Jack, It is actually quite common, but more common at night when flashing the lights will be more obvious. Certainly over Europe, I don’t know about US pilots. They’re often too busy asking for ride reports every thirty seconds or, if it’s nighttime across the Atlantic, asking for football scores. (I’m harking back to the days when it was still all HF controlled and not CPDLC).
So that article is, for once, bang on the money. You wouldn’t do it in an A320 type for the reasons explained, ie they do have to be dangled into the airstream first. There is no speed limit on them but there is a bit of a rumble at the higher cruising speeds, as stated. The A330 has the lights embedded in the wing roots, similar to the 737 description in the article, so you would often flash them but only when the aircraft are on head to head tracks on the same airway, separated by 1,000ft. Transatlantic they’re all going in the same direction so the situation doesn’t arise. Don’t ask me why it’s done. It just is. Rather like truck or bus drivers often giving each other a bit of a wave when passing, particularly if they’re from the same company. What is particularly rare about this is the article itself, in that it is another piece claiming to know “what pilots do” and yet it is remarkably accurate. Apart from the line stating “Planes travel at an average speed of 160 to 180 miles per hour…” of course. That’s just a poor cut and paste job from one of the linked reference articles (which I was sad enough to look up so you don’t have to. You’re welcome). Simon From: Jack Keady via Mifnet <[email protected]> Sent: 13 October 2025 19:30 To: David Wardell via Mifnet <[email protected]> Cc: Jack Keady <[email protected]> Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 74484] aloft interplane hellos keady how widespread is this? I suggest negligible THE FUNNY WAY SOME PILOTS SAY HELLO TO OTHER PLANES IN THE AIR BY OLIVIA RICHMAN OCT. 10, 2025 5:15 AM EST Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock Being a pilot seems like serious business, what with controlling a massive machine full of passengers and all. But that doesn't mean pilots can't have a little fun. Apparently, pilots will often say "hello" to other pilots they pass while flying by blinking landing lights at one another. A recently viral video shows a plane flashing its landing lights as it speeds past another plane. This led one curious Redditor to ask if the pilots were greeting one another or if it was more of a safety thing. A Reddit user claiming to be a commercial pilot said it's rare, but pilots will use landing lights on specific plane models to greet one another. This was also confirmed by pilots on other Reddit threads with the same question. A Redditor who claimed to be a commercial pilot explained that some plane models are more likely to use this greeting, like the Boeing 737, which has landing lights on the wing roots and are easy to flick on like a car's headlights. Meanwhile, an Airbus A320 is a bit different, since the lights have to be deployed from under the wing. However, any plane that turns on its landing lights will experience slight drag and a small rumble, he stated, so pilots are not always eager to use this greeting in all situations. Do pilots flash plane lights as a warning to other planes? Maks__Mikh/Shutterstock The video of one plane flashing its lights at another led to a pretty lengthy discussion on Reddit, with many people debating what the meaning behind the lights could mean. While the aforementioned pilot on Reddit claimed it was just a fun and rare greeting, some still wondered if it was a safety precaution. The pilot explained that the two planes are separated by around 1,000 feet, with the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System already monitoring each plane. Flashing lights in this instance likely wouldn't save anybody from a head-on collision given the speeds. Planes travel at an average speed of 160 to 180 miles per hour, so flashing lights that close to another plane would probably not be too effective. Another Redditor joked that the flashing lights could be a speed camera warning, similar to how cars flash their high beams to warn one another of an upcoming camera — or even a cop. FYI, this is not technically illegal but could get you into trouble in some states. While there are no speed cameras in the sky, of course, other Redditors brought up that there are speed enforcements for planes in certain areas. Commercial planes are required to slow down within specific range of an airport but that doesn't seem to be the reason pilots flash landing lights at one another. Read More: https://www.slashgear.com/1988541/why-pilots-flash-plane-headlights-say-hello-in-air/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revised: 20250507 You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't exactly cost-free. If you'd care to make a small contribution to the effort, please know that it would be greatly appreciated: https://wardell.us/url/mifbit All posts sent to the list should abide by these policies: 1) List members acknowledge that participation in Mifnet is a privilege--not a right. 2) Posts are always off the record, absent specific permission from the author. 3) The tone of discussions is collegial. 4) Posts are expected to be in reasonably good taste. 5) We discuss ideas and not personalities, and we don't speak ill of other Mifnet members. * The Mifnet WEB SITE is: https://www.mifnet.com/ * To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list at any time please visit: https://lists.mifnet.com/ OR: SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: [email protected]?subject=leave * Send Mifnet mailing list POSTS/SUBMISSIONS to: [email protected] * You may reach the person managing The Mifnet at: [email protected] * Please consider the DIGEST version of The Mifnet, which consolidates all list traffic into 1-3 messages daily. See instructions at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * Manage your personal Mifnet SUBSCRIPTION at: https://lists.mifnet.com/ * For a list of all available Mifnet commands, SEND THIS MESSAGE via email: [email protected]?subject=help * View The Mifnet LIST POLICIES and PRIVACY POLICY at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/policies * View instructions for Mifnet DELIVERY PROBLEMS at: https://mifnet.com/index.php/delivery-problems * View The Mifnet LIST ARCHIVE at: https://lists.mifnet.com/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/
