Position Lighting

[Jaybird180]

Sometimes on my drive home, I can see commercial and/or GA traffic in their respective approach airspaces. I enjoy the sights at night and especially when it looks like the aircraft is motionless.

The thought occurred to me the other day that my skills at determining orientation from just observing lighting could use some work and could save a life one day if I could do it by instant reaction.

Is there somewhere (perhaps online) that I can drill various collision avoidance scenarios just based on seeing the opposing aircraft's position lighting?

 

[RickG]

Night Flight and Aircraft Lights
http://www.examograms.com/VFR-Gram03/

 

[Jaybird180]

Holy Cow! The one from front was pretty scary to have it "appear" out of nowhere. Thanks.

 

[FastEddieB]

Holy Cow! The one from front was pretty scary to have it "appear" out of nowhere.

NW of Miami, I once saw exactly that - EXCEPT THE PLANE WAS DOING AN AILERON ROLL RIGHT INTO ME!!!

I just had time to brace for impact when...

...it became obvious that the red light and the green light I was seeing were on two different aircraft, crossing in opposite directions!

In any case it was a VERY powerful illusion.

 

[Jaybird180]

Three pilots crapped themselves that day!

 

[FastEddieB]

One other point - I think that site needs updating.

Many modern planes do without any lighting on the tail at all - neither my Cirrus nor my Sky Arrow tail lights, getting by with white-to-the-rear position lights.

Similarly there may not be a red flashing beacon anywhere, if wingtip strobes are used for anti-collision lighting.

 

[FastEddieB]

Three pilots crapped themselves that day!

Well, two maybe, but...

...they were not really all that close. When all you're seeing is a light or lights, its hard to judge distance and my mind certainly filled in the gaps to scare me pretty badly. Once the visual illusion reconciled, there was never any collision hazard at all.