I live near a major airport and see commercial planes with huge front headlights shining in the night sky. What could they be good for way up in the sky, though? I get that when they are taking off/landing headlights are necessary. Why not give them lights like a boat, with a green in front and a red in back?
There are generally two main sets of lights. Landing and taxi lights. Don’t get all pedantic on me, pilots, about wing, taxi, logo, blah blah.
The taxi lights are usually on the nose gear, and you won’t see them until just before or after landing. Some techniques have pilots turning on the taxi lights when cleared to land as a reminder.
The landing lights are the really bright “high beams” that you see for miles. Most large airlines have these lights on up to or passing down through 18,000 feet, or maybe some other high altitude. The reason they’re on for long periods is for safety and visibility reasons, the time below 18 is the busiest airspace with the most changes in altitude and heading. These large lights are usually in the wings, sometimes there are additional landing lights on the nose gear, or on the aircraft nose on smaller aircraft.
Expired VFR pilot here.
When driving at night a car has lights on the front, sides, and rear. All of them, including the headlights, are present so that others can more easily maintain visual seperation from that car to avoid a collision.
Aircraft have lots of incredible technology and talented air traffic controllers that help keep pilots and passengers safe. But, with a single exception, pilots will ignore everyone and everything to maintain visual seperation.
From one aircraft it’s often hard to see another aircraft, even during the day. There’s lights on aircraft so they can be seen, just like cars.
The exception is a TCAS RA.
But that’s like…what they do. It’s what they live for.
Lol, precisely why it’s there.
“Well, at [airline] we [do it a different way]…”
“Well akshully [airplane] has [lights someplace else]…”
The old joke is:
“How do you find out who the pilot is at the party?”
“You don’t have to, he’ll tell you.”
Hmm like vegans
But airplanes are interesting.
Hobby pilot, here. Yup, spot on. But for the most part, the comment you responded to was also pretty much spot on, so I have no complaints.
Can’t speak for any ATPL holders, though, so let’s hope they don’t see this thread.