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Can you fly without a beacon light?
The short answer is no, unless authorized by a waiver. Placarding the equipment inoperative is not sufficient. The FAA’s Office of the Chief Counsel recently issued the Letts legal interpretation which examines this question in light of the applicable Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).
Position lights, also known as navigation lights, include a green light on the right wing, a red light on the left wing and a white light on the tail of the airplane. Per CFR Part 91
Do I need a beacon to fly?
Legally? Yes, as long as you have and use strobe lights. The beacon light is classified as an “anti-collision light”, and the regs say you need a working anti-collision light system. The strobes also qualify.
Can you fly at night without a beacon?
You are required to have an operable anti colision light at night, red or white. If for whatever reason you elect not to use the white strobe lights, you would still be required to have a strobe light (red) operable.
What are anti-collision lights on an airplane?
Anti-collision lights, also known as Beacon lights or Strobe lights are a set of lights required on every aircraft to improve visibility to others, as well as collision avoidance measures by warning other pilots. Historically they have used incandescent bulbs, but recently Light-emitting diodes have been used.
The light used may be a rotating beacon or one or more flashing lights. The flashing lights may be supplemented by steady burning lights of lesser intensity.
When to use aircraft lights ( beacon, position, strobe )?
When you’re cleared for takeoff, using the checklist “Lights, Camera, Action” can be useful to remember to turn on the applicable lights [lights] and transponder [camera] before you take off [action]. While that’s a helpful memory tool, what does “lights” mean?
When do aircraft need to have position lights?
Aircraft position lights are required to be lighted on aircraft operated on the surface and in flight from sunset to sunrise. In addition, aircraft equipped with an anti-collision light system are required to operate that light system during all types of operations (day and night).
When to use beacon, anti-collision light system?
An aircraft anti-collision light system can use one or more rotating beacons and/or strobe lights, be colored either red or white, and have different (higher than minimum) intensities when compared to other aircraft. Many aircraft have both a rotating beacon and a strobe light system.