Aircraft Lights, Equipment and Preflight

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.