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"Jay Honeck" wrote in message

I have always found it difficult-to-impossible to determine an aircraft's
direction of flight by viewing those itty-bitty green and red lights.

That's a bit disconcerting, Jay. Maybe a night/color vision check is in
order; and perhaps a sit-down with someone who knows how to look at things
at night, and review with you the patterns and what they might mean.

You ought to be able to see small aircraft nav lights at about five or six
miles, I would guess.

Are you guessing then?
I agree with Jay - there are some situations where the position lights are
clear and easy to read, but many other situations where it is not at all clear
from these light which way a plane is going. This applies to airliners as
well, whose position lights often seem scarcely larger or brighter than those
of light aircraft. Few airliners have a really clear, white light in the back
to indicate they are moving away from you - exception made for the ATR's,
which have a gigantic "lantern" in the tailcone!

BTW - responding to the original question - It is correct to call them
"position lights" however we get used to calling them Nav lights because
that's what is marked on the little switch that turns them on in so many small
planes.

GF