Question on Landing Lights from 91.205

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readytocopy995

Pre-takeoff checklist
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buy_ridgewallet
Was reviewing for checkride and noticed something that piqued my curiosity. Anybody have any insight?

From 91.205 (c)(4):
If the aircraft is operated for hire, one electric landing light.

Are there non-electric landing lights?
 
Not since the reg came out. ;)

my guess is the alternative would be flares.
 
A minimum equipment rule probably first written in early aviation and specifically stated to avoid someone trying to slip in a gas operated lamp just to get by. After all the local experimenter would have said if it was good enough for Paul Revere it should be good enough for me.
just my guess
 
Louis Blériot originally made his fortune selling car headlamps which ran on acetylene, so...
 
my guess is it was a case of just writing what it was. kinda like how some folks say "ink pen"
 
I'm imagining something like a gas Coleman lantern, but with a focused concave mirror. Considering how bad of luck I had with those at the campsite, I can only imagine how many planes would burn up with such a device, lol. Put out a lot of light though.
 
Some old cars had carbide headlights Water was added to calcium carbide which released acetylene which was burned. I'd be surprised if someone didn't put one on an airplane in the early days. Such lights were also popular with miners/cavers.

This is distinct, by the way, with the limelight which uses calcium oxide (lime) in a flame made by burning oxygen and hydrogen producing a very bright white light. That major use was for stage lighting in the pre-eletric light days. It was supplanted by arc lamps and later by higher output incandescent bulbs. However, the term "limelight" with regard to being illuminated on stage persists in modern vocabulary.
 
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