VFR · Lesson 74 · 8 min · ACS PA.XI
Aircraft Lights, Equipment and Preflight
Summary
Red-left, green-right, white-tail position lights are shown sunset to sunrise; anti-collision lights run unless safety dictates otherwise; and night preflight adds a flashlight, working lights, and dark adaptation.
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Position and anti-collision lights · Topic mastery: Not started
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You see another aircraft at night showing its red light on your left and green light on your right. What is it doing?
Why this matters in flight
Position lights let you and everyone else judge who is going where in the dark, and knowing when they are legally required keeps you compliant. A thorough night preflight prevents small oversights from becoming serious problems once the sun is down.
Aircraft position lights follow a fixed pattern: red on the left wingtip, green on the right, and white at the tail. That pattern lets you read another aircraft — if you see its red light on your right and green on your left, it is coming toward you head-on; if instead you see red on your left and green on your right, it is generally moving away from you. Position lights must be displayed from sunset to sunrise, and an aircraft equipped with an anti-collision light system (a rotating beacon or strobes) must operate it in flight unless the pilot judges that turning it off is safer, for example in cloud where the flashing causes disorientation. Night preflight adds a few essentials: carry a reliable flashlight (a white and red lens is ideal), verify every interior and exterior light works, study the route and lighted landmarks in advance, and give your eyes about 30 minutes to adapt.
Key terms
- Position lights
- Red (left), green (right), and white (tail) navigation lights.
- Anti-collision lights
- A rotating beacon or strobes that make the aircraft conspicuous.
Sources & references · 3 · 4 linked
Every claim traces to a source — paraphrased knowledge elements pointing at the governing FAA publication. Items marked verified have been checked against the retrieved source text; the rest are pending verification. Where the exact page or regulation has been located in a retrieved document, the source links straight to it.
- AIM 4-3-23 / 14 CFR 91.209 — Aeronautical Information Manual verified14 CFR 91.209AIM 4-3-23 (p. 44)
- PHAK / 14 CFR 91.209 — Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge verified14 CFR 91.209
- AFH Ch. 10 / PHAK Ch. 17 — Airplane Flying Handbook verifiedFAA-H-8083-3C Ch. 10 (p. 210)
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