Can you spot the airport?

Sep 15, 2026

Night cross country means sorting out ground lights from airport beacons. It can be even more challenging when there are plenty of city lights to distract you. Can you spot the airport?

AThe lights at marker A

Nope, that's the south-west corner of Middletown, NY.

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BThe lights at marker B

Nope, that's the north-east corner of Middletown, NY.

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CThe lights at marker C

Good eyes -- you spotted it.

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DThe lights at marker D

Nope, that's Maybrook, NY.

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Pick an answer. You can try as many as you like.

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The explanation

C. The lights at marker C

What you're looking at

The markers point at four clusters of lights. A and B are the south-west and north-east corners of Middletown, NY. D is Maybrook, NY. C is Montgomery Airport (KMGJ).

How to pick out an airport at night

Towns spread out as a mass of lights. An airport stands out by what it doesn't have: a dark area around the runway, outlined by runway and taxiway lights in straight lines. The rotating beacon helps too. A civil airport beacon alternates white and green flashes.

Use the tools you have

Before a night cross country, study the airport's position against towns, highways and other landmarks on the sectional. In the air, your GPS or moving map can confirm what your eyes think they see. Spotting a town first and then looking for the dark gap beside it is often faster than hunting for the beacon.