require a light that illuminates the wing leading edge (the C414 I fly has one). Seeing the wing may be an issue but that's the straight answer. That lighting is also very obvious to other traffic; therefore, most operators (all that I have seen) use the wing lights below 10,000 ft along with landing lights to be more visible to other traffic.

[adamv66 0]

Hi,At Virgin Atlantic I know that the wing lights are switched on for the whole flight on night flights down to South Africa. Apparently this is to aid visibilty due to the quality of ATC services over africa ranging from variable to non-existant!!Adam

[Guest airbus2]

Heres a great site for checking out what all those buttons do in the aircraft : http://www.b737.org.uk/aircraftsystems.htmThis site says that wing lights:"are mounted in the fuselage and shine down the leading edge of the wing for ice or damage inspection at night."I suspect that it is for ground crew, or either of the pilots to check the leading edge of the wing in airports with poor lighting.As it is difficult for pilots to see all of the wing, they probably check during the exterior insection.Dave

[rgamurot 1]

Thanks for the site, Dave. But now I have two more questions. First, it mentioned a few things being "no-go items" at night. What does this mean exactly? Also, it said that the Beacon lights are shut off at a certain point. Is the N1 or N2 limits the same for the Beacon on the 744, or are there different procedures all together?Ryan GamurotLucky to live Hawai'ihttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

[adamv66 0]

A no-go item means the aircraft cannot be despatched if the item is unserviceable. It is *required* to be operational.

[Guest airbus2]

Im not too experienced with the 747. The 737's beacons are turned of when N2 is below 20%, I would expect this to be the same with the 747 as it is mearly a signal to ground personel that the engines do not have enough power to suck them in and it is safe to approach the aircraft.Dave

[Guest D17S]

On the old DC8s, the wing lights are certainly used to spot wing ice . . . with a thrilling twist.More than a couple of years ago, we were tasked with installing an

[Check_Airman 3]

Now don't quote me on this, but I think that in the manuals somewhere, it states the ideal spot to view the leading edge of the wing from the cabin. Probably if you really needed to inspect the wing, you'd go into the cabin. I always figured that's why most cargo planes have one or two windows just in front of the wings.Paul

[rgamurot 1]

I'm not sure what a D-ring latch-in pad is but my guess is that it was used to have something come out of the bag should someone open the door. Ryan GamurotLucky to live Hawai'ihttp://www.precisionmanuals.com/images/forum/supporter.jpg

[Guest fyrestrtr]

Ice scraper for the wings? The logs for when they did the scraping of the ice; and the flashlight so they can see the stuff. The bag to hold the ice scraper :(That's my guess.

[Guest D17S]

Paul, Good thinking. I needed to give a little more info though. This is a freighter. When the airplane loaded, the freight cans take up all the cargo space. There

[Guest cfm56]

I remember about last summer I was on a Bwia flight out of Piarco, Trinidad (TTPP)cruising at FL360. Within the final moments before the Top of Descent, the pilot threw on the inspection lights out of nowhere so I began to think that this was a part of the airline's descent procedure. Just then the bright lights of an aircraft came into view and disappeared rather quickly under the wing of 738 (at a lower altitude of course) Seconds later the inspection lights came off so I would have to agree that there are multiple purposes for the Wing inspection li9ghts...Gideon B