Rotating Beacon, A Safety Implement of Sorts BarbaraHarper
Barbara Harper, ATP CFII MEI LRJet

Sometimes the beacons are not always in the same location for a given type of aircraft. There is no standardized pattern or regulation relating to the flash patterns, it simply depends on what type of flasher module is used. Boeing seems to synchronize the beacons so that the top and bottom flash at the same time. Airbus does the same thing. Yet, it is further synchronized with the flash sequence of the wing tip strobes. So, Canadair Regional Jets, CRJs, blink independently, top-bottom-top and on say the 757 they both blink at the same time.

The flash patterns of Cessnas, Pipers and Beechcrafts all vary. Then, of course, there are those that are interfaced with strobes. Although it is not required, do you as a pilot turn the rotating beacon on prior to turning the engine as a safety alert to people around the aircraft? As a totemic reminder, it is also useful to leave the switch in the ON position so that when departing the aircraft it will tell you if the master switch was left on.

All aircraft must have an approved anti-collision light and position light system for nighttime operations. The position lights consist of an Aviation Red on the left-side, an Aviation Green on the right and an Aviation White Tailight (ref. FAR23.1389) and required under FAR 91.205(c). There are different requirements affecting different aircraft. These aircraft are categorized by the date of application for type certificate. Home built aircraft are determined by the date of issuance of the Experimental Operating Limitations. And, there are many more different categories. In the same way, there are many different lighting installation locations. One can have a combination of wingtip, fuselage or vertical fin location for the lighting installation. In flight, one can see the red and green navigation lights, but it is very difficult to see the red beacon or white light on the tail of the aircraft. Likewise with airliners and fighter jets it is very difficult to see the tail at night. One would think that the manufacturers would have noted the light flaw installation by now. After all, do the engineers who developed this placement of the rear navigation light care, or even fly at night?

A strobe light, affectionately known as a stroboscopic lamp, is a device used to produce regular flashes of light. These flashes are of a high-intensity burst of white lights, help other pilots recognize the aircraft’s position in low-visibility conditions and also to aid in collision avoidance. Navigation lights are required to be turned on from sunset to sunrise. The anti-collision light system, either strobe lights or rotating beacon, is required for all airplanes built after March 11, 1996, for all flight activities in poor visibility, and recommended in good visibility, where only strobes and beacon are required. Equally important, lighting technology has a glossary. The three defined products are Halogen Lamp, Strobe Tube, and LED (light emitting diode).

In 2011, a lighting system was developed for the use in spacecraft. It is a navigational lighting system consisting of five flashing high power LED lights; a flashing red light on the port side of the spacecraft, a flashing green on the starboard side of the spacecraft, two flashing white lights on the top and one flashing yellow on the bottom side of the fuselage. To this end, if you happen to see these colors and sequence of lights ahead of you on landing, go around.

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