In article ,
Cub Driver usenet AT danford DOT net wrote:

I've always called the lights on wingtip and tail "navigation lights,"
but of course they aren't for navigation; they're to mark the aircraft
to avoid collision, or so that one plane can fly in formation with
another.

What's the name that suggests this purpose? Recognition lights?

FAR 23 calls them "position lights":

http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text...025e1d8e5bc153
687c2f3c01bb8&rgn=div8&view=text&node=14:1.0.1.3.1 0.6.102.26&idno=14

The use of red and green lights come from maritime law. IRPCS
(International Rules for the Preventions of Collisions at Sea) and COLREGS
(the US version, which is virtually identical), both refer to the red and
greens as "sidelights".