[flybymike]

What is the logic behind bi directional as opposed to omni directional lighting?

[Paul_Sengupta]

Cuts down light pollution.

Means the neighbours can sleep.

[Dave Phillips]

Brighter 'cos they can be focussed. In the good old days, every third light was an omni - just for Paul's downwind problem.

[riverrock]

When I wrote that I had been thinking about the runway where I'm based, with lead in lights to the runway (etc).

[PeteSpencer]

Is there anybody on here who operates a private strip (as opposed to aerodrome with A/G or ATC) with PCL in the UK who would be willing to share details of lighting suppliers, costs, experiences etc by PM or email please.

Total anonymity guaranteed.

Peter

[Pilot H]

Pilot controlled lighting in the USA at all sizes of licenced airfield is so common, almost ubiquitous. Operation of PCL is utterly standard procedure and the benefits to the utility of GA are enormous.

Yet I have never seen any reference to malicious operation in the USA.

Perhaps the CAA can look at the US experience, and gauge the real risk of such a threat, which I believe to be either extremely marginal or non existent. Pilot controlled lighting in the US cannot usually be switched off remotely, rather it is timer controlled once activated (and any risk of malicious action would lie in switching the lights off.)

[Paul_Sengupta]

Should I mention keying up airfield lights on long night flights in the US so I can check I am where I think I am...?

Though IIRC you can click a couple more times and they go off again. Funny sometimes if two people are clicking and they get out of sync and people start to panic in a cycle of switching them on and off again! Some of them have varying clicks for brightness and the type of lights involved - three clicks for dim plus no approach lights, five for bit brighter and approach lights on, seven for max brightness, approach lights plus rabbits...that sort of thing.

[Merlin83b]

If they're simply deactivated by a timer form the last time they were activated, the potential for dangerous interference by folk with handhelds is zero. The worst they could do is activate the lights and cost the airfield owner a bit in electricity for having the lights on.

[Keef]

Indeed, but there are click codes for "lower intensity" or "some off". I've not played with them enough to know if you can turn them down once they are on at full brightness. They're an excellent idea, though.
Won't work here, of course, because individual unmanned airfields aren't going to pay OfCom the ransom for a frequency to operate them.

[Merlin83b]

Safetycom

You could light up swathes of the countryside at a (triple) click!

[Paul_Sengupta]

Indeed, but there are click codes for "lower intensity" or "some off". I've not played with them enough to know if you can turn them down once they are on at full brightness.

You generally start the cycle again - so if you keep clicking it goes:

off - brightness 1 - brightness 2 - brightness 3 - off - brightness 1 - brightness 2 - brightness 3 - off....

Most smaller airfields only have on or off though.

[mmcp42]

Indeed, but there are click codes for "lower intensity" or "some off". I've not played with them enough to know if you can turn them down once they are on at full brightness. They're an excellent idea, though.
Won't work here, of course, because individual unmanned airfields aren't going to pay OfCom the ransom for a frequency to operate them.

I should have thought whatever frequency you currently use to chat to the chaps on the ground would do for PLC
especially since, by definition, they aren't there to turn the lights on for you!
I have thought in the past about constructing PLC for our strip, might raise the priority now

[Dave Phillips]

I've just landed at an Oxfordshire airfield which had mighty fine PCL, endorsed by the CAA.

[Keef]

I should have thought whatever frequency you currently use to chat to the chaps on the ground would do for PLC
especially since, by definition, they aren't there to turn the lights on for you!

If they have a frequency, yes. If they've decided not to pay OfCom the ransom and have gone non non-radio, it's more interesting.

[malcsmith]

Can confirm most are on a timer (about 5 mins), and some have variable intensity (often useful dependent on how dark it is).

Seem to remember 3, 5, 7 clicks varies the power. General safe practice is to rekey on finals as part of your checks esp if you're the only one in the "pattern" (circuit). Last thing you want is the lights clicking off on short final.

Re indeminity - I think it is a blanket assumption Pilot takes the risk. I would assume for licensed airfields here that they would drop to unlicensed? (Implications for night training?)