Wing tip strobes

[Cam]

Today whilst driving home, I noticed a plane on approach. It was dark out and the wing tip strobes we on (obviously) and other running lights. It was an intermittent double flash (flash flash ----- flash flash, you get the picture).

Is that the standard for all aircraft, or do different manufactures have different flash combinations and timing? If so, is it possible to tell the type of AC just my the lights and strobes from a distance?

That's all for now.
Cam

[AJ]

Cam, the double flash is used by Airbus in particular and on some MD-11s etc on forward facing strobes. The rear strobe is a single flash unit. Therefore you can tell if the aircraft is coming or going!

[Cam]

Cam, the double flash is used by Airbus in particular and on some MD-11s etc on forward facing strobes. The rear strobe is a single flash unit. Therefore you can tell if the aircraft is coming or going!

You mean on the edge of the wing. There are two types of strobes? Forward facing and rear facing?

[AJ]

On the A320, 330 and 340 family there is a strobe on each wingtip facing forward and one just below the APU exhaust rear facing. The wingtip units double flash, the rear unit single flashes.

[Cam]

On the A320, 330 and 340 family there is a strobe on each wingtip facing forward and one just below the APU exhaust rear facing. The wingtip units double flash, the rear unit single flashes.

Bingo! Thanks AJ.

[RobinB]

And aircraft designers "borrowed" this logic from the shipping world - using light (strobe) combinations to ascertain in which direction a vessel is steaming when the "lights go out". Shipping lighting systems also allow an observer to guage size of vessel and method of propulsion (power vs sail) over and above direction of steaming.

[Will M]

Also adding to the confusion of it all , I've seen about 3 different types of flashing strobes on an A320 , there was the flash flash kind ;) then the flash....flash....flash... boeing type then I've also seen them alternating , seeing as there are not one but 2 strobes in each wing , was I seeing things ??

[Foxtrot]

On the 330's/340's, I've seen both, the single flash and double flash used. Just recently, I saw double flash being used on a NW DC 10-30 taking off from BOM.

Foxtrot

[uy707]

The flashing strobes have been around for pretty long, although they were somewhat an exclusivity on DC.10-30s. When in Nice, on Friday nights, we used to wait for the UTA DC10 arriving from CDG and flying ownward to BZV and JNB, just to see the flashes ...
Alain

[JJR]

Dont forget the Fed-EX 727's!!! Alot of those have 2 strobe fires also.....The first time I saw one on approach, I thought "Damn that 'bus has got alot of lights!"
-Jay

[twr75]

The double flash on the Airbus is achieved using 2 separate bulbs (as Will mentioned), so if one bulb or controller fails you have just a single flash.

[meneses24]

Some rumours stated that the American/Occidental A300's has just one intermitend strobe lights

flash -----flash

And the European versions have two as all/almost all the Airbus have the two strobes