[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":413},["ShallowReactive",2],{"learn-\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them":3,"learn-nav-\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them":372},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":304,"dateModified":305,"description":306,"draft":307,"extension":308,"faqs":309,"howTo":305,"keyTakeaways":319,"meta":325,"metaDescription":326,"navigation":327,"path":328,"quiz":329,"seo":355,"series":356,"seriesOrder":357,"sources":358,"stem":369,"topic":370,"__hash__":371},"learn\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them.md","Position and anti-collision lights",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":291},"minimark",[9,13,19,24,27,38,44,56,60,67,96,105,109,112,126,152,156,163,167,182,186,207,210,214,233,244,248,280,284],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Aircraft lights do two jobs at once: they let other pilots see you, and they let you read which way another aircraft is heading in the dark. Both rely on a simple colour code that has not changed in a century, and on a clear rule about when the lights have to be on.",[14,15,16],"blockquote",{},[10,17,18],{},"This is general educational information, not operational, legal, or regulatory advice. Rules differ by authority and change over time. Always verify against current official sources and follow your operator's approved procedures.",[20,21,23],"h2",{"id":22},"the-two-kinds-of-light","The two kinds of light",[10,25,26],{},"An aircraft carries two distinct lighting systems, and it helps to keep them separate.",[10,28,29,33,34,37],{},[30,31,32],"strong",{},"Navigation lights",", also called position lights, mark the aircraft's shape and orientation with a fixed colour code: ",[30,35,36],{},"red on the left (port) wingtip, green on the right (starboard) wingtip, and a white light shown to the rear",". They are steady, not flashing, and the colours are deliberate, because they tell another pilot which way you are pointing. The same red-left, green-right convention is shared by ships, which is where aviation borrowed it.",[10,39,40,43],{},[30,41,42],{},"Anti-collision lights"," are the attention-grabbers: the flashing red rotating beacon and the bright white strobes. Their job is not to show orientation but to make the aircraft conspicuous from a long way off, in the air and on the ground. They flash precisely so the eye catches them.",[10,45,46,47,51,52,55],{},"The two systems answer different needs. The steady navigation lights say ",[48,49,50],"em",{},"which way I face","; the flashing anti-collision lights say ",[48,53,54],{},"here I am",".",[20,57,59],{"id":58},"reading-another-aircrafts-lights","Reading another aircraft's lights",[10,61,62,63,66],{},"Because the colours are fixed, the navigation lights let you judge another aircraft's ",[30,64,65],{},"aspect",", the direction it is pointing relative to you, at a glance:",[68,69,70,82,93],"ul",{},[71,72,73,74,77,78,81],"li",{},"If you can see ",[30,75,76],{},"both its red and green"," wingtip lights, you are looking at its front, so it is pointing roughly ",[30,79,80],{},"towards you",". That is the configuration to treat with most caution, because a head-on closure gives you the least time.",[71,83,84,85,88,89,92],{},"If you see only its ",[30,86,87],{},"white tail light",", you are ",[30,90,91],{},"behind it",", overtaking from the rear.",[71,94,95],{},"A single red or a single green tells you it is crossing, and which way, with the colour on the wingtip nearest you.",[10,97,98,99,104],{},"This reading dovetails with the ",[100,101,103],"a",{"href":102},"\u002Flearn\u002Fright-of-way-rules","right-of-way rules",". The overtaking position is defined by the angle from the tail at which, at night, you would see neither of the other aircraft's wingtip lights, only its rear light, which is exactly the geometry in which you, as the overtaking aircraft, must give way and alter to the right.",[20,106,108],{"id":107},"when-the-lights-must-be-shown","When the lights must be shown",[10,110,111],{},"The headline rule is the same on both sides of the Atlantic: the lights come on for the hours of darkness. The detail of how the period is defined differs slightly.",[10,113,114,115,118,119,125],{},"Under ",[30,116,117],{},"SERA.3215",", by night all aircraft in flight display navigation lights and anti-collision lights, and no other lights that might be mistaken for them. Aircraft moving on the manoeuvring area show position lights and, if their engines are running, anti-collision lights, with lights to mark their extremities where these are not otherwise shown. The \"night\" period is the one defined by the authority, typically the hours between the end of evening ",[100,120,124],{"href":121,"className":122},"\u002Flearn\u002Fglossary#gt-civil-twilight",[123],"glossary-link","civil twilight"," and the beginning of morning civil twilight.",[10,127,128,129,132,133,139,140,143,144,146,147,151],{},"Under the ",[30,130,131],{},"FAA's"," ",[100,134,138],{"href":135,"rel":136},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ecfr.gov\u002Fcurrent\u002Ftitle-14\u002Fchapter-I\u002Fsubchapter-F\u002Fpart-91\u002Fsubpart-C\u002Fsection-91.209",[137],"nofollow","14 CFR 91.209",", no person may operate an aircraft from ",[30,141,142],{},"sunset to sunrise"," without lighted position lights, nor park or move it in a night flight operations area without lights or a marked position, and an aircraft equipped with an anti-collision light system must operate those lights. Note the period: 91.209 uses ",[30,145,142],{}," for showing lights, which is not the same as the civil-twilight definition the FAA uses for ",[100,148,150],{"href":149},"\u002Flearn\u002Flogging-night-flying-time","logging night time",". The two \"night\" periods serve different rules.",[20,153,155],{"id":154},"turning-the-anti-collision-lights-off","Turning the anti-collision lights off",[10,157,158,159,162],{},"There is a sensible exception built into both systems. Bright strobes reflecting back off cloud or haze at night can dazzle the crew and destroy night vision, so the anti-collision lights may be switched off when they do more harm than good. SERA.3215 allows it where the lights would adversely affect the satisfactory performance of duties or subject an outside observer to harmful dazzle. The FAA's 91.209 lets the ",[30,160,161],{},"pilot-in-command"," turn them off whenever it is in the interest of safety. The navigation lights, by contrast, stay on through the hours of darkness; it is the flashing lights that may be paused when conditions warrant.",[20,164,166],{"id":165},"landing-taxi-and-other-lights","Landing, taxi and other lights",[10,168,169,170,173,174,177,178,181],{},"Navigation and anti-collision lights are the two systems the rules of the air name, but an aircraft carries more. ",[30,171,172],{},"Landing lights"," throw a powerful beam forward for the approach and landing; ",[30,175,176],{},"taxi lights"," light the ground ahead at slower speed; and larger aircraft add logo lights, wing-inspection lights and runway-turnoff lights. None of these is a position light, so none tells another pilot which way you face, but they are intensely useful for one thing: ",[30,179,180],{},"conspicuity",". A landing light pointed roughly at conflicting traffic makes a small aircraft visible far sooner than its navigation lights alone, by day as well as by night, which is why the beam is used well beyond the landing itself.",[20,183,185],{"id":184},"conventions-for-using-the-lights","Conventions for using the lights",[10,187,188,189,194,195,198,199,202,203,206],{},"On top of the legal requirement to show navigation and anti-collision lights at night, there is a layer of recommended good practice the ",[100,190,193],{"href":191,"rel":192},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.faa.gov\u002Fair_traffic\u002Fpublications\u002Fatpubs\u002Faim_html\u002Fchap4_section_3.html",[137],"FAA Aeronautical Information Manual"," sets out, and which crews follow the world over. The anti-collision lights, the beacon especially, go on whenever the ",[30,196,197],{},"engine is running",", so the beacon doubles as a warning that the aircraft is live, turning before start and staying on until shutdown. Exterior lights, including the landing light, go on when ",[30,200,201],{},"entering or crossing a runway",", a simple habit that has cut runway incursions. And the \"operation lights on\" idea encourages turning the ",[30,204,205],{},"landing light on"," in the high-traffic environment below about 10,000 ft and near an aerodrome, day or night, purely to be seen.",[10,208,209],{},"These conventions are about conspicuity rather than orientation, so they complement the colour code rather than replace it. The steady red, green and white still tell another pilot which way you are pointing; the bright forward beams and flashing strobes simply make sure the other pilot looks in your direction in the first place. Used together, they answer both questions a converging pilot needs answered at night: where you are, and which way you are going.",[20,211,213],{"id":212},"a-worked-example","A worked example",[10,215,216,217,220,221,224,225,228,229,232],{},"You are flying a night cross-country with your navigation lights steady and your strobes flashing. Ahead and slightly above, you pick up a single ",[30,218,219],{},"steady white"," light that is not moving much against the background. Because you can see only the white light and neither a red nor a green wingtip, you are looking at the ",[30,222,223],{},"rear"," of another aircraft: you are ",[30,226,227],{},"overtaking"," it. The right-of-way rules make you the give-way aircraft, so you alter to the ",[30,230,231],{},"right"," and keep clear until you are entirely past.",[10,234,235,236,239,240,243],{},"Later, climbing into a layer of thin cloud, your strobes begin flashing back at you off the moisture, washing out your view forward. You exercise the exception: under 91.209, or SERA.3215 in European airspace, you switch the ",[30,237,238],{},"anti-collision"," strobes off while in the cloud to protect your night vision, leaving the ",[30,241,242],{},"navigation"," lights on, and turn the strobes back on when you are clear. The aircraft stayed lit for others throughout; you simply paused the lights that were blinding you.",[20,245,247],{"id":246},"common-pitfalls","Common pitfalls",[68,249,250,256,262,268,274],{},[71,251,252,255],{},[30,253,254],{},"Mixing up the colours."," Red is left, green is right, white is aft. Reverse them and you will read another aircraft's aspect backwards.",[71,257,258,261],{},[30,259,260],{},"Confusing the two systems."," Navigation lights show orientation and stay on; anti-collision lights make you conspicuous and may be paused.",[71,263,264,267],{},[30,265,266],{},"Assuming the lighting period equals the logging-night period."," The FAA uses sunset to sunrise for lights but civil twilight for logging night, so they are different windows.",[71,269,270,273],{},[30,271,272],{},"Leaving strobes on in cloud at night."," They can dazzle you; the rules let you switch the anti-collision lights off when they affect the crew or observers.",[71,275,276,279],{},[30,277,278],{},"Forgetting ground lighting."," Position and, with engines running, anti-collision lights apply while manoeuvring on the ground at night, not only airborne.",[20,281,283],{"id":282},"in-pilot-efb","In Pilot EFB",[10,285,286,287,290],{},"Pilot EFB is a study and planning companion for the rules of the air, sitting alongside your ",[100,288,289],{"href":149},"night-flying notes"," and the rest of your offline-first briefing. It does not control your lights, sense darkness, or tell you when to switch the strobes on or off, and the binding requirements are those in the current rule for your airspace and operation. Pilot EFB is not a certified Electronic Flight Bag, so treat it as a study and planning aid and fly the lighting rules from your official source of record.",{"title":292,"searchDepth":293,"depth":293,"links":294},"",2,[295,296,297,298,299,300,301,302,303],{"id":22,"depth":293,"text":23},{"id":58,"depth":293,"text":59},{"id":107,"depth":293,"text":108},{"id":154,"depth":293,"text":155},{"id":165,"depth":293,"text":166},{"id":184,"depth":293,"text":185},{"id":212,"depth":293,"text":213},{"id":246,"depth":293,"text":247},{"id":282,"depth":293,"text":283},"2026-05-19",null,"An aircraft's navigation and anti-collision lights, the red-left green-right convention, when each must be shown, and how SERA.3215 and 14 CFR 91.209 compare.",false,"md",[310,313,316],{"q":311,"a":312},"Which wingtip carries the red light and which the green?","Red is on the left (port) wingtip and green is on the right (starboard) wingtip, with a white light shown to the rear. The convention is the same the world over and is the basis for judging another aircraft's aspect at night: if you can see both its red and green wingtip lights it is pointing roughly towards you, and if you see only its white tail light you are behind it.",{"q":314,"a":315},"When must navigation lights be shown?","At night. Under SERA.3215 aircraft display navigation lights and anti-collision lights by night, and under the FAA's 14 CFR 91.209 position lights must be lit from sunset to sunrise. The exact start and end of the period is defined by the authority, but the rule of thumb is that the lights come on for the hours of darkness, in flight and while manoeuvring on the ground.",{"q":317,"a":318},"Can anti-collision lights ever be switched off?","Yes, in defined circumstances. Both systems let the anti-collision lights be turned off when they would adversely affect the crew or other observers, for example bright strobes reflecting back in cloud at night. SERA.3215 permits it where the lights adversely affect the performance of duties or subject an outside observer to harmful dazzle, and 14 CFR 91.209 lets the pilot-in-command turn them off in the interest of safety.",[320,321,322,323,324],"Navigation lights are steady: red on the left wingtip, green on the right, white to the rear.","Anti-collision lights, the beacon and strobes, flash to make the aircraft conspicuous.","Seeing both red and green wingtip lights means an aircraft is pointing roughly towards you; only a white tail light means you are behind it.","Lights are shown at night, sunset to sunrise under 14 CFR 91.209, a different period from the FAA's logging-night definition.","Anti-collision lights may be switched off when they would dazzle the crew or others, such as strobes in cloud.",{},"Aircraft navigation and anti-collision lights: the red-left green-right convention, when each must be shown, and how SERA.3215 and 14 CFR 91.209 compare.",true,"\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them",[330,339,347],{"q":331,"options":332,"answer":337,"explanation":338},"You see another aircraft at night showing a steady red light on your right and a green light on your left. What does that tell you?",[333,334,335,336],"It is flying away from you","It is pointing roughly towards you","It is on the ground","It is a helicopter",1,"Red is on an aircraft's left wingtip and green on its right, so seeing red on your right and green on your left means you are looking at the front of it: it is pointing roughly towards you.",{"q":340,"options":341,"answer":337,"explanation":346},"Under 14 CFR 91.209, during what period must position lights be lit?",[342,343,344,345],"From one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise","From sunset to sunrise","Only in cloud","Only above 10,000 ft","14 CFR 91.209 requires lighted position lights from sunset to sunrise. That is a different period from the civil-twilight definition the FAA uses for logging night time.",{"q":348,"options":349,"answer":337,"explanation":354},"When may anti-collision lights be switched off?",[350,351,352,353],"Whenever the pilot prefers a darker cockpit","When they would adversely affect the crew or other observers, such as strobes dazzling in cloud","Never, once fitted","Only on the ground","Both SERA.3215 and 14 CFR 91.209 allow the anti-collision lights to be turned off when they would adversely affect the crew or outside observers, such as bright strobes reflecting in cloud, in the interest of safety.",{"title":5,"description":306},"rules-of-the-air",6,[359,362,365,367],{"label":360,"url":361},"ICAO Annex 2: Rules of the Air (lights to be displayed by aircraft)","https:\u002F\u002Fstore.icao.int\u002Fen\u002Fannex-2-rules-of-the-air",{"label":363,"url":364},"EASA Easy Access Rules for Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA.3215)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.easa.europa.eu\u002Fen\u002Fdocument-library\u002Feasy-access-rules\u002Feasy-access-rules-standardised-european-rules-air-sera",{"label":366,"url":135},"FAA 14 CFR 91.209 (Aircraft lights)",{"label":368,"url":191},"FAA Aeronautical Information Manual, Chapter 4 Section 3 (operation of aircraft lights)","learn\u002Faircraft-lights-and-when-to-show-them","Regulations","ALAyT15ojjJxsJ2CCwdpc961Hwn7TII0j7Pfo-IgTKI",{"related":373,"newer":393,"older":399,"series":406},[374,380,385],{"path":375,"title":376,"description":377,"date":378,"topic":370,"draft":307,"minutes":379,"series":305,"seriesOrder":305},"\u002Flearn\u002Fclass-and-type-ratings-explained","Class and type ratings explained","Class rating versus type rating, what each lets you fly, and how EASA's revalidated ratings compare with the FAA's certificate-based system.","2026-06-11",7,{"path":381,"title":382,"description":383,"date":384,"topic":370,"draft":307,"minutes":379,"series":305,"seriesOrder":305},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmedical-certificates-explained","Medical certificates explained","The classes of aviation medical and what each allows: the FAA's first, second and third class against EASA's Class 1, Class 2 and LAPL, with validity by age.","2026-05-30",{"path":386,"title":387,"description":388,"date":389,"topic":370,"draft":307,"minutes":390,"series":391,"seriesOrder":392},"\u002Flearn\u002Fstandby-and-reserve-duty","Standby and reserve duty","What standby and reserve mean, how airport standby differs from home, how the FAA handles long-call and short-call reserve, and how standby becomes duty.","2026-05-09",8,"duty-rest-and-flight-time-limits",5,{"path":394,"title":395,"description":396,"date":397,"topic":398,"draft":307,"minutes":392,"series":305,"seriesOrder":305},"\u002Flearn\u002Faircraft-icing-explained","Aircraft icing explained","How airframe ice forms, the difference between rime, clear and mixed ice, why supercooled large droplets are so dangerous, and where to find the forecast.","2026-05-20","Weather",{"path":400,"title":401,"description":402,"date":403,"topic":404,"draft":307,"minutes":405,"series":305,"seriesOrder":305},"\u002Flearn\u002Fmode-s-and-ads-b-explained","Mode S and ADS-B explained","How Mode S adds a 24-bit address, selective interrogation and a data link, elementary versus enhanced surveillance, and how ADS-B broadcasts position.","2026-05-18","Operations",4,{"slug":356,"title":407,"part":357,"total":357,"prev":408,"next":305},"Rules of the air",{"path":409,"title":410,"description":411,"date":412,"topic":370,"draft":307,"minutes":379,"series":356,"seriesOrder":392},"\u002Flearn\u002Fdocuments-you-must-carry","Aircraft documents you must carry","What paperwork has to be aboard before you fly: the US ARROW documents, the longer EASA list under NCO.GEN.135, and where the two systems differ.","2026-05-08",1782839404634]