NC-3, 08 MAR 2012 to 05 APR 2012
NC-3, 08 MAR 2012 to 05 APR 2012
Not to be used for navigation
35
B
31-13 35-17
A
B
Runway 13
Runway 31
Figure 14-11. (A) Taxiway Bravo location sign collocated with runway/runway intersection holding signs at Sioux Gateway Airport
(SUX) (B) Airport diagram of Sioux Gateway Airport (SUX), Sioux City, Iowa. The area outlined in red is a designated “hot spot” (HS1).
Figure 14-12. Surface painted runway holding position signs for
Runway 32R-14L along with the enhanced taxiway centerline marking.
Figure 14-13. Surface painted holding position marking along with
enhanced taxiway centerline.
Figure 14-14. Runway holding position markings as seen when
exiting the runway. When exiting the runway, no ATC clearance
is required to cross.
Figure 14-15. Runway distance remaining sign indicating that there
is 2,000 feet of runway remaining.
Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO)
When simultaneous operations (takeoffs and landings) are
being conducted on intersecting runways, Land and Hold
Short Operations (LAHSO) may also be in effect. LAHSO
is an ATC procedure that may require your participation and
compliance. As pilot in command (PIC), you have the final
authority to accept or decline any LAHSO clearance.
If issued a land and hold short clearance, you must be aware
of the reduced runway distances and whether or not you can
comply before accepting the clearance. You do not have
to accept a LAHSO clearance. Pilots should only receive a
LAHSO clearance when there is a minimum ceiling of 1,000
feet and 3 statute miles of visibility.
Runway holding position signs and markings are installed
on those runways used for LAHSO. The signs and markings
are placed at the LAHSO point to aid you in determining
where to stop and hold the aircraft and are located prior to
the runway/runway intersection. [Figure 14-17]
The holding position sign has a white inscription with black
border around the numbers on a red background and is installed
adjacent to the holding position markings. If you accept a land
and hold short clearance, you must comply so that no portion
of the aircraft extends beyond these hold markings.
If receiving “cleared to land” instructions from ATC, you
are authorized to use the entire landing length of the runway
and should disregard any LAHSO holding position markings
located on the runway. If you receive and accept LAHSO
instructions, you must stop short of the intersecting runway
prior to the LAHSO signs and markings.
Below is a list of items which, if thoroughly understood
and complied with, will ensure that LAHSO operations are
conducted properly.
• Know landing distance available.
• Be advised by ATC as to why LAHSO are being
conducted.
35
L
35
C
Figure 14-16. Two of three parallel runways.
Figure 14-17. Runway holding position sign and marking for LAHSO.
• Advise ATC if you cannot comply with LAHSO.
• Know what signs and markings are at the LAHSO point.
• LAHSO are not authorized for student pilots who are
performing a solo flight.
• At many airports air carrier aircraft are not authorized
to participate in LAHSO if the other aircraft is a
general aviation aircraft.
• Generally, LAHSO are not authorized at night.
• LAHSO are not authorized on wet runways.
If you accept the following clearance from ATC: “Cleared to
land Runway 36 hold short of Runway 23,” you must either exit
Runway 36 or stop at the holding position prior to Runway 23.
Taxiway Markings and Signs
Taxiway direction signs have a yellow background and
black characters, which identifies the designation or
intersecting taxiways. Arrows indicate the direction of turn
that would place the aircraft on the designated taxiway.
[Figure 14-18] Direction signs are normally located on
the left side of the taxiway and prior to the intersection.
These signs and markings (with a yellow background and
black characters) indicate the direction toward a different
taxiway, leading off a runway, or out of an intersection.
Figure 14-18 shows Taxiway Delta and how Taxiway Bravo
intersects ahead at 90° both left and right.
Taxiway direction signs can also be displayed as surface
painted markings. Figure 14-19 shows Taxiway Bravo as
proceeding straight ahead while Taxiway Alpha turns to the
right at approximately 45°.
Figure 14-18. Taxiway Bravo direction sign with a collocated
Taxiway Delta location sign. When the arrow on the direction
sign indicates a turn, the sign is located prior to the intersection.
Figure 14-19. Surface painted taxiway direction signs.
Figure 14-20A and B shows an example of a direction sign at
a complex taxiway intersection. Figure 14-20A and B shows
Taxiway Bravo intersects with Taxiway Sierra at 90°, but at
45° with Taxiway Foxtrot. This type of array can be displayed
with or without the taxiway location sign, which in this case
would be Taxiway Bravo.
Enhanced Taxiway Centerline Markings
At most towered airports, the enhanced taxiway centerline
marking is used to warn you of an upcoming runway. It consists
of yellow dashed lines on either side of the normal solid taxiway
centerline and the dashes extend up to 150 feet prior to a
runway holding position marking. [Figure 14-21A and B] They
are used to aid you in maintaining awareness during surface
movement to reduce runway incursions.
Destination Signs
Destination signs have black characters on a yellow
background indicating a destination at the airport. These
signs always have an arrow showing the direction of the taxi
route to that destination. [Figure 14-22] When the arrow on
the destination sign indicates a turn, the sign is located prior
to the intersection. Destinations commonly shown on these
types of signs include runways, aprons, terminals, military
areas, civil aviation areas, cargo areas, international areas,
and fixed-base operators. When the inscription for two or
more destinations having a common taxi route are placed
on a sign, the destinations are separated by a “dot” (•) and
one arrow would be used as shown in Figure 14-22. When
the inscription on a sign contains two or more destinations
having different taxi routes, each destination is accompanied
by an arrow and separated from the other destination(s) on
the sign with a vertical black message divider as shown in
Figure 14-23. The example shown in Figure 14-23 shows
two signs. The sign in the foreground explains that Runway
20 threshold is to the left, and Runways 32, 2, and 14 are to
the right. The sign in the background indicates that you are
located on Taxiway Bravo and Taxiway November will take
you to those runways.
Holding Position Signs and Markings for an
Instrument Landing System (ILS) Critical Area
The instrument landing system (ILS) broadcasts signals to
arriving instrument aircraft to guide them to the runway. Each
of these ILSs have critical areas that must be kept clear of all
obstacles in order to ensure quality of the broadcast signal. At
many airports, taxiways extend into the ILS critical area. Most
of the time, this is of no concern; however, during times of
poor weather, an aircraft on approach may depend on a good
signal quality. When necessary, ATC will protect the ILS
critical area for arrival instrument traffic by instructing taxiing
aircraft to “hold short” of Runway (XX) ILS critical area.
The ILS critical area hold sign has white characters, outlined
in black, on a red background and is installed adjacent to the
ILS holding position markings. [Figure 14-24] The holding
position markings for the ILS critical area appear on the
pavement as a horizontal yellow ladder extending across the
width of the taxiway.
When instructed to “hold short of Runway (XX) ILS critical
area,” you must ensure no portion of the aircraft extends
beyond these markings. [Figure 14-25] If ATC does not
instruct you to hold at this point, then you may bypass the ILS
critical area hold position markings and continue with your
taxi. Figure 14-24 shows that the ILS hold sign is located
on Taxiway Golf and the ILS ladder hold position marking
is adjacent to the hold sign.
F
S S
B
FS SBF F
A
B
Figure 14-20. Orientation of signs is from left to right in a clockwise manner. Left turn signs are on the left and right turn on the right.
In this view, the pilot is on Taxiway Bravo.
Enhanced taxiway centerline marking extends 150 feet prior
to a runway holding position marking. Prepare to STOP.
Prepare to STOP unless you have been cleared onto
or across the runway by ATC.
A
B
Figure 14-21. (A) Enhanced taxiway centerline marking. (B) Enhanced taxiway centerline marking and runway holding position marking.
Enhanced taxiway centerline marking extends 150 feet prior
to a runway holding position marking. Prepare to STOP.
Prepare to STOP unless you have been cleared onto
or across the runway by ATC.
A
B
Figure 14-24. Instrument landing system (ILS) holding position sign
and marking on Taxiway Golf.
ILS Critical Area boundary
ILS
Hold only
when
specifically
instructed by ATC
19
The yellow surface
painted “ladder”
marking and red ILS
sign are located
on taxiways where
the taxiways intersect
the ILS critical area.
Figure 14-25. Holding position sign and marking for instrument
landing system (ILS) critical area boundary.
Figure 14-22. Destination sign to the fixed-base operator (FBO).
Figure 14-23. Runway destination sign with different taxi routes.
Holding Position Markings for Taxiway/Taxiway
Intersections
Holding position markings for taxiway/taxiway intersections
consist of a single dashed yellow line extending across the
width of the taxiway. [Figure 14-26] They are painted on
taxiways where ATC normally holds aircraft short of a
taxiway intersection. When instructed by ATC “hold short
of Taxiway X,” you should stop so that no part of your
aircraft extends beyond the holding position marking. When
the marking is not present, you should stop your aircraft at
a point that provides adequate clearance from an aircraft on
the intersecting taxiway.
Marking and Lighting of Permanently Closed
Runways and Taxiways
For runways and taxiways that are permanently closed, the
lighting circuits are disconnected. The runway threshold,
runway designation, and touchdown markings are obliterated
and yellow “Xs” are placed at each end of the runway and
at 1,000-foot intervals.
A
C
B
Figure 14-27. (A) Yellow “X” placed on surface of temporarily closed
runways. (B) Lighted “X” placed on temporarily closed runways.
(C) Lighted “X” at night showing a temporarily closed runway.
G B
G
G
B
B G
BG
Figure 14-26. Holding position marking on a taxiway.
• Location signs—black with yellow inscription and a
yellow border, no arrows. They are used to identify a
taxiway or runway location, to identify the boundary
of the runway, or identify an instrument landing
system (ILS) critical area.
Temporarily Closed Runways and Taxiways
For temporarily closed runways and taxiways, a visual
indication is often provided with yellow “Xs” or raised
lighted yellow “Xs” placed at each end of the runway.
Depending on the reason for the closure, duration of closure,
airfield configuration, and the existence and the hours of
operation of an ATC tower, a visual indication may not be
present. As discussed previously in the chapter, you must
always check NOTAMs and ATIS for runway and taxiway
closure information.
Figure 14-27A shows an example of a yellow “X” laid flat
with an adequate number of heavy sand bags to keep the
wind from getting under and displacing the vinyl material.
A very effective and preferable visual aid to depict temporary
closure is the lighted “X” placed on or near the runway
designation numbers. [Figure 14-27B and C] This device is
much more discernible to approaching aircraft than the other
materials described above.
Other Markings
Some other markings found on the airport include vehicle
roadway markings, VOR receiver checkpoint markings, and
non-movement area boundary markings.
Airport Signs
There are six types of signs that may be found at airports. The
more complex the layout of an airport, the more important
the signs become to pilots. Appendix C of this publication
shows examples of some signs that are found at most airports,
their purpose, and appropriate pilot action. The six types of
signs are:
• Mandatory instruction signs—red background with
white inscription. These signs denote an entrance to a
runway, critical area, or prohibited area.
White White Yellow Green
Figure 14-28. Airport rotating beacons.
• Direction signs—yellow background with black
inscription. The inscription identifies the designation
of the intersecting taxiway(s) leading out of an
intersection.
• Destination signs—yellow background with black
inscription and arrows. These signs provide information
on locating areas, such as runways, terminals, cargo
areas, and civil aviation areas.
• Information signs—yellow background with black
inscription. These signs are used to provide the pilot
with information on areas that cannot be seen from the
control tower, applicable radio frequencies, and noise
abatement procedures. The airport operator determines
the need, size, and location of these signs.
• Runway distance remaining signs—black background
with white numbers. The numbers indicate the
distance of the remaining runway in thousands of feet.
Airport Lighting
The majority of airports have some type of lighting for night
operations. The variety and type of lighting systems depends
on the volume and complexity of operations at a given airport.
Airport lighting is standardized so that airports use the same
light colors for runways and taxiways.
Airport Beacon
Airport beacons help a pilot identify an airport at night.
The beacons are normally operated from dusk until dawn.
Sometimes they are turned on if the ceiling is less than 1,000
feet and/or the ground visibility is less than 3 statute miles (VFR
minimums). However, there is no requirement for this, so a
pilot has the responsibility of determining if the weather meets
VFR requirements. The beacon has a vertical light distribution
to make it most effective from 1–10° above the horizon,
although it can be seen well above or below this spread. The
beacon may be an omnidirectional capacitor-discharge device,
or it may rotate at a constant speed, that produces the visual
effect of flashes at regular intervals. The combination of light
colors from an airport beacon indicates the type of airport.
[Figure 14-28] Some of the most common beacons are:
• Flashing white and green for civilian land airports
• Flashing white and yellow for a water airport
• Flashing white, yellow, and green for a heliport
• Two quick white flashes alternating with a green flash
identifying a military airport
Approach Light Systems
Approach light systems are primarily intended to provide a
means to transition from instrument flight to visual flight for
landing. The system configuration depends on whether the
runway is a precision or nonprecision instrument runway.
Some systems include sequenced flashing lights that appear
to the pilot as a ball of light traveling toward the runway at
high speed. Approach lights can also aid pilots operating
under VFR at night.
Visual Glideslope Indicators
Visual glideslope indicators provide the pilot with glidepath
information that can be used for day or night approaches. By
maintaining the proper glidepath as provided by the system,
a pilot should have adequate obstacle clearance and should
touch down within a specified portion of the runway.
Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI)
VASI installations are the most common visual glidepath
systems in use. The VASI provides obstruction clearance
within 10° of the extended runway centerline and up to four
nautical miles (NM) from the runway threshold.
The VASI consists of light units arranged in bars. There are
2-bar and 3-bar VASIs. The 2-bar VASI has near and far light
bars and the 3-bar VASI has near, middle, and far light bars.
Two-bar VASI installations provide one visual glidepath
that is normally set at 3°. The 3-bar system provides two
glidepaths, the lower glidepath normally set at 3° and the
upper glidepath ¼ degree above the lower glidepath.
The basic principle of the VASI is that of color differentiation
between red and white. Each light unit projects a beam of
light, a white segment in the upper part of the beam and a
red segment in the lower part of the beam. The lights are
arranged so the pilot sees the combination of lights shown in
Figure 14-29 to indicate below, on, or above the glidepath.
Other Glidepath Systems
A precision approach path indicator (PAPI) uses lights similar
to the VASI system, except they are installed in a single row,
normally on the left side of the runway. [Figure 14-30]