Is there a specific purpose for the different lights on aircraft? Some are colored and others blink. What are their different purposes? And do all airplanes have the same set of lights?
Yes, there is a specific purpose for every light.
Yes, there is a specific purpose for every light.
for eg: On the Boeing 737, similar to other aircraft types, we have position lights (also called navigation lights). They have to be on when it is dark. If you’re sitting in an airplane facing forward, the light on the left wing is red and the one on the right wing is green. These wingtip lights are visible from the front and from the sides of the aircraft. Then you have a white position light visible from behind and somewhat from the side. The reason for the position lights is that if you see an airplane in the dark, whether it’s on the ground or airborne, you can determine which direction it’s moving in.
the aircraft also have two blinking red anti-collision lights, or beacon lights – one on top of the fuselage and one beneath. Before the engines start, these switch made on. This is to advise the ground staff that we’ll soon be starting the engines. After parking, when the engines are shut off, then anti-collision lights are off, which is a signal to the ground staff that they can safely approach the aircraft.
The final light is a pretty strong, white,also called flashing strobe. This is switched on just before entering the runway for takeoff and it remains on throughout the entire flight. After landing and when leaving the runway, we turn the strobe light off.
Small aircraft also have position and anti-collision lights. They might not have the white flashing strobe light though.
- similarly spacecraft also have the navigation lights,
 |
| RED AND GREEN NAVIGATION LIGHTS ON 'SPACEX' |
0 Comments