Aircraft Lights: Red and Green Airplane Light Meaning

There are four types of aircraft lights that we discuss in this video. There are landing lights, beacon lights, strobe lights, and position or navigational lights. Each light serves a purpose and they are either red, green, or white.

You can tell the direction that an airplane is traveling from its lights. You can see not only if it's flying away or towards you, but you can also see if it's flying left or right.

The red light is always on the left of the airplane, while the green one is on the right. If the aircraft is coming towards you, then the red light will be on the right from your perspective.

A red blinking beacon light means that the airplane is about to start its engine. This is a warning for people in the area to stay out of the way.

A landing light is a steady light. It is a white light that will help you land the airplane.

Strobe lights are white flickering lights that are at the ends of the wing of the aircraft and on the tail.

The FAA will provide you with only limited info when they ask you questions on the Written Exam about lights.

This video is an excerpt from our Private Pilot Made Easy online ground school:

[turk]

Great video. Why weren’t the taxi lights mentioned?

[berliv]

Very clear explained
Was helpful for me
Thank you !

[adhils]

Airplanes were something that intrigued me since my childhood, like everyone else..love em...i saw one airplane right now in the sky, and i could see a red light blinking periodically...is that beacon light...is the beacon light on, even during the flight or is it turned off after take off..the navigation light is still and not blinking, right? it blinks with the rhythm of strobe light shown in this video... So is it red strobe light..idk, im dumb

[liquidsnake]

When do you use your flashing nav lights? Some planes have steady nav lights and blinking nav light switches.

[timn]

Important to note that wingtip lights (the red and green lights on wingtips) are not visible from the rear of the airplane. Please correct me if wrong.

[youssefnr]

I think on some planes there's like a light on the nose gear of the aircraft, what is that?

[slawomirlisznianski]

Worth mentioning - FAA requires that if an airplane is equipped with anticollision lights (blinking/strobes) they MUST be turned on during taxi, take-off and flight. They are RECOMMENDED to be turned on before starting the engine. Notable exceptions are flying in IMC or "other operations" where the strobes may "bounce off" the surrounding clouds and disorientate the pilots. In this case they can be turned off. The wording goes on to say: "91.209(b) permits the pilot-in-command ("PIC") to turn off the anticollision lights if he or she "determines that, because of operating conditions, it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off." This was addressed by FAA in a letter to Daniel Murphy on Jan 11, 2011 and in 14 CFR 91.209(b)

[rabbi_dragon_slayer]

A lot of modern aircraft (maybe even older too, idk) have their Nav lights that they are pretty faint if visible at all if you’re perfectly behind them, so yeah, def just assume to see that steady white light and beacon

[FactZap]

finally i understad ! i was confused about it

[BoraniumArt]

Since i'm such a nerd i'm using this for a video of mine, despite the fact that anyone who watches minecraft probably doesn't care

[johnlocke]

That question at the end, In my opinion, is VERY poorly worded. it can be interpreted that it is saying the two lights are at the same altitude as each other, meaning the tail is dipped below and the plane is gaining altitude since the tail light is normally a few feet of altitude above the wing light during level flight. This would have caused me to guess “up and to the left.”

[dougaltolan]

Red, left, port, hot(tap)
Green, right, starboard, cold(tap)

All the short words on the same side.