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Strobe Lights / Wig Wag Lights When Are They Used ?

R

rapid_ascent

Well Known Member
I'm trying to understand the use of Wig Wag Lights. Anti-Collision Strobes are required, but my understanding is Wig Wag Lights are not. Is there any point in having both? You wouldn't run them at the same time or would you?

I realize this is a newby question, but I'm trying to understand the sequence and use of our aircraft lights in general and specifically the use of Wig Wags.

Any comments on your sequencing of lights for various flight conditions would be helpful.

Thanks
 
My strobes are on when the engine is running.

I turn on my wig wags on take off, climb out, approach, and landing. Also, I leave them on in a high traffic environment.
 
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Strobes are not required if you do not fly at night.

If you do fly at night, you must have an "anti-collision light(s)". There are all sorts of rules as to its brightness, what angles it's visible from, etc. Generally speaking a top-of-the-vertical-stabilizer mounted flashing beacon (usually red) will suffice for this requirement, as is commonly found on Cessnas and Pipers. Many RV's use 3 strobes (on on each wing tip, one in the tail) to meet this requirement. [Note: there are some strobes being sold as "additional lighting" which do not meet the regs for night flying.]

If you do have an anti-collision lighting system, the FARs require you to run it at all times (except for safety reasons...)k, day or night.

Landing lights are not required for our part 91 operations, day or night. Nor are they required to be used if you do have them. However, they tend to make the aircraft more visible from the front (only). Some people install flashers or wig-wag to make them even more visible, as the human eye tends to pick up things which change. Note that some landing lights (e.g., HID lights) do not take well or need special circuits if they are to be flashed.
 
So if the strobes are required to have essentially 360 degree coverage. What is the point of the wig wags. Is it because they are brighter than the strobes for on-coming traffic? I'm not sure that this is in fact true, just asking the question.
 
Daytime Running Lights

In the daylight clear weather we often have around here, strobes are not visible in the daytime. Wig-wags are clearly visible and a valuable aid to locating other aircraft.

With our high-density environment, I think that ALL aircraft should fly around with their headlights on, and also think it would be a good idea to have them on the sides of the fuselage too.

Light that thing up!

Dave
 
Hi Ray,
I've sat at the run up before and completely missed incoming traffic with strobes until they were pretty close. Wig Wags, as was previously mentioned, draw your eye to them and you can see someone on a long straight in approach very easily. Its purely additional safety for landing and take off. I've also used them when someone closing with me was having a hard time finding me in the haze, at altitude. Its cheap insurance, as they say.
 
Agreed. On a sunny day the beacons or strobes are hard to see.
Cloudy day, might help.

Landing lights are a great help approaching an uncontrolled airport, makes it much easier for traffic on the ground waiting to takeoff to see you, even in the day.
 
Like your car...

Like driving your car, I think they should be on any time your moving, day or night.... SO MUCH EASIER to be seen. Helps everyone with "see and avoid".
 
Bob,

Thanks for another informative response. You gave a more complete explanation of what I was referring to.

So, given that you have anti-collision lights you will be operating them according to the FAR day and night. The addition of a Wig Wag function is just additional insurance.

I'm investigating doing a wig wag function with my LED lights and wondering if it is worth the effort.

Ray
 
On all the time

I switch my wig/wags on prior to take-off and leave them on until back on the ground. I have had a number of people comment on how much easier it is to pick up converging traffic with the wig/wags and as I tend to fly to busy fly-ins at uncontrolled fields I tend to agree with the motorcycle/car running lights analogy and figure it is one more of those "be seen" items that is not a big deal to install (Ford flasher relay).
 
My observation is what catches a person's attention isn't the light as much as it is the CHANGE. Often times a flash is noticed quicker than something staring you in the face. Watching airplanes on final approach who have wig-wag on can be noticed further out than when lights are on solid. (I'm talking about day time).
 
Since most aircraft don't have wig-wags, it's a way to visually identify yours. If you announce your position and that yours are on, and someone says they see an aircraft with steady lights, then you know there's a third party in the vicinity.

Worth having some traffic detection like a Zaon XRX, too.

Dave
 
Mel said:
Please point me to this reg.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see that reference too.

When I was flying airliners, the rule was nav lights anytime the airplane had electrical power, rotating beacons before engine start and taxiing, strobes on entering the runway. Strobes can be really annoying in busy ground traffic after dark.

John Clark ATP, CFI
FAAST Team Representative
EAA Flight Advisor
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA
 
FAR 91.209b?

I'm no regulatory genius but this seems to apply:

91.209b

No person may:
(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.

I take it to mean "if you have anti-collision lights you are required to use them"
 
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B-1rds

My stobes are on whenever the engine is running and the wig wags in high traffic environments as much for the B-1RDs as for the metal kind.
 
rapid_ascent said:
I'm investigating doing a wig wag function with my LED lights and wondering if it is worth the effort.

Ray
Click to expand...

It's worth the effort. People can see flashing much better than steady. One other thing not mentioned here is also birds. There was a thread on here about bird strikes with something said about flashing lights. (It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out birds can see you better also...)

I put them in and I will turn them on 18" off the ground and off on final. (Short final) They're LED so they only have 100,000 hours usage so I have to be careful! :D
 
I have Aeroleds landing lights and it was just a matter of running one extra wire from one wing to the other. Too easy not to do. I used a three position switch. Off, landing, and wigwag.
 
smbrown said:
I'm no regulatory genius but this seems to apply:
91.209b
No person may:
(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.
I take it to mean "if you have anti-collision lights you are required to use them"
Click to expand...

Thanks! (added words to satisfy stupid posting rule)
 
In case it's not obvious, the "turn them off in the interest of safety" means don't blind other pilots on the ground. Also, some people find them disorienting when in the clouds.
 
smbrown said:
I'm no regulatory genius but this seems to apply:

91.209b

No person may:
(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.

I take it to mean "if you have anti-collision lights you are required to use them"
Click to expand...

Are you sure? I would take it to mean you are required to use them unless you believe it would be safer not to use them.
 
Strobes and wig wags on when entering the runway; during the entire flight; then all off when exiting the runway.

I also understand that the wig wag function significantly increases the life of incandescent bulbs. IIRC, Rosie got 2000 hours out of a set. So I run mine all the time now. Much more effective head on in daylight than strobes.

From Rosie: You recollect correctly Mike! When installing incandescent bulbs, make sure the filament is vertical; not horizontal when installed
 
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rgmwa said:
Are you sure? I would take it to mean you are required to use them unless you believe it would be safer not to use them.
Click to expand...

Completely agreed on the exception to disable for safety reasons... Night ground ops with other aircraft nearby, in the clouds, etc; I was only commenting on the first part... If you have it you are required to use it... unless it's safer not to...

Perhaps the majority use this forum as a building resource, I find it an incredible resource of all things flying :)
 
Well I think I now have the consensus. Wig Wags it is. Thanks for everyones feedback and the brush-up on the FAR details.
 
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