How do you activate the Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) at an airfield?

How do you activate the Pilot Controlled Lighting (PCL) at an airfield?

• A. Two clicks: low; Four: medium; Six: high; 30 minutes
• B. Three clicks: low; Five: medium; Seven: high; Lights stay on for 15 minutes
• C. One click: cycle brightness; 8 times; 20 minutes
• D. Three clicks: high; Five: low; Seven: medium; 15 minutes

Answer: (B)

Pilot Controlled Lighting is operated by using a microphone to send a sequence of clicks on the CTAF to set the brightness, and then the lights stay on for a fixed period. On this airfield, the pattern is three clicks for low brightness, five for medium, and seven for high; after the sequence, the lights remain on for 15 minutes. This approach gives you a simple, repeatable way to control lighting from the cockpit without additional equipment, and the 15-minute run time helps prevent lights from staying on indefinitely. The other options mix up the click counts or the on-time duration, so they wouldn’t match the field’s published procedure.

Pilot Controlled Lighting is operated by using a microphone to send a sequence of clicks on the CTAF to set the brightness, and then the lights stay on for a fixed period. On this airfield, the pattern is three clicks for low brightness, five for medium, and seven for high; after the sequence, the lights remain on for 15 minutes. This approach gives you a simple, repeatable way to control lighting from the cockpit without additional equipment, and the 15-minute run time helps prevent lights from staying on indefinitely. The other options mix up the click counts or the on-time duration, so they wouldn’t match the field’s published procedure.