Could anyone help, completed two training flights and on both occasions have been penalised -5% for landing lights on over 10000ft. Which is just plain not true, both times, first I switched off at 9950ft, then second time I thought maybe it was less sensitive so turned off at 9850ft do you have to turn them off bang on 10000 if so it will be near impossible ???
Landing lights must be on whenever less than 1000ft AGL.
Landing lights must be off whenever above FL100 (10,000ft AMSL 1013mb)
So for an airfield at SL you have a 9000ft window of opportunity to get the lights in the correct state. Care needs to be taken to consider any high terrain that you may encounter which might reduce the AGL to less than 1000ft.
For operations into high elevation airfields the above FL100 lights on rule is ignored if at the time your AGL altitude is less than 3,000ft and maintains less than 3,000ft. For example if you were landing at an airfield elevation 11,000ft on a high plateau then once you descend below 14,000ft you could turn your lights on for landing, although I wouldn't do it that close and give myself a bit more clearance. You would need to have the lights on before you descended below 12,000ft to meet the 1,000ft AGL rule.
I wasn't suggesting that you were flying from a high elevation airfield, the info was for the occasions you might need to. Departing Manchester and Glasgow just turn the lights off once you've cleared 1000ft AGL, no need to wait to get anywhere close to 10,000ft.
