13.9 Lighting

Question 1

Describe the intensity, angle and plane showing of the all navigation lights?

Answer 1

Port - red, 5 candelas, 110° from dead ahead in the horizontal plane, 90° above and below the horizontal plane

Starboard - green, otherwise as port

Rear - white, 20 candelas, 70° right and left of dead astern, 90° above and below the horizontal plane

Question 2

What must all light covers and colour filters be?

Answer 2

• At least flame resistant
• May not change colour and shape or lose any appreciable light transmission during normal use

Question 3

What are the requirements of navigation lights, which coincides with the requirements of an essential circuit?

Answer 3

Must be in a single circuit, controlled by one switch, whose power source is via a circuit breaker

Question 4

To comply with the ‘Rules of the Air Regulations 2015’, what do some aircraft have?

Answer 4

Two filaments in each navigation light, each filament driven from a different power supply

Question 5

What are the requirements for anti-collision lighting of aeroplanes (CS25)?

Answer 5

• Aeroplanes over 5700 MTWA
• ± 75° around the horizontal plane

Question 6

What are the requirements for anti-collision lighting of helicopters (CS29)?

Answer 6

± 30° around the horizontal plane

Question 7

What is the principle of operation of the rotating reflector?

Answer 7

Filament lamp unit and a motor

Motor drives a reflector, to establish a beam of light which rotates at a constant frequency

All components are enclosed in a red lens cover

Question 8

What is the effective flash frequency of a rotating reflector?

Answer 8

40 to 100 cycles per minute

Question 9

What power normally operates a rotating reflector?

Answer 9

28V DC

or

115V AC for the motor and 28V DC for the lamp unit

Question 10

How is the beam reflected in a rotating reflector?

Answer 10

One half of the reflector is flat, emits a narrow high-intensity beam of light near the horizontal

Other half is curved, increases the up and down spread of the emitted beam

Question 11

Describe the rotating beacon?

Answer 11

Two filament lamps mounted in tandem, and pivoted on their own axis

One half of each lamp forms a reflector

One complete revolution is two flashes

Question 12

What is the principle of strobe lighting?

Answer 12

Capacitor-discharge flash tube

Question 13

What does CS25 state about the colour of aircraft strobes?

Answer 13

Either aviation red or aviation white

Question 14

What does CS29 state about the colour of aircraft strobes?

Answer 14

Must be aviation red

Question 15

Describe the power supplies for a large aircraft strobe light?

Answer 15

Power supply unit converts input power of 28V DC or 115V AC into a high DC output, usually 450V

Question 16

What is the typical flashing frequency of a large aircraft strobe light?

Answer 16

70 per minute

Question 17

What precautions must be observed with regards to strobe lights?

Answer 17

• Eye protection against high intensity light
• Electric shock
• Burning
• Stroboscopic effects
• Ground operation

Question 18

What eye problems might UV emissions cause when viewed at close range?

Answer 18

UV keratitis

Question 19

What is the normal ground operation of strobe lights?

Answer 19

Red

Question 20

What are the maintenance practices which apply to all lamp assemblies?

Answer 20

• Lint free cloth for cleaning
• Keep fingers away from glass
• Ensure lamp correctly positioned and secure
• Cable connector security inspection
• Examine for streaks which is a symptom of gas leaking through the glass through a hairline fracture

Question 21

What power requirements are there for high intensity search lights?

Answer 21

100V DC and 10kV AC

Question 22

What are the safety precautions when working on a high intensity search light?

Answer 22

• Never work on your own
• Wait until it has cooled to ambient temperatures
• Disconnect power first and use a digital multimeter to ensure that all voltage has discharged
• Wear correct PPE; full face protection mask, heavy duty gloves, jacket
• Warn all personnel in the vicinity
• Never look directly at the lamp when it is on
• May cause flammable materials to catch fire at distances of less than 3 metres

Question 23

What power is consumed by the landing lamps and taxy lamps?

Answer 23

Landing lamp - 400W

Taxy lamp - 250W

Question 24

What extinguishes the taxy lamp on retraction?

Answer 24

Undercarriage proximity or microswitch

Question 25

On a combined landing and taxy lights assembly, what can cause automatic retraction?

Answer 25

Speed switch is interlocked when the limit is exceeded

Question 26

What switches off the lamp when the combined landing and taxy lights are retracted?

Answer 26

Microswitch or proximity sensors

Question 27

When will an aircraft be allowed to fly at night where icing conditions are forecast or exist?

Answer 27

If there is a means of illumination to determine if areas of the wing, that are critical to lift, have an accumulation of ice on them

Question 28

What is the power rating of ice inspection lights?

Answer 28

60W to 250W

Question 29

When will the lights come on in the baggage compartment, and what component allows this?

Answer 29

When the door is open, the light comes on, through the closed contacts of a microswitch

Question 30

Where does the power for maintenance lights come from?

Answer 30

28V DC hot battery busbar

Question 31

What is integral lighting normally known as?

Answer 31

Wedge or front lighting

Question 32

What is the purpose of wedge lighting?

Answer 32

Distsributing light evenly across the dial

Question 33

How is absorption of light ensured in wedge 'B' of an integral light?

Answer 33

Painting its outer part black

Question 34

What is the sector of light of a pillar lamp?

Answer 34

Arc of approximately 90° to a depth slightly less than 2" (5cm)

Question 35

What does a bridge light provide which is not provided in a single pillar lamp?

Answer 35

Total loss of illumination cannot occur as a result of failure of one circuit

Question 36

Describe an electroluminescent panel?

Answer 36

Consist of a thin laminate structure in which a layer of phosphor is sandwiched between two electrodes, one of which is transparent Requires AC for its operation

Question 37

What does the luminescent intensity of the phosphor in a electroluminescent panel depend on?

Answer 37

Voltage and frequency of the AC supply

Question 38

What is the disadvantage of using a rheostat in controlling the lighting intensity of cabin lights?

Answer 38

Power is dissipated as heat generated in the rheostat

Question 39

How can the disadvantage of using a rheostat to control the intensity of cabin lighting be overcome?

Answer 39

Using a transistor, which requires only very low voltage levels over its conducting range

Question 40

What is the prinicple of operation of storm lighting?

Answer 40

Will turn certain lights on to full, ie glare shield lights, cockpit dome lights, instrument lights Allows a night blinded pilot to see aircraft instruments

Question 41

What are ballast units for?

Answer 41

To start fluorescent tubes, then limit the current to them

Question 42

How are entry lights turned on, with no internal aircraft power available?

Answer 42

Applying external power plug, which energises 'external power sensing relay' 28V DC is applied from the hot bus

Question 43

When the information signs switch is in **AUTO**, when will the 'seatbelt' relay energise and what will this cause?

Answer 43

When the flaps are extended, the microswitch in the flap lever completes the earth for the 'seatbelt' relay The 'fasten seat belt' and 'return to seat' signs come on

Question 44

When the information signs switch is in **AUTO**, and after flaps are extended, what will then cause the 'no-smoking sign' relay to energise?

Answer 44

The microswitch to energise the relay is made when the landing gear lever is placed in the 'down' position 'No smoking', 'return to seat' and 'fasten seat belt' sign will come on

Question 45

When will a low tone chime in the passenger address system?

Answer 45

When the 'no smoking' or 'fasten seat belts' circuits are energised or de-energised

Question 46

When is a high tone chime sounded over the passenger address system?

Answer 46

When the flight attendant call system is pushed

Question 47

What will be the indications when a flight attendant call switch is pressed in the lavatory?

Answer 47

Amber light High tone chime

Question 48

When ground power is applied, what is the light intensity in the toilet?

Answer 48

Full intensity

Question 49

During normal flight, when is the lavatory toilet lighting at full intensity?

Answer 49

When the door is locked

Question 50

What light within the lavatory is always on, regardless of door position, and what power does it use as long as the aircraft has its own power?

Answer 50

Dome light 28V DC

Question 51

What are the emergency lights battery packs normally made from?

Answer 51

Nickel-cadmium Silver-zinc

Question 52

How are the emergency battery packs maintained in a fully charged condition?

Answer 52

Trickle charge from the normal aircraft busbars

Question 53

With regards to emergency lighting, what warning will the EICAS/ECAM give?

Answer 53

A caution message if the system is not armed

Question 54

How are emergency dome lights and emergency exit placards supplied with power where emergency power is supplied, or in the event of total aircraft power failure?

Answer 54

Even if the control switch is off (fed from the primary bus), power is supplied by the emergency battery

Question 55

What is the minimum requirement, in terms of time, for which emergency lighting is required to illuminate?

Answer 55

10 minutes

Question 56

What is the requirement for passenger and crew compartment doors and emergency exits in an aircraft?

Answer 56

Must be of a regulation dimension, easily identified, suitably illuminated and simply opened

Question 57

What is the purpose of floor proximity lighting?

Answer 57

Provide visual guidance for cabin evacuation when all sources of cabin lighting above four feet are obscured by smoke

Question 58

If a self-illuminating fluorescent strip has been in low light conditions for an extended period, how long would it take to charge it?

Answer 58

2 hours of normal light

Question 59

If the cabin attendant switch for cabin emergency lights is selected on, what will be the state of the emergency lights?

Answer 59

On, regardless of position of cockpit emergency lighting switch and 28V DC power availability

Question 60

What indicates an over the wing emergency exit with regards to the emergency lighting system?

Answer 60

Red LED floor proximity lighting at the bottom of the passenger aisle seat

Question 61

Describe a self-illuminating exit sign?

Answer 61

Glass tube filled with tritium gas which is coated with a phosphor layer, placed in a plastic container Known as Gaseous Tritium Light Source (GTLS) or beta light

Question 62

When and in what way does a GTLS become dangerous?

Answer 62

If the case is broken Dangerous to breathe the gas, or allow it to be absorbed by the skin

Question 63

What are the safety precautions which must be adhered to with regards to a broken GTLS?

Answer 63

* Keep all personnel away * Ventilate the area for the time required in the AMM * Wear the correct PPE as detailed in the AMM * Put it in a metal container labelled 'Danger Radioactive Material' * Dispose of under the current regulations for radioactive materials