Discussion Poll. Preferred lighting standard for part 107 aircraft

[Hexacrafter]

So I have started a poll to define the current opinions on what standard is preferred for aircraft lighting and orientation color markings.
Now that part 107 is issuing COA for night flights, I wish to see how the community feels about the preferred standards for aircraft lighting.
Choice 1: The good old FAA standard of Red on left wing, Green on right wing and White to the Rear. Obviously we will use right side and left side in lieu of wings.
Choice 2: The new DJI standard of Red in front and Green to the rear.
As on old timer I prefer the FAA standard, but want to see what the community is thinking.
Please cast you opinion on the poll.

 

[MadMonkey]

I kinda prefer the DJI method. It took me years to figure out port and starboard, it'll be even longer to get red left green right straight in my head.

 

[GladstoneS900]

I voted for the FAA standard - FWIW I think it's much better to integrate with an existing standard used around the world than create a new one that causes confusion for all other pilots within the NAS...

 

[MadMonkey]

I voted for the FAA standard - FWIW I think it's much better to integrate with an existing standard used around the world than create a new one that causes confusion for all other pilots within the NAS...

For fixed wing it makes sense, but multirotors are going to be flying in every direction (although primarily forward) and tend to be smaller. I think orientation will be a lot more important for the operator than for other traffic in that case.

But we'll probably end up with the FAA standard regardless. It would most likely be too much hassle to have an entirely new setup for SUAS, but something unique and high visibility would probably be helpful.

 

[maxx4wd]

As I'm red-green color blind I vote for neither...but I'll deal with either. Best orientation method for night flying is still an onboard cam using ground references....LEDs are not the greatest reference tools when LOS is greater than a couple hundred feet....(depending on your quad size and brightness of LEDs).

 

[Old Man]

I kinda prefer the DJI method. It took me years to figure out port and starboard, it'll be even longer to get red left green right straight in my head.

Too easy. The number of letters in the color word sort of aligns with the number of letters in left and right, port and starboard. Red, left, and port are the shortest words. Same side.

 

[Old Man]

For fixed wing it makes sense, but multirotors are going to be flying in every direction (although primarily forward) and tend to be smaller. I think orientation will be a lot more important for the operator than for other traffic in that case.

But we'll probably end up with the FAA standard regardless. It would most likely be too much hassle to have an entirely new setup for SUAS, but something unique and high visibility would probably be helpful.

For MR's, an anti collision light has more useful functionality than position lights, although once you've put some time in night flying you find the position lights to be critical to orientation. I love night flying and won't fly in darkness without FAA/maritime type position lights. Where an anti collision light is placed is of high import though.

 

[MadMonkey]

Yeah, I won't go into detail but I had to spend an hour and a half in a prop trailer doing LED soldering and mounting due to an unexpected need for a shoot during a certain time of day. Without the lights for orientation it would have been pretty much impossible (though I didn't use red and green , just red and white on front and back).

I do quite a bit of fixed-wing night flying but not so much with multirotors at the moment. With hobbyist stuff we tend to go with what looks cool or interesting instead of following any sort of guidelines... I think I might have some leftover high-intensity position lights I ended up with from a previous program so I might put them on my next night flyer to get used to it.

 

[Old Man]

It will take all of about 3 minutes to get used to standard position lighting Nice thing about it is once you've seen one you've seen them all and establishing orientations of other aircraft relative to your own is ultra simple when lighting is standardized.