![]() ![]() The last 900 feet of the runway will be punctuated with red lights. Luckily, airport authorities give us a few clues. End Lightsĭuring your flight training, there will be times that you might land a little longer than you intended to. Any sooner or lower (especially in a big aircraft), you run the risk of catching the landing gear on a fence. They are where you are supposed to put your wheels. While you might think it makes sense to land as early as possible on the runway, these markings will be important once you embark on your career. Have you ever noticed a separate section of horizontal markings that are beyond the start of the runway? These are the touchdown zone markings or “TDZ” for short. Runway widths vary by location, and as you will be flying to different airports as part of your flight training, it is important that you carefully note how runway width can influence your landing. Likewise, a narrow runway can make you think you are higher when in fact, you are very close to the ground. If you are used to flying in a single field, then a wide runway can give you the impression that you are a lot lower than you really are. Wide runways (and narrow runways) create an interesting optical illusion. Why is this important? All runways are wide enough for training aircraft. The number of stripes should tell you how wide the runway is. Threshold stripes or ‘piano keys,’ as pilots call them, can offer vital information. So, as you get closer to the runway, you may feel that you are too low or too high, but the PAPI system can help guide you.Īs part of your FAA-mandated license requirements, you will have to fly to a commercial field with air traffic control where you will likely encounter PAPI’s. It is worth remembering that these are used primarily by the big jets with a significant distance between the wheels and the cockpit. If you see more red lights, that typically means you are too low, whereas if you see more white lights, that typically means you are too high. If you can see two red and two white lights, you are precisely where you should be positioned. The lights indicate where you are in relation to a 3° glideslope. While during your training, you will be flying visually. Depending on the angle of approach, the pilot will see different colored lights to ensure that they are approaching correctly. PAPI lights consist of 4 calibrated lights that provide pilots with a visual indicator of their aircraft’s position relative to where their flight path should be. PAPI stands for ‘ precision approach path indicator’ lights. By nominating either a gap or a stripe (the combination of which add up to 200 feet), you can use them to hone your skills to put the wheels down where you want them. The centerline stripes are 120 feet long, and there is a gap between them of 80 feet.įor a short field landing, particularly on your flight test, you need to land within 200 feet of a designated point. But in the future you might be flying a larger aircraft as a professional pilot, so your aircraft might not have quite as much space on either side. While in light training aircraft, you might have plenty of room within the runway. The centerline stripes indicate the exact center of the runway, and are something you should become closely acquainted with every time you make a landing. Either ‘L’ or ‘R.’ This is used for runways that point in the same direction and are parallel to each other. A runway designated 05 points to 050° degrees. So runway 27, in fact, points in the direction of 270° on your compass. Adding a zero to the two numbers on the runway will give you the magnetic direction that the runway points to, rounded up to the nearest ten degrees. It is all to do with direction, much like a compass. The NumbersĮvery officially approved runway in the world will be given a two-number code. Today, we will work our way through and provide you with a quick guide to runway markings, and airfield landing markers explained in easy-to-understand terms. Every single mark on the runway has a meaning. You might be surprised to learn that not all runways are created equal. Certificates and Ratings Earned in Degree ProgramsĪs part of your flight training, you will learn about runway markings and airfield landing markers.Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.Bachelor of Science Aviation Business Administration.School of Aeronautics: Rotorcraft-Helicopter. ![]()
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