Nav lights... Marine and aviation different?

[Todd Clarke]

So why then does the Mavic Air 2 have 2 red lights front and 2 green lights back? I’m confused...

 

[old man mavic]

the lights on a multirotor do not have to comply with the same regulations as aircraft because of the fact that they can fly in any direction
a fixed wing aircraft cannot yaw on the spot, and it certainly cannot fly backwards ,in the dark no matter what way the lights were configured on the drone ,the size of the drone would mean that unless someone other than the pilot who affixed the lights to the drone, and was aware that the front ones were say white and the rear ones were green their positioning would have no meaning as to the direction the drone was traveling

 

[BigAl07]

So why then does the Mavic Air 2 have 2 red lights front and 2 green lights back? I’m confused...

Keeping the lights similar side to side but different front to back helps air orientation especially for new UAS operators.

 

[MA2 317]

Red to port, green to starboard is the correct orientation. I always remember it by recalling that red and port are shorter words than green and starboard.

Me too.

 

[Thomas B]

Add brighter strobes in the correct positions as you view the drone

 

[Deleted Member 997]

True and that's mostly because "MultiRotors" (all R/C aircraft are drones/UAS/UAV) are able to hover, fly in any direction, and are fairly symmetrical so having "Regulation Correct" lighting doesn't help a lot.

Helicopters hover as well. Lighting still the same. CFR 91 clearly states we just need the same. Adjust your lights as neccessary. 2 back motors white, front left red, right green. Too easy

 

[EricJT]

True and that's mostly because "MultiRotors" (all R/C aircraft are drones/UAS/UAV) are able to hover, fly in any direction, and are fairly symmetrical so having "Regulation Correct" lighting doesn't help a lot.

True, unless you become disoriented and don't want to look at the RC to figure out which way the nose is pointing. Red & green on the front and whites on the back help me at longer distances.

 

[MROJAS]

True and that's mostly because "MultiRotors" (all R/C aircraft are drones/UAS/UAV) are able to hover, fly in any direction, and are fairly symmetrical so having "Regulation Correct" lighting doesn't help a lot.

Well, Helicopters also hover and are able to fly in all directions, and they must comply.

 

[BigAl07]

Well, Helicopters also hover and are able to fly in all directions, and they must comply.

And they are MANNED aircraft certificated and such. The REGULATIONS are written to include them and how they are marked. Last time I checked the FAR's UAS did not have lighting standards (yet).

Are helicopters symmetrical? Your point is moot.

Do you want your Mavic/UAS to have to comply with every standard that Manned Aviation does? If so expect your new Mavic to cost in the tens of thousands of dollars for he BASE model.

 

[EricJT]

Red to port, green to starboard is the correct orientation. I always remember it by recalling that red and port are shorter words than green and starboard.

Not being a sailor, I remember it by thinking "green is right", meaning at an intersection, the "green" traffic light means you have the "right" to proceed.

 

[howardK]

In the days of old, ships were steered with a "steerboard" fastened to the right side of the vessel. Over time steerboard morphed into starboard. As such they would tie up on the other side which became the port side. As for colors, green for starboard as it was the color of the sea and red for port because the sailors enjoyed the comforts of "working women" that hung red lights outside of their establishments.

 

[GB1Yorkshire1]

Must be December.... this topic seems to come round every six months.
RED port GREEN starboard, WHITE heading or steering light.
there are variants both in the Marine and Aviation environments
A drone should have a highly visible White strobe on its surface at night.

BTW
( A nuclear submarine has an additional orange strobe while on the surface)
( some helicopters and military aircraft have an additional RED light mounted either under the tail or underbody )

Basically if you fly at night mount and clearly show a WHITE strobe. Mine is mounted on the top, it is USB rechargeable and weighs 4grams I use it at dusk or in poor visibility ( about a mile)

 

[Kyle76]

Basically if you fly at night mount and clearly show a WHITE strobe. Mine is mounted on the top, it is USB rechargeable and weighs 4oz, I use it at dusk or in poor visibility ( about a mile)

4 oz. or 4 grams?

 

[GB1Yorkshire1]

Whoops...... grams!

 

[EricJT]

Must be December.... this topic seems to come round every six months.
RED port GREEN starboard, WHITE heading or steering light.
there are variants both in the Marine and Aviation environments
A drone should have a highly visible White strobe on its surface at night.

BTW
( A nuclear submarine has an additional orange strobe while on the surface)
( some helicopters and military aircraft have an additional RED light mounted either under the tail or underbody )

Basically if you fly at night mount and clearly show a WHITE strobe. Mine is mounted on the top, it is USB rechargeable and weighs 4oz, I use it at dusk or in poor visibility ( about a mile)

I assume the white light on top is for manned aircraft above it to see your AC? Otherwise I am not sure if it is above the ground pilot, how the light would be visible.

 

[GB1Yorkshire1]

I assume the white light on top is for manned aircraft above it to see your AC? Otherwise I am not sure if it is above the ground pilot, how the light would be visible.

You are correct, the strobe is purely for potential aircraft avoidance, you could mount another underneath but I find that the existing lights are OK remember to always fly line of sight, aircraft in theory shouldn’t be flying outside airport restricted airspace lower than 500 ft, however I find this not to be true where I live.

 

[DGR]

So which is correct????

Red on left, green on right, white on rear

 

[vindibona1]

Red on left, green on right, white on rear

Yeah... If you look above you will see a backwards illustration. With such a small wingspan on a practical level I'm not sure it means much. I like the red/green on the front because it helps me see that it's facing me so I don't have to look at my screen to identify orientation (at least as often).

 

[EricJT]

Yeah... If you look above you will see a backwards illustration. With such a small wingspan on a practical level I'm not sure it means much. I like the red/green on the front because it helps me see that it's facing me so I don't have to look at my screen to identify orientation (at least as often)

Yeah... If you look above you will see a backwards illustration. With such a small wingspan on a practical level I'm not sure it means much. I like the red/green on the front because it helps me see that it's facing me so I don't have to look at my screen to identify orientation (at least as often).

Yet if the AC is turned 90 degrees from facing the pilot, the red and green lights assist in indicating which way it is facing.

 

[Rich QR]

My contribution to the mnemonics: one sailboat comes alongside another, and the first skipper shouts to the other, "Excuse me, do you have any red port wine left"? The other skipper replies, "No, but you've got some green starboard wine, right?"