Lighting Definitions

[jiott]

I am somewhat confused about aircraft lighting (not landing or taxi lights). I see references to 4 kinds of lights:

Nav lights
Position lights
Recognition lights
Strobe lights
I think I know what a strobe light is, but I am not sure what the other 3 are. I suspect some are different names for the same thing.

Jim

[jtpitkin06]

Position light(s) = White tail light, may be on tail or on wing tips shinning to the rear.

Navigation Lights = Red port and Green starboard

Strobe = All around flashing light in either Red or White

Recognition Lights = Applies to several types of lights. May be any white light shining froward as landing lights or a broader pattern, Alternating or pulsing as wig wag lighting. The term is sometimes applied to Logo lights embedded in the horizontal stab and shining on the vertical stab/rudder.

[jdmcbean]

Jim,
Nav lights, Green right wing tip forward facing , Red left wing tip forward facing and White rearward facing lights... also know as position lights

Recognition lights are also known as landing/taxi lights on fixed gear aircraft.

Strobes are the flashing (usually white tip) lights.

[jiott]

Thanks, that clears it up completely.

Jim

[HighWing]

The two responses confused me a bit. I had always thought some of the definitions were duplicates - nav and position lights being the same. Soo I did a little googling and found that:

Nav lights are a shortening of Navitagion lights that are common in aviation and marine applications. They are the red green and white lights that will tell direction of flight or movement over water. They originated in Marine applications as all vessels are at the same altitutude and collisions can easily happen. For this reason right of way rules were established. When you see the red light, the other ship has the right of way, etc. I recall once on a racing sailboat mid pacific coming on a container ship in the middle of the night and we passed within a couple hundred yards of each other. With the lights it was easy to know direction of movement and who had the right of way, but you can believe me we ignored right of way rules and simply kept clear.

Position lights - from the FAA:
Sec. 31.65 — Position lights.
(a) If position lights are installed, there must be one steady aviation white position light and one flashing aviation red (or flashing aviation white) position light with an effective flash frequency of at least 40, but not more than 100, cycles per minute. (whatever this means)

Recognition lights - Couldn't fine an official definiton, but from some posts on forums, it would appear that they are the modified landing / taxi lights that flash for better visibility.

Strobe Lights - The anti collision light system (either strobe lights or rotating beacon) is required for all airplanes built after March 11, 1996 for all flight activities in poor visibility, and recommended in good visibility...
Lowell

[jtpitkin06]

This is really a maze...


I gave the quick and common terminology in my first posting. John McBean posted the same answers. But in aviation, there are always exceptions.



Lowell referenced FAR 31.65 but that reg applies to manned balloons. Because balloons can drift backwards they have no red or green navigation lights. So that FAR is not much help for the Kitfox.


Lighting requirements for fixed wing aircraft often depends on when the aircraft was certified, and under what part of the FARs. Most of the older airplanes were certified under Regulation 4b which is no longer used.



Older aircraft are grandfathered for the lighting requirements. If the initial type certified was after August 1971; then, Part 23 applies to Normal, Utility, Acrobatic and Commuter type aircraft and Part 25 applies to Transport category aircraft.


One would think the lighting would be the same for all aircraft. Well, since when did the FAA make sense?



The term “Navigation Lights” is commonly used in cockpit labeling, owner's manuals, and FAA approved Pilot Operating Handbooks. A switch labeled “nav lights” typically turns on the red, green and white tip and tail lights. But the FAA does not use the terminology. In the regs they only refer to position lights and anti-collision lights.


So we dig a bit deeper and go to the aircraft lighting manufacturers.


Whelen uses only “position lights” while Areoled uses “navigation lights” when referring to red and green wing tip lights. Aveo covers the bases using “navigation/strobe/position” to describe their combination light. It’s not an official source, but we find “navigation lights” in common usage.


Lighting intensity is spelled out in detail for certified aircraft. For experimental aircraft to fly at night the airworthiness only says “required aircraft lighting”. But since there are no standards for Experimental Aircraft, determining what type and intensity of lighting meets the requirements is up to the builder.


The flashing lights on the outside of aircraft also go by several names; beacons, strobes, anticollision. Many cockpits of certified aircraft have lighting labeled “strobe”. That’s another term the FAA doesn’t use. They call it an anti-collision light.



Prior to 1971 we saw “rotating becons” on aircraft and they were always red. We also saw single all around stobe lights with red lenses take the place of rotating beacons. Some lighting systems use osculating beacons that do not flash on and off, but merely dim between the bright periods.


After 1971 part 23 airplanes can use white beacons or red. The anti-collision lights can be strobes or beacons. Part 25 aircraft use red anti-collision lights in addition to the white strobes, but the beacons may be a red colored strobe light.



It is a confusing maze of lights, lumens, beacons, strobes, and now…. LEDs.


Here's another kink in the regs. If you have an anti-collision light installed on your aircraft it must be operated in the daytime anytime you you taxi or fly. Exceptions to that, too.



So what’s the answer on these names?


If you are shopping for red, green, and white lights that are continuously on… do your search for “position lights” or “navigation lights”. You will find them under both terms.



If you are looking for flashing exterior lighting do your search for “anti-collision” , “strobe lights”, or “beacon light”


Now to really confuse you… if you decide to adapt marine lighting to your aircraft the suppliers might call the red and green lights “side lights”.


That should muddy the waters

John Pitkin

[jiott]

Thanks John for a very complete answer.

I purchased a set of Whelan Microburst III wingtip lights for my Kitfox I am now building. They have the red & green lights, a steady white light showing only to the rear, and white strobe lights which can be turned on separetely. The lights are not certified and are only for experimental use.

It sounds like from what has been written on this thread I will be Ok to use them on my experimental at night if I have a full private pilot in the plane (I myself will only have a sport pilot cert). Is my thinking correct?

Jim

[jdmcbean]

Jim,
The simple answer is yes. Most limitations issued with your AW certificate today allow for night VFR if the aircraft is equipped for night flight. On the E-AB the Whelen Microburst will work fine. Don't confuse aircraft certification with pilot ratings... As a Sport Pilot.. YOU are the limiting factor. YOU are limited to Day VFR only... not the aircraft. Conversly, if the pilot is instrument rated and has a current medical but the aircraft is not IFR certified then he cannot fly that aircraft IFR....

[jiott]

My son-in-law has a PPL with instrument rating, current medical and will be getting a tail wheel endorsement. If my SS7 is equipped with the Whelen wingtip lights as I have described and if I install a landing light, I believe he should be able to fly it at night VFR. Is there anything else I need to install to make it night legal for him? I suppose some sort of cockpit or instrument panel lights? What is the minimum I will need for cockpit lighting?

Jim

[t j]

The best explination of night VFR equipment requirement is this article, The night VFR section is at the bottom of the page. http://www.eaa.org/experimenter/articles/2011-04_darside.asp

Then this chart seems to be the best summary of required equipment.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=experimental%20aircraft%20night%20vfr%20equipmen t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CD4QFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Faeroelectric.com%2FReference_Docs %2F%2FPart_91_Inst_Reqmts.pdf&ei=0dn_Tq2iIMrfiAKGo9mEDQ&usg=AFQjCNF9HGOKbaYZOOC1igWXTMMAQ0CBFA&sig2=HjFEMEvJHotaAzWWypDMyA&cad=rja

[Esser]

Pardon my ignorance. But why not just upgrade your Sport to Private? I'm from Canada so I don't know exactly all your rules but I would imagine you would have something like 20 more hours of instruction or something? Then you can flight night VFR and perhaps your insurance would be less. Plus you have your own plane so you can get a freelance instructor for 60ish bucks. What are the plus sides in the USA for staying as a sport pilot?

[Dorsal]

I think mostly the need for a third class medical.

[jiott]

Yep, that's it-the medical. I'm 67 years old in good health but don't want the hassles and expense of medicals. I want to fly for a good many years yet and the sport pilot is the most sure way of doing it. For me night flying is not needed at all, but I want the plane to be legal for my son-in-law on the occasion he wants to fly at night. Also for resale value.

Jim

[ken nougaret]

john Pitkin makes an interesting point. if your plane has strobes they must be on at all times. I'm not a big fan of wingtip strobes when taxiing. but how many kitfoxes are being built with a beacon? its always been my practice to turn on the beacon before starting. for some reason I didn't plan a beacon into my build. now I'm second guessing this. if I was to include one now, I suppose it would be easiest to put on the belly. but here's another question. if you have a beacon and wing strobes, do you still have to have the wing strobes on all the time? I do fly at night quite a bit.
ken

[DesertFox4]

Ken- I just spent some time with Mike at AeroLEDs at AirVenture. They have a brand new beacon out in white or red that is incredibly bright. I loved the red one and will seriously consider putting on my SS7 belly. Don't think it is even on their website yet but you could call them. I believe Mike said it had different power levels too so you don't blind other aircraft on the ground.
Looks like easy mounting too.

[Micro Mong Bldr]

Hi All,

A few comments based on 36 years of being a lighting development engineer - aircraft, heavy trucks, cars, medical, etc - both LED and conventional light sources.

For position lights you don't want to adapt marine lights - right colors, wrong light distributions vertically, insufficient intensity. Stick with an aircraft supplier, please.

Regarding anti collision lights - with equal intensity red will stand out more than white under most conditions. However, intensities are quite often higher with white. There's no simple answer to that one.

If anybody has a question about lighting that they want a private reply to, please feel free to pm me.

Cheers,

Larry