Penalties for Aircraft Lights¶
These are the penalties charged when lights are turned ON/OFF incorrectly. Correct use of the lights should be:
Abbreviations: LL : Landing Lights STB : Strobe Lights NAV : Navigation / Position Lights BCN : Beacon / Anti Collision Lights SBLT : Seat Belt Lights TXI : Taxi Lights ON : Lights On OFF : Lights Off
Dept AAL: Altitude above departure airport level. Example: Elevation of LTAC is 3210 ft and 20.000 ft Dept AAL = 23.210 ft.
Dest AAL: Altitude above destination airport level. Example: Elevation of LTFM is 320 ft and 15.000 ft Dest AAL = 15.320 ft.
(1) BCN: must be ON before push&start starts. Should remain ON until the engines are turned off at the end of the flight. Should be turned OFF after the engines are turned off and the Parking brakes are applied. If a report is sent while it is ON, a penalty will be charged. It has a 5 second tolerance against accidental ON or OFF states.
(2) STB: STB is a very high-intensity lamp. It must be used correctly so as not to misdirect oncoming aircraft. FDR knows the start and end coordinates, headings of the runways. FDR calculates these by looking at the real-world coordinates of the runways.
(a) For whatever reason the runway is entered, STB must be ON. STB must be ON at any time when executing the backtrack, crossing runway, landing or take-off for whatever reason. If the STB is OFF when the aircraft enters the runway and is not turned ON within 5 seconds, a penalty will be imposed. It is NOT dependent on hostess announcements as it used to be. STB must be ON as long as you are in the air. It has a 5-sec tolerance. (Rule has been changed)
(b) After leaving the runway, STB should be OFF. (Rule has been changed)
(c) It has a 5-second tolerance against accidental ON or OFF states.
(3) NAV: It can be left ON for as long as desired during boarding. However, if it is not put to ON when push&start starts, a penalty is charged. It should remain ON until the engines are turned off during all flight phases. Even if it remains ON while the flight report is sent, no penalty will be charged. It has a 5-second tolerance against accidental ON or OFF states.
(4) LL: It is up to the pilot's choice whether to LL ON while entering or on the runway. Whether or not LL ON is a company procedure to increase visibility on the runway in real life. Generally, LL is ON after take-off clearance is received from ATC.
(a) While on the runway, whether line up, runway crossing or backtrack, LL DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ON when first entering the runway and making line up! LL can be expected to be OFF until take-off clearance is received. LL can be turned ON to increase aircraft visibility, but if the takeoff roll has started (engines powered by more than 60% N1), LL MUST be ON! It has a 5-sec tolerance. (Rule has been changed)
(b) LL MUST BE ON during landing and until the runway is vacated. It may be turned OFF when the hostess announcement “Please keep your seatbelts while you remain seated” is heard or when you see the red “Rwy” lamp OFF on the Systems menu (opened at bottom-left). It is NOT mandatory to hold the LL ON during backtrack or rwy crossings after landing. (Rule has been changed)
(c) LL can be ON or OFF while backtracking on the track and crossing the runway (cross runway), in which case a penalty will not be charged. LL can stay ON until after takeoff 10,000 ft (AAL Departure) is passed. Tolerance is 11,000 ft (Dept AAL). While descending, LL should be set to ON when descending below 10,000 ft (AAL Arrival). The penalty will be charged if LL is still not ON at the latest 500 ft AAL (Arrival). It has a 5-second tolerance against accidental ON or OFF states. (Rule has been changed)
(5) TXI: No penalty or requirement is modelled for taxi lights. It is planned to be modelled in future versions. You can use it as you wish.
(6) SBLT: Seat belt lights must be turned ON before push start starts.
(a) On Takeoff: Seatbelts must be ON until you climb 20,000 ft above takeoff altitude (Dest AAL + 20,000 ft). After this altitude, it can be turned OFF if desired. (Rule has been changed)
(b) Descent and Landing:
(I) Heavy (Widebody) Airplanes (Passenger capacity 220 and above, all cargo aircraft): Seatbelts must be ON at the latest at 20,000 ft (20,000 ft Dest AAL) above the destination airport elevation. (Rule has been changed)
(II) Medium and small-bodied airplanes: Seatbelts must be ON at 15,000 ft (15,000 ft Dest AAL) latest above the destination airport elevation. (Rule has been changed)
(c) SBLT is not required for VFR flights! It has a 5-second tolerance.
(d) To warn the cabin crew in real life, SBLT ON-OFF or OFF-ON application can be simulated if desired, provided that the SBLT light is where it should be within 5 seconds.