Definition
Military airports that are identified at night by a distinctive rotating beacon flashing two quick white flashes between each green flash, distinguishing them from civilian lighted airports which show a single white flash alternating with a green flash.
Plain English
A military airfield can be picked out at night by its rotating beacon, which flashes white-white-green instead of the white-green pattern used at civilian airports.
Context Anchor
You encounter this when learning airport lighting and when identifying airports at night from the air.
Why Pilots Care
Civilian pilots may need to identify or land at these fields during cross-country flights or emergencies and must recognize their lighting patterns to avoid confusion with civilian airports.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this just means “a military airport that has lights.” In this FAA lighting context, it refers to the specific night beacon pattern used to identify a lighted military airport.
Example Sentence 1
On the night cross-country, the instructor pointed out a beacon flashing two whites and a green and explained it was a lighted military airport, not their intended civilian destination.
Example Sentence 2
The preflight briefing noted that the lighted military airport would be available for an emergency diversion if weather deteriorated.