regarding Pilot Activated Lighting...

[poteroo]

Go for it folks - turn them on as much as you like. But, remember that ratepayers are paying the power and maintenance bills for this. So, lets not hear of RAAus pilots hiding behind their anonymity when it comes to paying landing fees at country airports! If it's good enough to use the lighting - when you don't need it, then maybe you should help pay for it. happy days,

 

 

[motzartmerv]

That's a bit pessimistic pots. Learning to fly at an airfield you normally pay landing fee etc, casa fees, atc fees and movement fees.Parking if you park your plane up or the night. Reckon that might help pay the bill ;). Regardless, do we really want to ( in a student pilot thread) start putting people off Learning a valuable skill due to monetary constraints?

 

 

[ayavner]

besides, i only asked if they were on a timer... not sure at what point anyone really said anything about using or mis-using them... as a student pilot, i am more put off by asking questions than I am learning how to use a resource appropriately, if all questions end up with the beard-tearing and doom and gloom. Sometimes, not always, a question is just a question. I do appreciate all input of course, but we could probably save alot of time and space on this forum if we just had one thread with the title "please give me 10,000 reasons not to do (x)"

 

 

[jakej]

As an aside, I believe the automatic Solar lights runway lights at Tintinara (SA) are available 24/7 so no need to activate them from the cockpit - maybe the way to go for other places too.

 

Jake J

 

 

[metalman]

besides, i only asked if they were on a timer... not sure at what point anyone really said anything about using or mis-using them... as a student pilot, i am more put off by asking questions than I am learning how to use a resource appropriately, if all questions end up with the beard-tearing and doom and gloom. Sometimes, not always, a question is just a question. I do appreciate all input of course, but we could probably save alot of time and space on this forum if we just had one thread with the title "please give me 10,000 reasons not to do (x)"

And here you've learnt a lesson regarding aviation forums, if you want an answer to a question ask your instructor,,,, I make the mistake of posting stuff occasionally and then usually delete it later after the peter perfect pilots come out of the closets ,

 

 

[David Isaac]

And here you've learnt a lesson regarding aviation forums, if you want an answer to a question ask your instructor,,,, I make the mistake of posting stuff occasionally and then usually delete it later after the peter perfect pilots come out of the closets ,

That is a real shame if that is the perception Matt. Anyone should be able to ask a question without malice on these forums and yes there will be some who are harsh in their response but there will also be many who are understanding and offer good advice.

I don't think Potts is being harsh, uncontrolled casual activation of PAL lighting was one of the main reasons we never fitted them to Warnervale; we had a manual system activated by arrangement only.

 

I think this thread gave a good range of responses. Threads tend to self moderate in a good way without too much interference. It does help if you clarify your position when you first ask the question, the responses then can be better applied to the person's experience.

 

 

[Neil_S]

I think this thread gave a good range of responses. Threads tend to self moderate in a good way without too much interference. It does help if you clarify your position when you first ask the question, the responses then can be better applied to the person's experience.

I totally agree. It was made clear at the beginning of the thread that this was an academic question. By reading the thread I also now have a better knowledge of how these lights work, and how to activate them IF I ever needed to. It has therefore increased my aviation knowledge, which has to be a good thing, but it does not mean I am now going to rush out and abuse this knowledge by playing with any local PAL lights just for the sake of it.

 

IMO one purpose of this site is to be able to ask questions purely out of curiosity and without fear of any negativity. I have appreciated the personal opinions of the many people replying, and have taken all of them on board. It remains up to my common sense (or lack thereof) as to how I then use that knowledge.

 

Keep up the questions, guys!!

 

Cheers

 

Neil

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Solar lighting

 

My Council got a Federal Govt grant to extend the Rolleston Qld airstrip and decided investigate lighting so the RFDS could land at night (town has no doctor, ambulance or medical facility). To put in PAL was very expensive as the strip didn't have a power line, and PAL needs underground power all around the strip, a backup generator, radio gear etc. Looked at reflective cones - CASA approved but you still needed some powered lights. These solar powered lights are approved and have the added advantage of being on whenever the light levels are low. The local coal mine offered up $20,000 which bought the lights.

 

They stand about hand high, tent pegged to the ground on a rubber mat, fully encased, with solar panels angled on top, both sides, and a ring of LEDs below. The maintenance is an annual wash, battery check (well if they are still on pre-dawn the battery is OK), replace batteries every 5 years (but can last to 10-12yrs). They don't survive being run over by the slasher, and the odd one gets nicked, but on the whole they are a success story. (pictures pinched from the Company website).

 

 

Other emergency lighting alternatives are

 

- 9v battery powered lanterns (always replacing the batteries)

 

- rags or toilet rolls soaked in kero and set alight

 

I hope more airstrips go for solar as I remember from some years back, that the biggest problem with PAL was pilots getting the frequency or the transmit rhythm wrong, rather than the PAL failing. When I learnt (early 1990's) I was taught to turn on the PAL lights to confirm where the airstrip was and to check downwind that the light over the windsock was steady - if it was flashing it meant the lights were about to turn off. A good friend of mine was used to "turning on the lights to find the strip" but got confused because another aircraft had already done that. He died in the crash so we won't know for sure, but it appears he mistook the highway lighting for the strip and impacted rising ground a few kms from the town.

 

Sue

 

 

 

[ayavner]

Thanks all! And for the record, I don't think anyone is being harsh or unreasonable. I take Neil's approach, all info is good and taken on board! Just gets a little wearying sometimes to see the predictable arc these things can take, especially when it comes across as an admonishment. I'm definitely not precious, and if one is needed, I take that too... but this really is like asking if the road lights are on a timer, or light activated or what and getting replies along the lines of how dangerous it is to drive in the dark... just alot to parse through...

 

But, in the spirit in which those (and all) remarks were intended, I can definitely say I learned more than I thought I would, and would certainly think twice before ever activating them (but wouldn't hesitate to if I felt it added safety).

 

Thanks guys!

 

 

[Yenn]

Don't worry about te red light, it is the green one that is filtered through the grass that says you are really low. I used them the other day as I wasn't getting a beep or message when i transmitted on Gladstone frequency. I gave 3 transmissions and the message "Lights on" proved that my radio was working OK.

 

 

[Dieselten]

At airports fitted with both PAPI and PAL, turning on the PAL also turns on the PAPI. Hence it is not unusual to hear someone activating PAL in broad daylight, especially twin-turbine drivers practicing approaches and missed approaches...they use the PAPI to get their approach set up correctly. YWOL is a good example. It has an NDB, and two published RNAV approaches. Turbine-drivers from Aeropelican and other such organisations use YWOL for practicing approaches etc because it is a lot less congested than YSBK or YSSY and they cause minimal disruption to traffic in the circuit at YWOL anyway.

 

PAL can also be activated by a rapid exchange of transmissions of several aircraft, which deceives the PAL switching-circuits into thinking the correct sequence of carrier transmisions has been received...which in a sense it has. PAL is activated by sequenced bursts of carrier-wave - it doesn't detect whether the carrier is modulated or not. Because aircraft use double-sideband amplitude modulation, carrier-wave is always present when a transmission is made.

 

 

[metalman]

Don't worry about te red light, it is the green one that is filtered through the grass that says you are really low. I used them the other day as I wasn't getting a beep or message when i transmitted on Gladstone frequency. I gave 3 transmissions and the message "Lights on" proved that my radio was working OK.

Without regard for the power bill,,,tut,,,tut,

 

 

[Ultralights]

i have noticed at YWOL, when the PAL activated in daylight, only the PAPI will light up, the runway light themselves only come around sunset, or in heavy overcast days, so i am assuming they have a light meter somewhere in the system.