Aircraft Navigation Lights Rules

Aircraft navigation lights airplane lighting during night hours no person shall operate an aircraft unless it has lighted position lights.

Aircraft navigation lights rules.

Links to your local maritime rules at bottom of this blog. Aircraft position lights are required to be lighted on aircraft operated on the surface and in flight from sunset to sunrise or in alaska during period of a prominent unlighted object cannot be seen from a distance of 3 statute miles sm or the sun is more than 6 below the horizon. In addition aircraft equipped with an anti collision light system are required to operate that light system during all types of operations day and night. The effective date for the inland navigation rules was december 24 1981.

These are referred to as navigation lights or commonly known as position lights. Seaplanes should use maritime rules when operating on the surface of water they are similar to aviation rules in terms of lighting. It is important to note that with the exception of annex v to the inland rules the international and inland rules and annexes are very similar in both content and format. A white navigation light is as far aft as possible on the tail or each wing tip.

Navigation lights a set of lights shown by a ship or aircraft between sunset and sunrise and in rain and fog to indicate its position and orientation something any skipper needs to know is what navigation lights are required at night. B operate an aircraft that is equipped with an anticollision light system unless it has lighted anticollision lights. Ac 20 30b pdf 455 kb. Aircraft position lights are required to be lighted on aircraft operated on the surface and in flight from sunset to sunrise.

Navigation lights have to be turned on between sunset and sunrise during all operations on the ground and in the air. Pilots are encouraged to turn on their landing lights when operating within 10 miles of an airport and below 10 000 feet. However the anticollision lights need not be lighted when the pilot in command determines that because of operating conditions it would be in the interest of safety to turn the lights off. Aircraft navigation lights follow the convention of marine vessels established a half century earlier with a red navigation light located on the left wingtip leading edge and a green light on the right wingtip leading edge.

Landing lights are not only useful for taxi takeoffs and landings but also provide a means by which airplanes can be seen at night by other pilots. Air 120 aviation safety aircraft certification service aircraft engineering division description sets forth acceptable means but not the only means of showing compliance with the federal aviation regulations far applicable to installed position lights and anti collision lights. Aircraft navigation lights don t actually help the pilot navigate. Requirements for vessels under 12 metres.