Cruising along through the middle of the night and an opposite direction aircraft 'flashes' his landing lights at you. Do you:
a) Flash back; or
b) Shake your head, mutter the word 'tool' under your breath and go back to reading the paper.
For those who answer 'a'.. My question.. WHY?
I am without exception someone who answers 'b'. Those who i've flown with who 'flash back' or are in fact 'intial flashers' could not give me any reason let alone a good reason as to why they flash, understating my use of the word 'tool'.
It seems to happen more in Asia than in Europe and Australia, with Africa somwhere in between. I can't recall ever seeing it in the US but I think most of my US flying has been through the day.. So, is it cultural? I mean it can't be an awareness thing, i've seen you coming on TCAS for the last 5 minutes. And if the flashers are 'saying hello', then why don't you 'say hello' during the day?
