Runway

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined

rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for thelanding and takeoff of aircraft". Runways
may be a man-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface
(grass,dirt, gravel, ice, or salt).
Taxiway
A taxiway is

path

for aircraft at

an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly
have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports
sometimes use gravelor grass.
Busy airports typically construct high-speed or rapid-exit taxiways to allow aircraft to leave the
runway at higher speeds. This allows the aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, permitting another
to land or take off in a shorter interval of time. This is usually accomplished by making the exiting
taxiway longer, thus giving the aircraft more space in which to slow down, before the taxiways'
upcoming intersection with another (perpendicular) taxiway, another runway, or the ramp/tarmac.

Markings[edit]
The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide
view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk
page. (June 2010)

Taxiway at Munich Airport

Normal Centerline A single continuous yellow line, 15 centimetres (6 in) to 30

centimetres (12 in) in width.

Enhanced Centerline The enhanced taxiway center line marking consists of a parallel
line of yellow dashes on either side of the taxiway centerline. Taxiway centerlines are
enhanced for 150 feet (46 m) before a runway holding position marking. The enhanced
taxiway centerline is standard[1] at all FAR Part 139 certified airports in the USA.

Taxiway Edge Markings Used to define the edge of the taxiway when the edge does not
correspond with the edge of the pavement.

Continuous markings consist of a continuous double yellow line, with each line
being at least 15 centimetres (6 in) in width, spaced 15 centimetres (6 in) apart. They
divide the taxiway edge from the shoulder or some other abutting paved surface not
intended for use by aircraft.

Dashed markings define the edge of a taxiway on a paved surface where the
adjoining pavement to the taxiway edge is intended for use by aircraft, e.g. an apron.
These markings consist of a broken double yellow line, with each line being at least 15
centimetres (6 in) in width, spaced 15 centimetres (6 in) apart (edge to edge). These
lines are 15 feet (4.6 m) in length with 25 foot (7.6 m) gaps.

Taxi Shoulder Markings Taxiways, holding bays, and aprons are sometimes provided
with paved shoulders to prevent blast and water erosion. Shoulders are not intended for use
by aircraft, and may be unable to carry the aircraft load. Taxiway shoulder markings are
yellow lines perpendicular to the taxiway edge, from taxiway edge to pavement edge, about
3 metres.

Surface Painted Taxiway Direction Signs Yellow background with a black inscription,
provided when it is not possible to provide taxiway direction signs at intersections, or when
necessary to supplement such signs. These markings are located on either side of the
taxiway.

Surface Painted Location Signs Black background with a yellow inscription and yellow
and black border. Where necessary, these markings supplement location signs located
alongside the taxiway and assist the pilot in confirming the designation of the taxiway on
which the aircraft is located. These markings are located on the right side of the centerline.

Geographic Position Markings These markings are located at points along low visibility
taxi routes (when Runway visual range is below 1200 feet (370 m)). They are positioned to
the left of the taxiway centerline in the direction of taxiing. Black inscription centered on pink
circle with black inner and white outer ring. If the pavement is a light colour then the border is
white with a black outer ring.

Runway Holding Position Markings These show where an aircraft should stop when
approaching a runway from a taxiway. They consist of four yellow lines, two solid and two
dashed, spaced six or twelve inches (15 or 30 cm) apart, and extending across the width of
the taxiway or runway. The solid lines are always on the side where the aircraft is to hold.
There are three locations where runway holding position markings are encountered: Runway
holding position markings on taxiways; runway holding position markings on runways;
taxiways located in runway approach areas.

Holding Position Markings for Instrument Landing System (ILS) These consist of
two yellow solid lines spaced two feet (60 cm) apart connected by pairs of solid lines spaced
ten feet (3 metres) apart extending across the width of the taxiway.

Holding Position Markings for Taxiway/Taxiway Intersections These consist of a

single dashed line extending across the width of the taxiway.

Surface Painted Holding Position Signs Red background signs with a white inscription
to supplement the signs located at the holding position.

The taxiways are given alphanumeric identification. These taxiway IDs are shown on black and
yellow signboards along the taxiways.

Signs[edit]

The signs can often be combined, in this case a direction sign, a location sign, and a runway sign

Airport guidance signs provide direction and information to taxiing aircraft and airport vehicles.
Smaller airports may have few or no signs, relying instead on airport diagrams and charts.
There are two classes of signage at airports, with several types of each:

Operational guidance signs[edit]

Location sign for a taxiway

Direction sign to taxiway Bravo

Location signs yellow on black background. Identifies the runway or taxiway the aircraft
is currently on or is entering.

Direction/Runway exit signs black on yellow. Identifies the intersecting taxiways the
aircraft is approaching, with an arrow indicating the direction to turn.

Stop Bar signs white on blue background. The designation consists of the letter S
followed by designation of the taxiway on which the Stop Bar is positioned. This sign is not
standard.[2]

Other many airports use conventional traffic signs such as stop and yield signs
throughout the airport.

The yellow "W2" direction sign in the foreground leading to the black "W2" location sign in the background.
The blue "SW 2" sign is non-standard.

Mandatory instruction signs[edit]

No entry sign

Mandatory instruction signs are white on red. They show entrances to runways or critical areas.
Vehicles and aircraft are required to stop at these signs until the control tower gives clearance to
proceed.

Runway signs White text on a red background. These signs identify a runway
intersection ahead, e.g. runway 12-30 in the photo above.

Frequency change signs Usually a stop sign and an instruction to change to another
frequency. These signs are used at airports with different areas of ground control.

Holding position signs A single solid yellow bar across a taxiway indicates a position
where ground control may require a stop. If two solid yellow bars and two dashed yellow bars
are encountered, this indicates a holding position for a runway intersection ahead; runway
holding lines must never be crossed without permission. At some airports, a line of red lights
across a taxiway is used during low visibility operations to indicate holding positions. An
"interrupted ladder" type marking with an "ILS" sign in white on red indicates a holding
position before an ILS critical area.

Lights[edit]
Taxiway edge light

For night operations, taxiways at many airports are equipped with lights, although some small
airports are not equipped with them.

Taxiway Edge Lights: used to outline the edges of taxiways during periods of darkness
or restricted visibility conditions. These fixtures are elevated and emit blue light.

Taxiway Centerline Lights: They are steady burning and emit green light located along
the taxiway centerline

Clearance Bar Lights: Three in-pavement steady-burning yellow lights installed at

holding positions on taxiways

Runway Guard Lights: Either a pair of elevated flashing yellow lights installed on either
side of the taxiway, or a row of in-pavement yellow lights installed across the entire taxiway,
at the runway holding position marking at taxiway/runway intersections.

Stop Bar Lights: A row of red, unidirectional, steady-burning in-pavement lights installed
across the entire taxiway at the runway holding position, and elevated steady-burning red
lights on each side used in low visibility conditions (below 1,200 ft RVR). A controlled stop
bar is operated in conjunction with the taxiway centerline lead-on lights which extend from
the stop bar toward the runway. Following the ATC clearance to proceed, the stop bar is
turned off and the lead-on lights are turned on.

Taxiway edge lights are spaced 75 feet apart. These lights can be closer together at taxiway
intersections. On straight segments, Taxiway Centerline Lights are spaced at either 50 or 100
foot intervals depending on the minimum authorized visibility. On curved taxiway segments,
Taxiway Centerline Lights may be required to be closer together.[3]

Aerodrome beacon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with Airway beacon.

A portable rotating beacon on display at the Alberta Aviation Museum

An aerodrome beacon or rotating beacon is a beacon installed at an airport or aerodrome to

indicate its location to aircraft pilots at night.
An aerodrome beacon is mounted on top of a towering structure, often a control tower, above
other buildings of the airport. It produces flashes not unlike that of a lighthouse.
Airport and heliport beacons are designed in such a way to make them most effective from one
to ten degrees above the horizon; however, they can be seen well above and below this peak
spread. The beacon may be an omnidirectional flashingxenon strobe, or it may be
an aerobeacon rotating at a constant speed which produces the visual effect of flashes at regular
intervals. Flashes may be of just a single color, or of two alternating colors.

In the United States[edit]

In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established the following
rules for airport beacons:
Flashing rates
1. 24 to 30 per minute for beacons marking airports, landmarks, and points on Federal
airways
2. 30 to 45 per minute for beacons marking heliports
Color combinations

1. White and Green Lighted land airport

2. Green alone* Lighted land airport
3. White and Yellow Lighted water airport
4. Yellow alone* Lighted water airport
5. Green, Yellow, and White Lighted heliport
6. White, White, Green** Military Airport
7. White, Green, Red Hospital and/or Emergency Services Heliport
*Green alone or yellow alone is used only in connection with a white-and-green or whiteand-yellow beacon display, respectively.
**Military airport beacons flash alternately white and green, but are differentiated from
civil beacons by two quick white flashes between the green flashes.
In Class B, Class C, Class D, and Class E surface areas, operation of the airport beacon
during the hours of daylight often indicates that the ground visibility is less than 3 miles
and/or the ceiling is less than 1,000 feet. Regardless of the weather conditions, the FAA
has no regulation that requires airports to turn the beacon on during the day.
At some locations with operating control towers, Air Traffic Control (ATC) personnel turn
the beacon on or off with controls in the tower. At many airports the airport beacon is
turned on by a photoelectric cell or time clocks, and ATC personnel cannot control
them. [1]

In Canada[edit]
In Canada, the regulations are different. Lighted aerodromes are equipped with white
single flash beacons operating at a frequency of 20 to 30 flashes per minute. Heliports
with beacons exhibit the morse letter H (4 short flashes) at a rate of 3 to 4 groups per
minute.[2]

Airport reference point

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Airport reference point of the defunctBerlin Tempelhof Airport

Airport reference point of the defunctBerlin Tempelhof Airport

An airport (or aerodrome) reference point (ARP) is the centre point of an airport, located at
the geometric centre of all the usable runways. The ARP is computed as a weighted average of
the end of runway coordinates.
Internationally, the rules governing the establishment of an Airport reference point are defined by
ICAO Annex 14, and include:
2.2.1 An aerodrome reference point shall be established for an aerodrome.
2.2.2 The aerodrome reference point shall be located near the initial or planned geometric centre
of the aerodrome and shall normally remain where first established.
2.2.3 The position of the aerodrome reference point shall be measured and reported to the
aeronautical information services authority in degrees, minutes and seconds.

Clearway

Aviation[edit]
In aviation, clearway is a term related to the dimension of some runways and it is abbreviated
with CWY. Clearway is an area beyond the paved runway, free of obstructions and under the
control of the airport authorities. The length of the clearway may be included in the length of
the takeoff distance available.[4] For example, if a paved runway is 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) long
and there are 400 metres (1,300 ft) of clearway beyond the end of the runway, the takeoff
distance available is 2,400 metres (7,900 ft) long. When the runway is to be used for takeoff of a
large airplane, the maximum permissible takeoff weight of the airplane can be based on the
takeoff distance available, including clearway. Clearway allows large airplanes to take off at a
heavier weight than would be allowed if only the length of the paved runway is taken into
account.

Takeoff and landing distances available are given using one of the following terms:
TORA[5]
Takeoff Run Available The length of runway declared available and suitable for the
ground run of an airplane taking off.[6]
TODA[5]
Takeoff Distance Available The length of the takeoff run available plus the length of
the clearway, if clearway is provided.[6]
(The clearway length allowed must lie within the aerodrome or airport boundary.
According to the Federal Aviation Regulations and Joint Aviation Requirements(JAR)
TODA is the lesser of TORA plus clearway or 1.5 times TORA).
ASDA[5]
Accelerate-Stop Distance Available The length of the takeoff run available plus the
length of the stopway, if stopway is provided.[6]
LDA[5]
Landing Distance Available The length of runway that is declared available and
suitable for the ground run of an airplane landing.[7]
EMDA [8]
Emergency Distance Available LDA (or TORA) plus a stopway.

The airport apron is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded,
refueled, or boarded.[1]Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting
on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway. However, the
apron is not usually open to the general public and a license may be required to gain access.
The use of the apron may be controlled by the apron management service (apron
control or apron advisory) to provide coordination between the users.
The apron is designated by the ICAO as not being part of the maneuvering area. All vehicles,
aircraft and people using the apron are referred to as apron traffic.
Contents
[hide]

1Other terms
o

1.1Tarmac

1.2Ramp

2See also

3References

4External links

Other terms[edit]
Airbus A380-800 operated by Qatar Airways at London Heathrow Airport apron outside Terminal 4 with a
wide range ofground handling equipments around such as aircraft container, pallet loader, ULD, jet air
starter, belt loader, pushback tug, catering vehicles and dollies.

Tarmac[edit]
Many people in the general public and news media refer to the apron at airports as "the tarmac"
despite the fact that most of these areas are often paved with concrete not tarmac, often referred
to as PQ (Pavement Quality) concrete. The term "tarmac" was used during an early aircraft
hijack episode in the Middle East. The reporter with a British accent reported that the aircraft was
parked "on the tarmac" and it stuck as a descriptive area.[citation needed]

Ramp[edit]

In the United States, the word ramp is an older term for an area where pre-flight activities were
done; an apron was any area for parking and maintenance. Passenger gates are the main
feature of a terminal ramp. The word apron is the ICAO and FAA terminology (the word ramp is
not), so the wordramp is not used with this meaning outside the US, Canada, Maldives, and the
Philippines.

Abbreviations
FOD
Foreign Object Damage

ACN
PCN -Project Control Number
TORA Takeoff Distance Available
TODA Take-off Run Available
LDA LDA
Landing Directional Aid
LDA
Localizer Directional Aid

ASDA Accelerate Stop Distance Available

RESA

RVR Runway Visual Range

NDB Non-directional Beacon
VOR VOR
Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range
VOR/DME
Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range Collocated with Distance Measuring
Equipment
VOR/DME
VHF Omnidirectional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment

VMC
Visual Meteorological Conditions
OCA Oceanic Control Area
OFZ Obstacle Free Zone
ILS ILS
Instrument Landing System
ILSP
Integrated Logistics Support Plan

NOTAM
Notice to Airmen

Parts of Aircraft

Navigational Aids
A navigational aid (also known as aid to navigation, ATON, or navaid) is any sort of
marker which aids the traveler in navigation; the term is most commonly used to refer to
nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, buoys, fog
signals, and day beacons.
Aerodrome Beacon NDB Non-directional Beacon
DVOR
DVOR
Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Directional Range
DVOR
Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-- Directional Range
ILS - Instrument Landing System