Airplanes, which have been in our lives for more than a century and known as the easiest way to travel, are known as the state-of-the-art means of transportation in the truest sense of the word. Although we, ordinary passengers, spend only a few hours on board the plane, there are huge engineering technologies behind these gigantic means of transportation.
If we leave engineering aside; Planes have some remarkable features. For example, the lighting. If you look up and see an airplane, you’ll see the airplane’s lights flashing. Have you ever wondered why such a thing happens? Why is there a different situation in airplanes when there are fixed lights on cars used on highways? Let’s take a closer look at this issue together.
What do the lights on airplanes mean and why do these lights flash?
There are different brands of passenger planes on the market. However, there are some lights common to all of these aircraft. The reason for this is to have met the specified standards, just like in automobiles. According to this; We can say that a standard passenger plane has the following lights:
- Navigation lights (NAV): Essential for an airplane. Green on the right wing and red on the left wing. It is a flashing structure. These lights indicate the direction of an aircraft.
- Anti-collision lights (Strobe-white): They are white in color, facing backwards on the tail and wings. The strobe lights, which have the same logic as the navigation lights, flash and help both to understand the direction of the aircraft and to avoid an accident.
- Anti-collision lights (Beacon-red): They are located at the top and bottom of the aircraft fuselage. Their color is red. They provide an understanding of whether an aircraft’s engines are working or not. If the flashing beacon lights are turned on, that aircraft is operating.
- Taxi lights (Taxi): Taxi lights, as the name suggests, are used during taxi. The working logic of these lights and the low beams in cars is the same. A steady taxi light helps the pilot see the taxiway.
- Landing Lights: Landing lights are critical for aviation. These lights both increase the visibility of the aircraft and guide the pilot. Depending on the model and size of the aircraft, their location and number may vary. They are constantly on. It can be thought of as the high beams in cars.
- Runway turn lights (Runway Turnoff): Runway turn lights, as the name suggests, turn on during a turn. Steady lights allow the pilot to see the surroundings.
- Wing inspection lights (Wing): Wing inspection lights are especially important in winter. With the help of these lights, airport officials can tell if there is icing on the wing.
- Logo lights: Logo lights are usually located in the queue. It illuminates the logo showing which transport company the aircraft belongs to.
By this point in our content, we have understood what the lights on airplanes mean. Now let’s take a closer look at why some of these lights are blinking.
There is only one reason why the lights on airplanes blink: to attract attention!
The reason for the flashing of lights on airplanes is actually very simple: to attract attention. Flashing lights attract the attention of both people looking at the sky and other pilots. Let’s take a look at the scientific dimension of this business together.
According to scientists, the human brain finds flashing light more noticeable
Scientists have done a ton of research on the human eye to date. Studies have shown that the human eye does not respond the same to every light. For example, less bright flashing light was found to be more noticeable by the brain than a very bright light that was constantly on. In fact, the frequency to which our eyes respond maximum is the range of 4-8 Hz.
The “Color Usage Research Lab”, a research laboratory established by NASA on the use of color and light, has a website that allows you to experience the situation we described in the above paragraph. On this website, it is explained with examples how flashing lights with different Hz values are perceived by the brain. You can reach that site by using the link here and you can do the test yourself. In this way, you can better understand what it means when the lights of an airplane come on.
Note: Flashing lights can cause seizures in some epilepsy patients. This is exactly the reason why we, as Webtekno, redirect to NASA’s website. If you have epilepsy and are sensitive to light, we recommend that you do not enter the site.
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