Aircraft External Lighting

[g5flyer]

I'm not sure if this has been brought up before, but I wanted to post about aircraft external lighting. Now, I will say from the beginning that I fly exclusively in VR. The issue that I have with external lighting is that you can't see them at night. This is very important for rejoins, air refueling and formation flying. In general, NAV/Position lights must be visual by 2 miles. Anti collision lights and beacons can be seen up to 20 miles. You can clearly see the anti collision/beacon lights of an aircraft at FL400 from the ground.

Now in regard to these lights, they are essential when flying night formations and night air refueling. During rendezvous and rejoin, the lights play a key roll in determining which way the lead aircraft/tanker is heading. This is why there is a requirement for NAV lights to be visible at a minimum of 2 miles. Your lead aircraft might tell you their heading, but a tanker could be at any position around the AR track unless it's an enroute rendezvous, where the tanker plans to turn onto your course with you in trail. Even during comms out formation rejoins, you may not know leads heading. In these situations, you find them visually with their anti collision/beacon lights and then get an idea of their direction with the NAV lights if you don't have a fighter/intercept RADAR. Of course, prior to visual, you are tracking their air to air TACAN until you start to pick up those lights visually to confirm. Now once you have rejoined or at the pre-contact position, the anti-collision/beacons will be turned off(only the tanker's bottom for refueling) and the NAV and formation lights can be dimmed so you are not blinded by them and the flashes. This will be accomplished through the checklist.

Under body lights are very important for AR. We use a lot of visual references on the tanker and cockpit to judge our position in the envelope. The PDI and signal lights are there, but fixating on them or the drogue will have you all over. This is why you keep your eyes moving to all of the external references. You have wingtip lights/under body lights that will give you wing tips and the under body references and markings. For example, under body antennas will be touch white hash marks or a hatch. You will use flap track canoes and engine nacelles. For example, the inboard flap track canoes will be touching the leading edge of the tankers wings when you are in the contact position. You will also put the tanker's engine nacelles in certain positions inside of your cockpit. This is why the under body lights are so important. Each receiver will have their preference on how high they want the under body lights. Will be great if the lights on aircraft are adjusted to be seen as in real life. After the the intent to refuel is given, the tanker lights can be adjusted dim, under body lights on and bottom beacon/anti collision light off at a half mile in trail. The ability to request the intensity of under body lighting would be great too.

   

Edited May 5, 2023 by g5flyer