Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: oboe on November 10, 2016, 10:44:57 AM

Title: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: oboe on November 10, 2016, 10:44:57 AM
Are they Red (Port) and Green (Starboard) or Red (Port) and Blue (Starboard)?

I though nav lights were Red/Green, but my pics of the restoration of White 33 P-38 show a blue lense on the Starboard light.   Is this a change for modern day aviation, or have they always been blue all along?
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: MiloMorai on November 10, 2016, 10:51:48 AM
the red ship left port
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Chalenge on November 10, 2016, 11:17:50 AM
It's actually green/blue like the lights at intersections are. The red lamp is not strictly red, either.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Devil 505 on November 10, 2016, 11:54:57 AM
When illuminated the light will appear green, but the lens/bulb may look closer to blue when off.

Here's an F-14 for example.

(https://theaviationist.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/F-14-Tomcat-IRIAF-2016-1-706x492.jpg)

(http://data3.primeportal.net/hangar/howard_mason/f-14a_161134/images/f-14a_161134_12_of_93.jpg)
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Zimme83 on November 10, 2016, 02:27:51 PM
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/Jet-liner%27s_lights_1_N.PNG)
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: MiloMorai on November 10, 2016, 03:24:49 PM
Why are the sides are called port and starboard.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: GScholz on November 10, 2016, 03:53:01 PM
For the same reason it's called an airliner and aeronautics.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: DubiousKB on November 10, 2016, 03:53:13 PM
Why are the sides are called port and starboard.

I sorta wondered this myself.... Is it because when you walked "the plank" it was the side facing the stars, away from the port? :)   Would be interested in the history of these word origins...  :huh
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Zimme83 on November 10, 2016, 04:03:04 PM
Wish granted: http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,383102.msg5098069.html

Quote
Port and starboard are nautical terms for left and right, respectively. Port is the left-hand side of or direction from a vessel, facing forward. Starboard is the right-hand side, facing forward. Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are not relative to the observer.

The term starboard derives from the Old English steorbord, meaning the side on which the ship is steered. Before ships had rudders on their centrelines, they were steered with a steering oar at the stern of the ship and, because more people are right-handed, on the right-hand side of it. The term is cognate with the Old Norse stżri (rudder) and borš (side of a ship). Since the steering oar was on the right side of the boat, it would tie up at wharf on the other side. Hence the left side was called port.

Formerly larboard was used instead of port. This is from Middle-English ladebord and the term lade is related to the modern load. Larboard sounds similar to starboard and in 1844 the Royal Navy ordered that port be used instead. The United States Navy followed suit in 1846. Larboard continued to be used well into the 1850s by whalers. In Old English the word was bęcbord, of which cognates are used in other European languages, for example as the German backbord and the French term bābord (derived in turn from Middle Dutch).

At night, the port side of a vessel or aircraft is indicated with a red navigation light and the opposite side with a green one, to help avoid collisions. The International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea state that a ship on the left must give way to a ship on its right. If the courses of two boats are intersecting, the helmsman usually gives way to a red light by going around the stern of the stand-on vessel. Sidelights are each lit from right ahead to 22.5 degrees abaft the beam on its corresponding side. A mnemonic for this is "If to starboard red appear, 'tis your duty to keep clear. Green to green, red to red perfect safety, go ahead."
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: MiloMorai on November 10, 2016, 04:08:03 PM
Was a rhetorical question.

Also the steering oar could be damaged by the dock.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: morfiend on November 10, 2016, 04:21:50 PM
I always thought it was because both port and left have 4 letters....... :D




    :salute
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: GScholz on November 10, 2016, 05:22:19 PM
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question that is asked to make a point rather than to elicit an answer. What was the point you were trying to make?
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: BuckShot on November 10, 2016, 07:55:46 PM
I always thought it was because both port and left have 4 letters....... :D




    :salute
And right has 5 letters like green.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: branch37 on November 10, 2016, 07:59:22 PM
It's amazing how many people don't know or deliberately don't follow the standard rules of water navigation at night on lakes.  Specifically the "give way to a visible red light" part. 
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: BuckShot on November 10, 2016, 08:26:49 PM
It's amazing how many people don't know or deliberately don't follow the standard rules of water navigation at night on lakes.  Specifically the "give way to a visible red light" part.

Not many know what headway speed or no wake mean either.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: pembquist on November 12, 2016, 10:52:43 AM
It's amazing how many people don't know or deliberately don't follow the standard rules of water navigation at night on lakes.  Specifically the "give way to a visible red light" part.

I am no longer amazed since watching boats on the Columbia river get in the way of Barges and Ships. They don't know the rules of the road but more to the point they don't seem to know the rules of self preservation. 
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Serenity on November 13, 2016, 09:21:12 AM
I am no longer amazed since watching boats on the Columbia river get in the way of Barges and Ships. They don't know the rules of the road but more to the point they don't seem to know the rules of self preservation.

When I was on the Green Bay a few years back, we were pulling out of port. Standard procedure, we had security boats around us to keep the civvies at bay. Well, they kept trying to see just how close they could get, cutting us off more than once. (For those unfamiliar, Green Bay is an LPD. Fairly large...) at least every three minutes we'd have to blast the horn to warn someone off, and a few times it took more than one warning. Once, we had a small boat screaming in on a collision course, they ignored 3 audible warnings, and while the escort boats tried to intercept him, the captain had the GMs man the .50s just in case he needed a warning shot too... thankfully at the last second the jack$%# gave way... but it amazed me how many people who are operating boats around an active Naval yard don't understand to stay the %&^# out of the way...
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: save on November 17, 2016, 03:47:46 AM
Warningshots should always be directed to the head, next shot in the air above, if you are an army guy.  :D

Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: EskimoJoe on November 17, 2016, 07:57:50 AM
Warningshots should always be directed to the head, next shot in the air above, if you are an army guy.  :D

Well, you're not wrong  :noid

If you shoot the warning shot and it hits them in the head, they'll never do what they were about to do again  :D
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: GScholz on November 17, 2016, 11:57:35 AM
Warning shots? :huh That's like deliberately missing.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Vraciu on December 06, 2016, 09:46:59 AM
"The Irish are always right."   (The green bulb is on the right wing.)

My ground instructor in 1988.   He was not Irish, but he did have over 200 combat missions in a Vietnam (Marine Corps F-4s), and though he may not have ALWAYS been right he was darned close. 

Still flying, too.   Amazing man.
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: hitech on December 06, 2016, 04:18:03 PM
Red Right Returning. Is what I always used.

But I always thought of if differently then the normal nautical usage. Keep the red light on your right if you are returning to port.

If a plane is returning (I.E. coming at me) the red light will be on my right.

HiTech
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Oldman731 on December 06, 2016, 06:31:19 PM
Red Right Returning. Is what I always used.


The Reds are Commies, so they'll be on the left.  Hey, whatever works for you!

- oldman
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Golfer on December 07, 2016, 07:59:54 AM
I always thought of a Chinese man saying Green Light.

"Green Riiiight!"

Might still do...
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Vraciu on December 07, 2016, 08:46:21 AM
I always thought of a Chinese man saying Green Light.

"Green Riiiight!"

Might still do...

Rhy you makey frun Chinee man?

Lol
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: diaster on January 13, 2017, 11:49:22 PM
Why are the sides are called port and starboard.
Port was the side of the ship that was tied of to the port. Became the left side as you face f'ward. Starboard ... slipped my mind but us also a nautical term rooted in antiquity? Interesting how aeronautics (itself a play on nautical) came from the ship industry! Probably because the first aircraft were airships.
Interesting note -  Captains log came from throwing a log overboard with a rope attached and knots tied a set distance. As your craft passed the log and rope you recorded how many knots you passed. Then you wrote that down... yep, in the log and you were the Captain ergo, captains logbook!
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: PR3D4TOR on January 14, 2017, 12:28:25 AM
Log as in keeping a record of something is from the Greek word logos, meaning account (among other things).
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Krusty on January 17, 2017, 11:42:51 PM
A simple memory device:

Is there any Redport left?
Title: Re: What colors are wingtip navigation lights?
Post by: Dawger on January 26, 2017, 05:01:44 AM
Log as in keeping a record of something is from the Greek word logos, meaning account (among other things).

The original device to measure speed in a boat was throwing a log off the bow and counting how much time it took to reach the stern or a similar method. This evolved to a log tied to a rope with knots tied a set distance apart.

That evolved to a small triangular board tied at each corner for better drag in the water and is called a chip log.

(http://img.bhs4.com/16/1/161d6037c1afca2acb9a9656daf4ec0644fb7916_large.jpg)

The knots were tied at intervals according to the unit of distance used and the length of time you measured. In modern units (Nautical Mile 6076 feet) a 20 second timer would mean knots 33 feet 8 inches apart.

Throw the log in the water, start the timer when the start mark passes through your hand and then count the knots that pass your hand until time expires.

Speed is reported to the captain in knots. The measurements were recorded and the record came to be called the logbook.

I made one for my small sailboat on Lake Michigan 25 years ago just for fun.

PS This is why nautical miles per hour is referred to as "knots"