Strobe light usage

"Peter Duniho"
As for using the strobes as a way to communicate to the tower, that only
works if there's an official policy regarding that. There's not, so it
really doesn't matter what you're trying to do, there's no way for you to
use the strobes to communicate to the tower that you believe you are
cleared
onto an active runway.

I agree that lack of uniformity on this diminishes it's usefulness. However,
that's the case with a number of gray area issues. If it's the right thing
to do, we should do it to promote it.

When the tower sees your strobes come on just as your runway clearance is
coming through their headphones, it's got to help confirm that you are the
plane they are talking to and not another one that thinks they are where you
are and about to enter from an intersection. It's happened more than once.


For what it's worth, some airplanes have ONLY strobes and no beacon. The
strobes are the required "anticollision" light, and as such are required
to
be on any time the airplane is moving, including taxiing.

In that case, I agree, their strobes would have to be on. Better would be
for them to get a beacon.

Besides all the above, I've heard several places that the strobes when
cleared is the procedure the airlines use an my observations seem to confirm
this. I like looking professional to the tower and doing it like the
airlines seems a good guide.

--

Roger Long