Retrofit Tail Beacon

[Don in Tenn]

Hi y'all. Very long time lurker and back in the day when I was still a very active flyer in my old hometown, I think I had a login here and even posted a thing or two. That was pre-2019 before I had to stop flying due to health stuff. In the meantime we moved, health is better and I'm thinking about joining a club here in our new town. Even thinking about building a plane, maybe.

On topic, I have a question about the tail beacon. Many newer planes don't have one (looking at you Cirrus, but also most kit planes). So I see these planes taxiing around with their strobes on which the wannabe pro pilot in me doesn't like at all. Strobes are on when entering or crossing a runway and while airborne, otherwise they're off.

Can you legally retrofit a plane with a tail beacon? Have a Whalen LED put on the vertical stab and wired to a new switch?

 

[Bell206]

Can you legally retrofit a plane with a tail beacon? Have a Whalen LED put on the vertical stab and wired to a new switch?

By "retrofit" do you mean to remove the existing strobe lights and install your whelen LED beacon light in their place?

 

[Magman]

You can add a beacon/strobe. Replacement gets involved with regs.

AC 43.13-2B has info on field of vision.

Adding is “ supplementary lighting” in my book.

 

[Don in Tenn]

By "retrofit" do you mean to remove the existing strobe lights and install your whelen LED beacon light in their place?

I may have chosen the wrong word. What I meant was add a brand new one where there wasn't one before.

 

[AV8R_87]

Whelen.

Retrofitting an anti-collsision light (tail beacon makes people think of this: https://uavionix.com/general-aviation/tailbeacon/ ) will involve a good deal of structural mods for a plane not provisioned for one from the factory.

What might be easier, and would make more sense, is to add a flasher unit for the position lights. That way, during daytime, when they are not required to be on, you could have them flashing instead at a slow rate instead of the strobes.

 

[Magman]

I don’t understand OP. Add a beacon/strobe so you can turn it off?

Strobes should be wired so they can be turned OFF while leaving nav light ON.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to get a Field Approval for Supplemental

Lighting. That is assuming the aircraft already has the required coverage

installed. If using a new mounting location the fin or fuselage might be a

easier choice than the Rudder. It would help to know type aircraft

being considered,

 

[Clip4]

. So I see these planes taxiing around with their strobes on which the wannabe pro pilot in me doesn't like at all. Strobes are on when entering or crossing a runway and while airborne, otherwise they're off.

I am curious, does the pro pilot wanna be in you want to follow manufacture’s checklist procedure, FAR 91.209 and the aeronautical information manual? Because the FAA doesn’t say strobe lights should be off except airborne and entering a runway.

Most of the manufacture’s checklists have strobe lights on prior or immediately after engine start. Strobe lights on is a pre start MFD checklist item on the SR20, SR22, and the vision jet. This provides people in the area a warning for engine start.

91.209(b) Operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system, unless it has lighted anticollision lights. However, the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot-in-command determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off.

AIM 4-3-24

1. Aircraft position lights are required to be lighted on aircraft operated on the surface and in flight from sunset to sunrise. In addition, aircraft equipped with an anti-collision light system are required to operate that light system during all types of operations (day and night). However, during any adverse meteorological conditions, the pilot-in-command may determine that the anti-collision lights should be turned off when their light output would constitute a hazard to safety (14 CFR section 91.209). Supplementary strobe lights should be turned off on the ground when they adversely affect ground personnel or other pilots, and in flight when there are adverse reflection from clouds.

The FAA wants you to use aeronautical decision making. Or in other words, unless you have determined and can articulate an immediate safety reason to turn off the anti collision light system, they should be on day or night. Those students and instructors are using proper procedures. Unless you can explain why at high noon on a sunny day taxi with anti collision lights constitutes a hazard or is the interest of safety.

 

[Bell206]

I may have chosen the wrong word. What I meant was add a brand new one where there wasn't one before.

Since you're not removing the existing lights, it would fall under a supplemental system. And depending on aircraft model the added light system could fall under a minor alteration. However, the physical mounting of that system to the airframe could venture into the major alteration territory. But again, depending on the aircraft model, AC43.13-2B could be used as approved data to mount the light. Regardless, it falls to your mechanic on how they would handle the alteration vs what you read here. Good luck.