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Hedfuct82 t1_jdvct63 wrote

Reply to comment by Matchanu in TIL that the red lights on top of tall buildings in cities are called “aviation obstruction lighting,” and are used to help pilots of low-flying aircraft avoid collisions with otherwise hard-to-see structures. by bearjew64

Yeah, I don't recall ever not knowing they were for planes. Some kids are just more curious than others and I must have asked what they were for. Or I knew the long standalone red beacons were for planes, and just figured the ones on top of building were for the same purpose.

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Shoopdawoop993 t1_jdvxqk1 wrote

Im psure i saw a red blinking light in the sky as a small child and asked my dad.

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LillyPip t1_je0xobq wrote

I asked my dad as a child what the lights on towers were for, too. He said ‘so planes don’t hit the towers’. Then I asked what the towers were for, and he said ‘to hold up the lights’. That messed with my head for years.

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