121.5 and Pilot Controlled lighting.

Douglas

Old School KSUX
I was thinking about night flying:


I would like it if 121.5, with the appropriate amount of clicks, would turn on the lights to airports in the area with pilot controlled lighting.

Maybe it does already, I don't think it does.

I am not sure how horribly hard this would be to implement.

Many of our airplanes already have a buttons that will turn our Com 1 to 121.5, then three clicks later the airport you didn't plan on gliding into has it's runways illuminated and no need to dig up CTAF to get the lights on.


What do you think?
Hard to implement?
No point?
 
I understand what you are saying sort of. But if you are following along on your sectional like you should be or even GPS then the fact that the aiport is there should be no surprise.
 
One less thing to worry about when you're in that situation. I like your thinking.

I don't have the first idea how hard it would be to implement.(Or even how to do it...:crazy:)
 
To add to what I was thinking, this would be the most help for IFR work.
I still fly planes without GPS and Nearest buttons.
 
Interesting idea...I don't know enough about how PCL works to guess at how hard it would be to implement.
 
Is that a problem?

I am unaware at the costs of what it is to have the lights running for 15 minutes but I would think that from a cost standpoint they wouldn't want to do this. I dont know, maybe I am looking way to far into this.
 
I am unaware at the costs of what it is to have the lights running for 15 minutes but I would think that from a cost standpoint they wouldn't want to do this. I dont know, maybe I am looking way to far into this.

The only time it would be used is during an emergency on 121.5, which I wouldn't think that would be too often. But I could see where airport owners would have a problem with the idea.
 
The only time it would be used is during an emergency on 121.5, which I wouldn't think that would be too often. But I could see where airport owners would have a problem with the idea.


Oh ok I was under the impression this would be used routinely instead of using the appropriate freq. for each airport.
 
. . . and I think everyone should make position reports on 121.5 so that you could avoid them as you glide in. . . :confused:


Depends, do you think it is required to make position reports.

Airplanes are pretty easy to see at night, few and far between at many of these county airports.

Obviously if you know CTAF you would use it, this is is a just in case catch all idea. Helpful comments are more appreciated.
 
I think it's a good idea. I also don't think people would make habit of using 1.5 instead of the CTAF while doing "normal" flights....they still would have the CTAF tuned up for position reports. I say pitch it to FSDO, or maybe AOPA has some sort of "suggestion box"?
 
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