What is the purpose of the UH-60 anti-collision lighting and when must it be active?

• A. To illuminate cockpit interiors for crew during nighttime.
• B. To provide redundancy for navigation lights.
• C. To improve visibility to other aircraft during flight and ground operations; must be active during operations as required by regs or manual.
• D. To reduce radar cross-section.

Answer: (C)

Anti-collision lighting is there to make the helicopter highly visible to other aircraft, boosting conspicuity during both flight and ground operations so collisions are less likely in busy skies or on the ramp. It should be on whenever the aircraft is operating, per regulations or the manual, to ensure other pilots can see you during takeoff, flight, and taxiing. The other options miss the primary purpose: cockpit lighting is for the crew’s use, not external visibility; navigation lights are for indicating position and attitude to comply with rules, not specifically to alert other aircraft of presence; and radar cross-section reduction isn’t what these lights do.