Nav lights - Tail light?

[FlyDave]

All,

I have a 1982 201 with nav lights and strobes.

I thought the strobe in the tail also had a white nav light as standard on all planes but a friend told me that he did not see a white tail nav light when I taxied past him last week. I checked this in the hangar yesterday and sure enough, with the nav lights on I have no white tail nav light. I don't turn the strobes on until I'm ready for departure.

So, a few questions:

• 
  
• Does everyone else with the same lighting system have a white tail recognition light?
  
• If the anser to the above question is yes, is the tail light one assembly for the strobe and tail or are they separate bulbs? Does anyone know the PN for the bulb(s)?
  
• I believe there is a requirment for a flashing recognition light any time the aircraft engine is started/moving on the airfield. If you only have nav lights and strobes - no rotating beacon, do you taxi with your stobes on? 
  

Thanks,

[jetdriven]

I think the requirement is for an anti-collision light to be operated in flight unless it distracts the PIC.

[jlunseth]

The light in your tail is likely a combination light, and the " steady" bulb is burned out.  Have it checked.  It gets missed a lot.  I went two years and through two annuals without realizing that light should be there.

 

[David Mazer]

There was a recent discussion in AOPA's magazine about when lights are required and the opinion rendered said the lights need to be on before the engine is started but it is accepted that they won't be turned on until after the engine is started.  The question about strobes was addressed somewhere else and at some distant time, I can't remember where or when, and they should be on for taxi except at night if they will distract other pilots.

My nav lights have a white light on each wing that are only visible from behind and I have a strobe on the tail.  Since going to LEDs on my lights that used to be a problem (landing, taxi, recognition), I just turn everything on all the time except as noted above or in clouds at night when the strobes can be a problem.