Landing Lights and Taxi Lights procedure.

[Bobsk8 12,489]

I have been using taxi lights to taxi to the runway, and when taking the runway for takeoff, turning off the taxi lights and turning on the landing lights. The illumination I get from the landing lights following this procedure, doesn't seem as bright as it would be in the real aircraft, as far as illuminating the runway surface. Last night I didn't turn off the taxi light ( by accident) , and noticed that the runway illumination when I switched on the landing lights was much brighter and what I would consider to be more like real life. I can easily duplicate this by setting the aircraft  on the runway, turning on all four landing light switches and then turning on the taxi light, and the brightness increases dramatically once the taxi light is turned on. 

 

My question is, is the correct procedure to leave the taxi lights on when taking the runway for  takeoff, or is having to leave the taxi light on to get proper runway illumination   an issue with the lighting in the PMDG 737 that isn't quite correct? 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

 

 

My question is, is the correct procedure to leave the taxi lights on when taking the runway for  takeoff

 

Depends on the operator. I turn them off and turn the landing lights on when entering the runway.

 

 

 

that isn't quite correct? 

 

That's quite an assertion. I'm sure you have some time in a 737 to back that one up, yes?

[Bobsk8 12,489]

Depends on the operator. I turn them off and turn the landing lights on when entering the runway.

 

 

 

 

That's quite an assertion. I'm sure you have some time in a 737 to back that one up, yes?

 

 

Have you tried my suggestion, turning on the landing lights, and the switching the taxi lights on and off and seeing the marked increase in light with taxi lights and landing lights both on at the same time? I've been in and flown a 737 sim at an airline training center, and the landing lights really lit up the runway. 

[scandinavian13 5,192]

Have you tried my suggestion, turning on the landing lights, and the switching the taxi lights on and off and seeing the marked increase in light with taxi lights and landing lights both on at the same time?

 

Yes. I don't see any issues unless someone is using a shader mod.

 

EDIT: This can also be affected by installing certain textures by texture mod packs, though I forget which at the moment.

 

I've been in and flown a 737 sim at an airline training center, and the landing lights really lit up the runway. 

 

Not quite the experience needed to make that type of assertion.

 

EDIT: It's one thing to say "in my opinion is," and/or, "based on my experience in a flight simulator," but to make a flat assertion like that with no time in type is misleading.

[art5869 4]

If you look closer, you will see that you have 6 lights, not 4: 2 on nose, and 4 on the wings. 2 from nose and 2 from wings are going on with 4 landing switches, then near on the right,are "runaway turn" switches, which are for the other 2 pair of lights from wings. Just give it a try and you will see the difference.

[Bobsk8 12,489]

If you look closer, you will see that you have 6 lights, not 4: 2 on nose, and 4 on the wings. 2 from nose and 2 from wings are going on with 4 landing switches, then near on the right,are "runaway turn" switches, which are for the other 2 pair of lights from wings. Just give it a try and you will see the difference.

 

With all switches for landing lights on ( all 4 )  , which I always use, and runway turnoff lights on, still the most dramatic increase in light on the runway, is when the taxi light is toggled on. 

[JoeDiamond 67]

 

 

If you look closer, you will see that you have 6 lights, not 4: 2 on nose

 

Unless I've been missing something during my walk arounds all these years there is only one light on the nose gear.  Newer airplanes have zero lights on the nose gear.

[Bobsk8 12,489]

Unless I've been missing something during my walk arounds all these years there is only one light on the nose gear.  Newer airplanes have zero lights on the nose gear.

 

Since you are a real world 737 pilot. how bright are the landing lights, when they are switched on at night, viewing from the cockpit? 

[JoeDiamond 67]

They are bright.  Beyond that I don't know what to tell you, we don't carry light intensity meters as part of our standard equipment.  The best comparison I could give would be like the high beam headlights of a newer generation car, just more of them.  There is more than enough light to get the job done.

 

As far as procedure, we turn everything on for takeoff.  More lights = better, both for illumination and for increasing visibility to other aircraft.

[Nick Dobda 24]

 

 

More lights = better, both for illumination and for increasing visibility to other aircraft.

 

Original poster - I've noticed too an obvious difference in intensity with the taxi lights. Much brighter with just taxi & turn switches on then just landing levers -  To me it seemed as well that it would make sense that just landing levers would be brighter then just taxi. But, again with all that NGX has seemingly gotten right with the plane, I just figured thats the way it was - and what I perceived was irrelevant.

Might be where I'm looking too, the taxi light to my understanding is that nose light that illuminates directly in front of the plane, I'm guessing to illuminate the taxi striping to follow. The landing lights, similar to on a car, are to illuminate down the runway. So I have noticed that taxi lights make the pavement (in the sim of course) directly in front of the plane really bright. Turning the taxi lights off that pavement isn't as bright, but the pavement down the runway is lit up.

Notice when you flip the high beams in your car, the immediate front of the car is less lighted, but you see further down the road. Thats cause the low beams (taxi lights) are pointed at the road in front of the car, and the high beams (landing lights) are pointed further down the road. 

But since I write my own OP, I've just flipped on all the lights that are available when turning onto the runway -  hearing what Joe says that's not unreasonable.

 

[Boeing or not going 578]

This is operator specific. British Airways does not even have a taxi light on their 747's.

 

I have watched a lot of airline dvds from justplanes, pilotseye, aeropresentation, and others.

 

I try and do what the operator I am flying does, but that is difficult since I can't find these procedures for most unless they have those videos available. Some operators during the day turn off the taxi light when going onto runway. You can see this from the many pictures on a.net and other sites, Kalitta 747's I have seen on approach not have the taxi light on during daytime on approach.

 

So for my own preference unless I know what the operator does is the following

 

day time: taxi light only on after pushback and to hold short. once going on active runway, keep taxi light on, and turn runway turnoff and nose landing light on. when in hold short and cleared for takeoff, turn the rest of the landing lights on and take off. once airborne turn off nose landing light and taxi light. the rest of the landing lights after passing FL100 and the turnoff lights off after passing standard transition alt.

 

I change this up when at night or in overcast conditions. I use runway turnoff with taxi lights for better vis and to be seen. Also I use the tail light on with the navigation lights at night or overcast, and turn the wing light on with the landing lights when going on a runway.

 

This is just my preference, some airlines like Ryanair do not extend the retractable landing lights on takeoff due to a small amount of resistance from the extended lights.  Some only turn on the main landing lights when captured the loc and cleared to land. I think Batik and Lion Air do not use the extended landing switch at all on their 737 NG's on the 2 right landing lights.

 

There are millions of combinations out there. The easiest way besides buying one of the great airplane videos I listed above is to search youtube for cockpit videos of the carrier you are flying as. - David Lee

[vc10man 732]

 

 

British Airways does not even have a taxi light on their 747's

I am fairly positive when I flew from Heathrow, onboard a Jet Airways 777-300, in 2015, as it turned into the departing runway, and I peeked out of my rearmost window seat, I spotted a BA 747-400 lining up behind with its nose lights and tail lights on. If only I could locate the video I took of it...........

[Boeing or not going 578]

I am fairly positive when I flew from Heathrow, onboard a Jet Airways 777-300, in 2015, as it turned into the departing runway, and I peeked out of my rearmost window seat, I spotted a BA 747-400 lining up behind with its nose lights and tail lights on. If only I could locate the video I took of it...........

They use turn-off lights, if you look closely you can see there is no switch for taxi light

 

http://www.airliners.net/photo/British-Airways/Boeing-747-436/2579232

 

-David Lee

[cmpbellsjc 2,960]

The brightness of the lights will depend on the materials used by the developer when constucting the taxiway, tarmac and runway textures.

 

As an example I've noticed that with some addon airports when the landing light is on it's not that bright but if I leave it turned on and taxi around the airport it will get brighter on some surfaces and dimmer on others, so it can vary from airport to airport when 3rd party airports are concerned.

[downscc 1,327]

 

 

so it can vary from airport to airport when 3rd party airports are concerned.

 

Exactly... this is a very pronounced difference between for example FSDT KIAH and TropicalSim SBGR. The latter night lighting effects had me double checking to see if the lights were on because it was so dark.  For some reason, FSDT KLAX light splash has a bluish tint that I don't see elsewhere.