Mekanikel Posted May 11, 2011 Posted May 11, 2011 Hi, on the balcony tonight at about 6:30 pm I noticed a Qantas aircraft (my best guess is a 737) on approach to Perth Airport and the tail logo lights were flashing, approximately once every two seconds the lights would go off and come on again a second later. Is this an advertising event or does it have some other aeronautical meaning? Thanks.
Guest Chainsaw Posted May 11, 2011 Posted May 11, 2011 Ahh, nice spotting. This has been mentioned on another forum. My understanding is that this is the only QF B737 that has this 'feature'. I don't think it was even intended to be like this as it is just a wiring issue, but on low priority to fix it. Mind you, my contact could be wrong (ex QF LAME).
Guest Darren Masters Posted May 12, 2011 Posted May 12, 2011 According to the airline it is to increase vis on the ground and to hopefully deter birds from the a/c.
Mekanikel Posted May 12, 2011 Author Posted May 12, 2011 Thanks for the reply. I did search other forums for an answer and the closest I came to was a reference to this issue in 2006, on a B737. I was going to dismiss it as the same fault, however there was no definitive closure on the discussion, more like an opinion, or a friend of a friend told me...... My personal evaluation is that it is most likely a wiring fault, which would raise questions of maintenance, and given the exposure of the aircraft, it also interested me if Qantas has been requested for an explanation. I have some reservations as to if it's the same A/C as reported in 2006, but overall a rare sight, one which I'll keep my peepers open for in future. Regards. (ref to 2006 incident http://www.jetspotter.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5486)
Mekanikel Posted May 12, 2011 Author Posted May 12, 2011 According to the airline it is to increase vis on the ground and to hopefully deter birds from the a/c. Hi Darren, Vis was clear, and bird deterrent may be feasible, but wouldn't that be more prevalent?
Guest Darren Masters Posted May 13, 2011 Posted May 13, 2011 I really don't know how affective strobing lights are to bird control.
Todd M Posted May 19, 2011 Posted May 19, 2011 Strobing runway and taxi lights are a visibility feature, from what I have been told. There is also an option on the Logo Light to strobe as well. I have asked a Captain about the flashing tail lights before, and he just said "It is just a feature on the switch".
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