why do airplanes have black and red lights?
It is for collision avoidance. Normally it is called the beacon, rotating beacon, or collision avoidance lighting. It flashes or rotates so it is easier to spot by other pilots. It is really only red. They turn it off for the black colour.
I had never seen a black light on a aircraft before. They are red and green because they look pretty.
Green and red, young lady - Many things in aviation come from ships at sea - Have you noticed that the LH light on the side of a ship is RED - And the one on the RH side of the ship, is GREEN - By the way, the light in the tail is white... Airplanes, is the same thing (near the tip of the wings)... Which is which (?) - well, the communists (LEFTists) are RED in China -
BLACK and red lights?? Do you mean GREEN and red lights? If you mean green and red lights, then it's so other pilots can determine the direction your plane is flying at night. There's a red light on the left wing and a green light on the right wing. If a pilot sees another plane with a red light, it means the plane is crossing from right to left and that plane has the right of way. If a pilot sees another plane with a green light, it means the plane is crossing from left to right and that plane must yield the right of way. If a pilot sees another plane with red on the right and green on the left, then that indicates the two planes are flying toward each other and that they should maneuver to avoid each other.
