Aircraft Lights 101: Every Type of Exterior Lighting Component Explained

Aircraft exterior lighting is a set of FAA-regulated lights, position (navigation) lights, anti-collision lights (beacons and strobes), landing lights, taxi lights, recognition lights, logo lights, and wing inspection lights that each serve a distinct visibility, identification, or safety function during ground and flight operations. Most are required by law for night operation under 14 CFR 91.209, while others, like logo lights, are optional.

This guide breaks down what each light does, where it’s mounted, when pilots use it, and how the whole system is powered.

Why Aircraft Carry So Many Different Lights?

A single light can’t do everything an aircraft needs at night or in low visibility. Pilots need to:

• Be seen by other aircraft and judge their direction of travel
• See the runway, taxiway, and surrounding terrain
• Be visible to air traffic control and ground crews
• Identify the aircraft’s wingtip and tail extremities in tight ramp spaces

Each light type below addresses one of these needs. Under 14 CFR 91.209, position lights and anti-collision lights are legally required for operation from sunset to sunrise (and anti-collision lights, day or night, whenever installed and operative).

Position (Navigation) Lights

Position lights — commonly called “nav lights” — are the most basic identification lighting on any aircraft. Per 14 CFR 23.1385 / 25.1385, the standard configuration is:

• Red light — left wingtip
• Green light — right wingtip
• White light — tail or rearmost point of each wing

This red-left, green-right convention (shared with maritime navigation) lets another pilot judge an aircraft’s heading at a glance: if you see a red light on your right and green on your left, the other aircraft is heading toward you.

Where used: Wingtips and tail, on every certified aircraft.

When used: Continuously from sunset to sunrise, and often left on during the day for added conspicuity.

Anti-Collision Lights: Beacons vs. Strobes

Anti-collision lighting is a broader legal category that can be satisfied by a rotating beacon, flashing strobes, or both, depending on the aircraft’s certification basis (14 CFR Part 23/25/27/29). They’re often confused, but they work differently:

Pilots may turn off anti-collision lights when the flashing could be hazardous — for example, when strobes reflect off clouds at night and cause glare in the cockpit, or near ground crews on a dark ramp.

Landing Lights

Landing lights are high-intensity forward-facing lights used to illuminate the runway during approach, landing, and sometimes takeoff. They are mounted in locations that vary by airframe:

• Nose gear (common on light aircraft and business jets)
• Wing leading edge or wing root
• Wingtip, sometimes paired with the recognition light in the same housing

Unlike position and anti-collision lights, landing lights are not continuously required by regulation for every flight, but they are standard practice for takeoff, landing, and any time the aircraft operates in or near reduced visibility, and many operators require them on below certain altitudes during approach as a visibility and bird-strike mitigation measure.

Taxi Lights

Taxi lights look similar to landing lights but serve a different purpose: a wider, lower-intensity beam aimed at the ground directly ahead of the aircraft, used for taxiing, not for landing-speed visibility. They’re typically mounted near the nose gear or wing root, often in the same fixture as the landing light but on a separate switch.

Where used: Nose gear or wing root.

When used: Ground movement — taxi, pushback areas, low-speed maneuvering.

Recognition Lights

Recognition lights are steady-burning (non-flashing) white lights, usually mounted on the wingtips, that help other aircraft and air traffic controllers identify and track an aircraft visually at a distance — particularly useful at busy airports or in formation/military operations. They’re sometimes combined with the wingtip strobe or landing light assembly.

Logo Lights

Logo lights are non-safety-critical lights mounted on the horizontal stabilizer or tail fin, angled upward to illuminate the airline’s tail logo at night. They have no role in collision avoidance or navigation and are typically switched off in flight to save power, used mainly on the ramp for visibility/branding purposes.

Wing Inspection (Ice) Lights

Larger aircraft, especially those that operate in icing conditions, carry wing inspection lights — fixed lights mounted on the fuselage and angled to illuminate the wing leading edge. Pilots use them at night to visually check for ice accumulation before and during flight in icing conditions.

Comparison Table: Aircraft Lighting at a Glance

All of this lighting draws from the aircraft’s DC or AC electrical bus, which is ultimately fed by the engine-driven generator (or, on many turboprops and business jets, a combined starter generator that both starts the engine and generates electrical power once it’s running), backed up by the aircraft battery for ground operation and emergencies. A worn or underperforming starter generator can lead to voltage instability that affects every electrical system on the bus — lighting included — which is why generator condition is part of routine electrical troubleshooting. Readers interested in how that side of the aircraft’s electrical system works can see an overview of aircraft starter generators for more detail on how these units are repaired and maintained.

LED vs. Legacy Lighting Components

Most aircraft lighting historically used incandescent, halogen, or HID (High-Intensity Discharge) bulbs. Over the past decade, LED has become the dominant replacement technology across landing, taxi, position, anti-collision, and strobe lights because LEDs draw less power, run cooler, and last substantially longer between replacements than the legacy bulb types. Many of these upgrades are issued as FAA-approved STCs (Supplemental Type Certificates) that allow operators to retrofit older aircraft with LED equivalents of their original lighting components. A breakdown of the specific component types available — landing lights, anti-collision lights, position lights, taxi lights, and beacons — is available on NAASCO’s lighting components page for reference.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a strobe light and a beacon light on an aircraft?

A beacon is a slower rotating or pulsing light (red or white) mounted on the fuselage that signals general conspicuity and that the engine is running. A strobe is a much brighter, rapid flash mounted on the wingtips or tail, designed for long-range collision avoidance in flight.

Why does an airplane have a red light on one side and a green light on the other?

This is the position light system required under 14 CFR 23.1385/25.1385: red on the left wingtip, green on the right wingtip, white on the tail. It lets other pilots judge an aircraft’s direction of travel at night, similar to maritime navigation lights.

Are aircraft landing lights legally required?

Landing lights themselves aren’t mandated by the same regulation that requires position and anti-collision lights, but they’re standard operational equipment for takeoff and landing and are required by many operators’ procedures, especially during approach.

Can pilots turn off the anti-collision lights?

Yes. Under 14 CFR 91.209, the pilot-in-command may turn off anti-collision lights if their operation would be hazardous to safety — for example, strobe glare reflecting off clouds at night, or disorienting nearby ground personnel.

What color are aircraft anti-collision lights?

Anti-collision lights may be aviation red or aviation white, depending on the aircraft’s certification basis and installation.