Green marker light
- Thread starter menkes
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doctordialtone
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My guess would be a helicopter. Airplanes have both green and red anti-collision lights. Green for the right, red for the left. I'm not the most knowledgeable on aircraft lighting tho, so hopefully someone can correct me if I'm wrong. If you're sure it was an airplane, there's a possibility the red light was just out
Edit: Could also be viewing angle, in which you would only see the green light, and not the red
Edit: Could also be viewing angle, in which you would only see the green light, and not the red
nd5y
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None that I know of.
wtp
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the red one burned out ?
15plus1
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Military.
All aircraft must have an approved anti-collision light and position light system for nighttime operations. The position lights consist of an Aviation Red on the left side, an Aviation Green on the right and an Aviation White Taillight (REF. FAR 23.1389). The anti-collision lighting system is required under FAR PART 91.205(c), which are specifically white strobe lights.
For that matter this likewise required of all aircraft by International convention (ICAO). The International Civil Aviation Organization, is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters is located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Incidentally, all watercraft are required to have the same arrangement regarding marker lights as well.
See Aircraft Navigation Lights - Aircraft Position Lights for more in-depth explanation and pictures.
For that matter this likewise required of all aircraft by International convention (ICAO). The International Civil Aviation Organization, is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters is located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Incidentally, all watercraft are required to have the same arrangement regarding marker lights as well.
See Aircraft Navigation Lights - Aircraft Position Lights for more in-depth explanation and pictures.
I live in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, west of Ohare airport, so I am familiar with seeing aircraft.
The one in question was flying south to north, as I was looking east, so shouldn't I have seen a red light?
N4GIX, thanks great site! 15plus1, I was thinking military also but?
I also don't think helicopter, I also see those regularly going to the local hospitals.
A single green flashing light no white lights, and it was moving pretty fast.
The one in question was flying south to north, as I was looking east, so shouldn't I have seen a red light?
N4GIX, thanks great site! 15plus1, I was thinking military also but?
I also don't think helicopter, I also see those regularly going to the local hospitals.
A single green flashing light no white lights, and it was moving pretty fast.
Your logic is sound, unless it was flying upside down
As far as I know, all aircraft, including military, has to abide by the lighting requirements set by the FAA. I know that they can avoid certain requirements in the air(strobes off for example).
I'm intrigued to find out what this is as well. Perhaps you will get lucky and see it again. If possible, monitor adsbexchange or radarbox and try to match it to what you see.
mmckenna
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Any chance it was some nimrod with a drone?
Drones are also required to have red/green navigation lights as well.
mmckenna
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I agree. There are a lot of rules that apply to drones, however there are a lot of people that ignore the rules. Sort of like most radios needing to have type certification.
I was curious if it was someone with a drone trying to get attention, cause problems, or generally annoy people.
Drones imported have the lights already installed. Of course it is possible that the owner could disable or damage the lighting, so it's not outside the realm of possibility for one to be flown with only the green light. On the other hand, a single green LED isn't all that bright as to be visible much beyond a hundred yards, if that far.
No.
My first guess is that the angles and directions of travel aren't quite what you think they are. It was obviously dark, and trying to orient oneself strictly by the colors of lights you see on an aircraft can be deceiving. Red on the left, green on the right, and white on the rear, visible from behind are required lighting for all aircraft flying at night, military or otherwise. I imagine military can fly without if they're operating in restricted military airspace where civilian traffic can be reasonably expected to be absent, but if they're in civilian airspace, they pretty much fly under the same flight rules everyone else does.
I don't know why the green would have been flashing, because typically they're continuous. flashing and rotating beacons must be red. Strobes are white. I've had a nav light burn out in flight before, so it happens. It's a no-go item if you find it during preflight.
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