AN ACR FLC FLYING A B737 AT HOU RPTS FAILING TO TURN THE ROTATING BEACON ON FOR ENG START AND TAXI.

Narrative

AFTER 6 TKOFS AND LNDGS; WE WERE STARTING OUR 7TH LEG FROM HOU-MSY. THE LAST 4 LEGS WERE WITH AN ACFT WITH AN INOP APU. EARLIER IN HOU; WE HAD PROBS WITH THE AIR START UNIT AND ONCE AGAIN A PROB. WE RAN OUR CHKLIST AND ASKED FOR AIR; BUT THE UNIT WOULD NOT START; SO OUR GND PEOPLE WENT TO FIND A NEW GND START UNIT. WE TURNED THE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT OFF AS WE WERE UNABLE TO START THE ENGS. IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE AND SOON THE ACFT WAS GETTING HOT INSIDE WITH 80+ PAX. AFTER MUCH CONFUSION; THE GND PEOPLE BROUGHT A NEW UNIT TO START THE ENGS. IN A HURRY TO START AND GET AIR CONDITIONING TO US AND THE PAX; MY FO FORGOT TO TURN THE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT BACK ON AND WE STARTED THE ENGS AND TAXIED WITHOUT THE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT ON. I ONLY NOTICED THIS AFTER TKOF AS I CHKED THE LNDG LIGHTS AND NOTICED THE LIGHT WAS OFF. I THEN TURNED THE ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT BACK ON. I WOULD GUESS THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND CONFUSION ON THE RAMP CAUSED US TO MISS THE LIGHT. OUR PROC ON THE BEFORE START CHKLIST IS THAT IT IS DONE SILENTLY BY THE FO AS HE CHKS DUCT PRESSURE AND ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT. THAT SILENT CHKLIST ALLOWED ME NOT TO BACK HIM UP.