Definition
A high-intensity flashing white light mounted on the tail of an aircraft, used to increase the aircraft's visibility to other pilots, especially in low-light or busy traffic conditions.
Plain English
A bright flashing light on the tail of the aircraft that helps other pilots see it.
Context Anchor
You encounter this during a before-flight walk-around, night flying, and training scenarios involving aircraft equipment problems.
Derivation
Tail comes from an old word for the rear part of an animal, and in aircraft use it means the rear section of the airplane. Strobe comes from stroboscope, a device that uses quick flashes of light; that helps explain why a strobe light flashes instead of shining steadily.
Why Pilots Care
Makes the aircraft easier for others to spot, lowering the chance of a mid-air collision.
Intuition Check
A tail strobe light is not the same as a steady rear position light. The key idea is that it flashes brightly to attract attention and help prevent collisions.
Example Sentence 1
Before taxiing onto the runway, the pilot turned on the tail strobe light to make the aircraft more visible to traffic on final approach.
Example Sentence 2
Once the engine was running, the pilot switched on the tail strobe light as part of the exterior lighting checklist.