So today me and my fiance got into this incredibly ridiculous argument over whether or not airplanes have headlights. He says that they have forward facing lights to make sure they don't fly into other airplanes or mountains. I say thats silly; they have high tech equipment to tell them how high up they are and they know when mountains are coming.. He laughs and say that "do you think they have sonar that pings and tells them when something is coming?? They have headlights!" I think he is confusing white landing lights with "headlights" and that there isn't a forward facing light to help guide pilots.
So who's right?.. I tried looking online but I think I just found sights with people also confusing landing lights with headlights.
2007-08-17 21:10:35 · 18 answers · asked by .jess 3 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Aircraft
Most of the answers concerning lights are correct. Once airborne, their sole purpose is to make it easier for other airplanes to see you.
There seems to be some confusion as to the method for avoiding terra firma, though. The more sophisticated aircraft have GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) to alert them of unsafe proximity to the ground. The more advanced versions have computer maps of the world and track the airplane's position via GPS and will show the pilot if he's about to fly into a mountain.
Minimum enroute altitudes posted on charts are useful but there comes a time when you have to maneuver for a landing and this is when there's a real danger of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Hills, TV antennas, etc are out there and you can hit them. With proper vigilance they are avoidable but the key word there is VIGILANCE.
Controllers can help but they're not perfect. I lost two friends a few years ago because the controller got them confused with another airplane and told them to descend to 8,000 feet - there was an 8,400 foot mountain in their path.
2007-08-18 03:28:59 · answer #1 · answered by Jim 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
You're both kind of right. The plane does have like headlights but they're called landing lights and they're used to see the runway better. But for avoiding collisions, they rely on air traffic controller's, radar, and a TCAS system on their plane. (Traffic Collison Avoidance System). TCAS warns the pilots when a plane is getting to close. All planes also have navigation lights on they're wings, I think a green one on the right and red on the left, so traffic can see them coming and at what direction. I'm pretty sure planes don't use sonar, just submarines and ships. Sonar makes a ping and the sound is reflected off an object and read by the sonar, I guess that only works in water.
2007-08-19 07:19:52 · answer #2 · answered by Dan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do Airplanes Have Headlights
2017-01-20 23:42:06 · answer #3 · answered by mccrory 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
h, we're getting so close. Dino Martin (son of Dean Martin) didn't need lights when the tower, while getting distracted by an MD 80 antsy to take off, guided him into a mountain near Ontario Calif. There are taxiing lights on the wings and in the nose. There are lights in the nose gear, used for taxiing and to go on when the gear is dropped in flight. The tower uses these lights to tell them the gear is down and to give them an estimate of the plane's location on final approach in some airports. The runway is lit by itself. Aircraft lights do not have a major impact in illuminating a runway upon landing. Anti-collisions are on any time the engine is running. After reading all these odds are you two would be ready for divorce court.
2007-08-18 22:17:27 · answer #4 · answered by four trains 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Every airplane regardless of size has forward facing lights, if they are certified to operate at night. The planes I fly have a combination taxi, landing light. They are only useful on the ground, or in low light situations to be seen by another aircraft.
Unless there is fog or dust in the air you cannot tell if you have them on when flying, because in order to see light, there must be something to reflect off of.
As far as running into a mountain in the dark, commercial airliners fly over them, the little puddle jumpers consult their charts and don't fly below the published altitudes on the chart.
2007-08-18 02:17:38 · answer #5 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
There are, as such, no headlights on an aircraft. The following will give you an idea of the lights used on aircraft.
Aircraft have landing lights which are switched on while approaching to land. These are powerful lights and illuminate the path of the aircraft upto the landing stage. These lights are not capable of, and can never be used to avoid other aircraft or obstacles in the path of an airliner.
They also have taxi lights and passing lights which are used while taxying and to warn nearby aircraft respectively.
I feel you are 100% correct.
2007-08-18 02:35:25 · answer #6 · answered by al_sheda 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sorry if i may sound offensive, but tell your fiance we are not in the early years of aviation when planes flew at 60mph, commercial jets fly at almost the speed of sound(only commercial jets and bizjets have strong landing lights, if that's what is of great interest for him) , and that if he flies in an airplane at that speed and spots a mountain or another plane ahead of him with the landing lights(which light about 50-60 in front of the plane), he's toast already. Aircraft do not have headlights, he may confuse them with the landing lights, and aircraft DO have radars to detect things around them and ping their location. So overall, you won the argument! :D
2007-08-18 00:09:35 · answer #7 · answered by B-52 Danny 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When airplanes are in flight 30'000 ft they dont have "headlights" the only lights they use is during takeoff & landing & those lights are called landing lights. They have radar & air traffic control to help them avoid other planes mountains etc.
2007-08-17 21:21:01 · answer #8 · answered by otr_daddy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're both right ,well kind of.
Airplanes have landing lights so they can see the runway at night to taxi,takeoff and land. There are also running lights so they can be seen by other planes.More sofisticated aircraft do have radar and transponders that aid in navigation.
Why argue? just google aircraft/lights and see what it says?
Your arguing is not a problem, its a symptom of a deeper underlying situation going on in your relationship.
life is short....go kiss and have make-up sex!
2007-08-17 21:24:07 · answer #9 · answered by Mark K 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They don't have headlights, as you say.
They do have 'landing lights`, which shine forward like headlights.
They only use them when close to the ground.
They would be useless in the air, and fold into the airframe on planes with retractable landing gear.
2007-08-17 21:19:26 · answer #10 · answered by Irv S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋