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Aoa 737NGX Groundwork Lighting Script PDF
Aoa 737NGX Groundwork Lighting Script PDF
Aoa 737NGX Groundwork Lighting Script PDF
Aircraft Lighting
Lesson Introduction
This lesson will cover the following topics:
o A very brief overview of the lighting systems on the 737NG,
o Exterior lighting,
o Flight deck lighting,
o The no-smoking and seatbelt signs.
Exterior Lighting
Under the ‘exterior lighting’ banner we will be discussing the following sets of exterior
lights:
o Landing lights; both retractable and fixed,
o Runway turnoff lights,
o Taxi light,
o Logo lights,
o Position and Strobe lights,
o Anti-collision lights,
o Wing lights,
o Wheel well lights.
We will be omitting the emergency exit and slide lights used in an evacuation, as we cover
those in the Emergency Equipment lesson.
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Nick Collett 2011
Landing Lights
The landing lights are used to increase the visibility of the aircraft to other pilots, controllers
and personnel on the ground.
o They also, albeit to a fairly limited extent, illuminate the runway ahead of the
aircraft.
o They are used during takeoff, climb out, approach and landing.
There are two different types of landing lights - retractable and fixed.
The retractable landing light switches are located on the captain’s side of the forward
overhead panel, and the lights themselves are located just inboard of the pack ram air inlets
on the underside of the fuselage.
o Each retractable landing light switch has three positions: RETRACT, EXTEND, and ON.
o With the switch in the RETRACT position, the lights are OFF and stowed.
o With the switch in the EXTEND position, the light is extended from its stowed
position, but is still OFF.
o With the switch in the ON position, the lights are extended AND illuminated
o There is no speed restriction on the retractable landing lights, but it is common
practice not to use them above 250 knots to reduce stress on the hinges.
The fixed landing light switches are located right next to the retractable landing light
switches, and the lights themselves are located at each wing root and shine at a fixed angle.
o The fixed landing light switches have only two positions - OFF and ON.
o There is a gang bar used to turn on and extend all the landing lights at the same
time.
The bar simply forces all of the switches to the ON position, and spring loads
aft again once released.
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Angle of Attack © 2011
Nick Collett 2011
Taxi Light
The taxi light is used to illuminate the path ahead of the aircraft, and increase its visibility to
other aircraft, controllers and ground personnel.
The taxi light switch is located on the captain’s side of the forward overhead panel beside
the runway turnoff light switches.
o The light itself is mounted on the nose gear leg and therefore shines wherever the
nose gear is pointed.
The switch is a two position switch - OFF and ON.
When the gear is retracted the taxi light turns off automatically.
Logo Lights
The logo lights are used to illuminate the airline logo on the tail of the aircraft.
There is a single switch on the first officer’s side of the forward overhead panel, and the
logo lights themselves are located on the horizontal stabilizer.
They are angled towards the vertical stabilizer to illuminate the airline logo.
The switch is simply selectable ON and OFF.
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Nick Collett 2011
In summary:
o With the POSITION switch in the STEADY position, only the red, green and white
position lights are illuminated.
o With the switch in the STROBE & STEADY position, the strobe lights will flash in
addition to the position lights.
This single switch therefore has control over seven individual lights on the aircraft – with
the switch in the OFF position, none of these lights will be illuminated
Anti-Collision Lights
The anti-collision lights are red strobe lights mounted on the top and bottom of the
fuselage.
o They are switched on before engine start to alert ground personnel that startup is
imminent.
o They remain on the entire flight until shutdown to increase the visibility of the
aircraft.
The anti-collision lights switch is located on the first officer’s side of the forward overhead
panel, and the lights themselves are located on the top and bottom of the fuselage.
o It is a simple 2 position switch – OFF and ON.
Wing Lights
The wing lights are used to illuminate the leading edge of each wing, and are useful to scan
for ice.
The wing lights switch is located on the first officer’s side of the forward overhead panel,
and the lights themselves are mounted in the sides of the fuselage, angled aft towards the
leading edge of each wing.
o The switch is a two position switch - OFF and ON.
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Nick Collett 2011
Dome Lights
The dome lights are used to provide incandescent illumination of the entire flight deck.
The switch is located on the aft overhead panel, and the two dome lights are located on the
aft flight deck wall either side of the cockpit door.
o There is actually a second bulb located in the dome light in the assembly to the right
of the door as we look aft that is part of the emergency lighting system.
o This auxiliary bulb is usually switched off, but will illuminate when the emergency
lighting system is activated.
o More on the emergency lighting system in the Emergency Equipment lesson.
The dome light switch has three positions: DIM, OFF and BRIGHT. These positions are self-
explanatory.
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Nick Collett 2011
Pedestal Lighting
Similarly to the main instrument panel, flood and backlighting are available for the center
pedestal.
The PANEL control adjusts the controls and switches' backlighting from the two CDUs all the
way back to the Aft Electronics Panel.
o It also adjusts the brightness of the LCD displays on the radios and transponder.
o The display on the HGS control panel is not affected – it has its own dedicated
brightness controls.
The FLOOD control adjusts flood illumination of the entire area.
o The light itself is mounted within the forward overhead panel.
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Nick Collett 2011
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Angle of Attack © 2011
Nick Collett 2011
the signs will tend to switch off sooner than is preferable, and this could cause
injury.
Lesson Summary
A subject like aircraft lighting seems fairly simple at face value, but in total we’ve covered 30
individual switches and knobs on the flight deck that control over 20 lights on the outside of
the aircraft and countless more within.
Let’s run through a summary of the lighting systems we’ve covered during this lesson:
o In the exterior lighting category we covered:
Landing lights, both retractable and fixed,
Runway turnoff lights,
Taxi lights,
Logo lights,
Position and Strobe lights,
Anti-collision lights,
Wing lights,
…and wheel well lights.
o In the flight deck lighting category we covered:
Dome lights,
Overhead and circuit breaker panel lighting,
Map and Chart lighting,
Main panel and glareshield lighting,
Pedestal lighting,
Standby Magnetic compass lighting,
Display unit brightness controls,
…and the annunciator light brightness control,
o We concluded with a brief coverage of the no smoking and fasten seatbelt signs.
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