Airport Operations and

Markings
Overview
 Safety of Flight
 Airports
 Airport Operations
 Airport Signs
 Runway Incursion Avoidance
 LAHSO
 Airport lighting
References
 AIM
 Chapter 2
 FAA.gov
 Pilots Handbook Of Aeronautical Information
 Chapter 12
 FAA.gov
 Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual
 Chapter 4
Objectives
 Better understand the environment you will
operating in.
 Learn the basic safety measures that should be
taken in and around airport environments
 Recognize and understand basic airport
markings, signs and lighting
 Know the definition of LAHSO, when it may
be used and who can/should participate
Safety of Flight
 Collision Avoidance
 Majority of Midair Collisions
 VFR
 5 miles of airport
 Daylight
 See and Avoid
Safety of Flight
 Visual Scanning
 Normal field of vision is about 200 degrees
 Sharp focus, detail in narrow cone of about 10
degrees
 Use a series of short, regularly spaced eye
movements (10 degrees every 10 sec)
Safety of Flight
 Visual Scanning
 Aircraft that doesn’t appear to be moving?
 Bright Sunlight
 Haze, reduced visibility
 Empty field myopia
Safety of Flight
 Blind Spots
 High wing
 Turning
 Takeoff
 Low wing
 Approach and Landing phases
 Avoid climbing or descending at steep angles
 Shallow S-turns
Safety of Flight
 Airport Operations
 Maneuvering
 Clearing Turns
 Right of Way Rules
 Distress
 Head on
 Overtaking
 Converging
 Landing/Lowest
 Minimum Safe Altitudes
 Congested Area
 Uncongested
Safety of Flight
 Taxiing in Wind
 Left Front Quartering
 Turn yoke left, left aileron comes up
 Left Back Quartering
 Turn yoke Right, right aileron comes up
 Down elevator/stabilator
 Right Front Quartering
 Turn yoke right, right aileron comes up
 Right Back Quartering
 Turn Yoke left, Down elevator/stabilator
Safety of Flight
 Wake Turbulence
 Vortex Generation
 Avoid region within
100 feet of vortex
 Heavy, clean and slow
 Circulation is outward
and upward
Safety of Flight
 Landing behind a larger aircraft on the same runway
 Stay at or above the larger aircrafts approach flightpath and land beyond its touchdown
 Landing behind departing aircraft
 Touch down well before the large aircrafts liftoff point
 Departing after a large aircraft has landed
 Lift off beyond its touchdown location
 Taking off behind a large aircraft
 Lift off before the large airplanes rotation point and climb out above or upwind of its
flight path
 Learn more! AIM 7-3
Safety of Flight
 Positive exchange of controls
 Always know who is flying
 Passing: “You have control”
 Taking: “I have control”
 Passing: “You have control”
Airports
 Controlled
 Operating control tower
 Two way radio required
 Uncontrolled
 No Tower
 No radio required
Airports
Airports
 Traffic Patterns
Airports
 Wind Indicators
 Wind Sock
 Wind Tee
 Tetrahedron
 Segmented Circle
Airports
 Noise Abatement
 Designated runway
 Restrict some operations
 Tower, A/FD
Airport Markings
 VFR and IFR
Airport Markings
Airport Markings
 Displaced Threshold
 Obstruction
 May be available for taxi
 White line marks the
Beginning of landing portion
Airport Markings
White line
 Blast Pad/Stopway marks
beginning of
Area useable runway
 Cannot be used for
landing, takeoff or
taxiing
 Propeller or jet blast
can dissipate without
creating a hazard Yellow
 Can be used in the Chevrons
event of an aborted indicate blast
takeoff pad/unusable
portion of
runway
Airport Markings
 Runway Closure
 Mayor Delay bulldozes
airport
 Other operations
 NOTAM should be
issued
Airport Markings
 Taxiway
 Continuous yellow stripe
 Hold lines
 Wherever Taxiway intersects runway
 You are clear of runway on the side with the solid
lines
Airport Markings
 ILS hold line
Hand Signals
Airport Signs
 Mandatory Instruction
Sings
 Entrance to runway,
critical area or
prohibited area
 Red with white letters
or numbers
Airport Signs
 Location Signs
 Identify Taxiway or
runway where you are
currently located
 Identify runway
boundary or ILS critical
area for area exiting
runway
 Black background with
yellow writing and
border
Airport Signs
 Direction Sign
 Indicate directions of
taxiways leading out of
an intersection
 Yellow background,
Black writing
 Arrows
Airport Signs
 Destination Signs
 Indicate general
direction to location on
airport
 FBO, Military or
international areas
 Yellow background,
black writing, arrow
Airport Signs
 Information Sign
 Advise you of “good to
know” information
 Areas that cannot be
seen from control tower
 Radio Frequencies
 Noise Abatement
 Yellow Background,
Black inscription
Airport Signs
 Runway Distance
Remaining
 Distance remaining
information to pilots during
takeoff and landing
 Located on sides of runway
 Thousands of feet
 Turbojet aircraft
 Black with White writing
Airport Signs
Runway Incursion Avoidance
 Any occurrence at an airport involving an
aircraft, vehicle, person or object on the
ground that creates a collision hazard or
results in loss of separation with an aircraft
taking off or intending to take off, landing or
intending to land
Runway Incursion Avoidance
 Study airport layout during preflight
 Complete checklists while stationary
 Lear and unambiguous pilot- controller communication – readback!
 Know your location, do not become distracted
 Stop and ask if unsure
 Position yourself to see landing aircraft
 Monitor appropriate frequency
 Stay with tower after landing until instructed to change
 Use your taxi/landing lights when practical
 Report confusing markings or signs
 Make sure you understand the required procedures such as LAHSO
Land and Hold Short Operations
 Landing and then holding short of an intersecting
runway, taxiway, predetermined point or an
approach/departure flight path
 Increases airport capacity, maintain system
efficiency and enhance safety
 Student pilots conducting solo ops are not authorized
to participate
 Must be trained and qualified
 Acceptance indicates you fully understand all
aspects
Airport Lighting
 Airport Beacon
 Used to guide pilots to
lighted airports
 Green/White: Civilian
 Green/yellow: water
airport
 Green/2 white: Military
 Green/yellow/white:
Heliport
Visual Glideslope Indications
 Tri-color VASI
Visual Glideslope Indicator
 Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI)
Visual Glideslope Indicators
 Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)
Visual Glideslope Indicators
 Pulsating Approach Slope Indicator
Airport Lighting
 Runway Edge Lights
 Single row of white lights bordering each side of runway and lights
identifying the runway threshold
 Three Intensity Levels: High Intensity (HIRLs), Medium Intensity
runway lights (MIRLs), and Low intensity runway lights (LIRLs)
 Some are Pilot Controlled, some ATC controlled
 Runway End Identifier Lights (REILS)
 High intensity white strobe lights placed on each side of the runway
to mark the threshold
 Runway Lights
 White
 Taxiway Lights
 Blue
Pilot Controlled Lighting
 Use your aircrafts microphone on specified
frequency (CTAF)
 Check A/FD
 Click mike 7 times
 Max intensity
 Click mike 5 times
 Medium intensity
 Click mike 3 times
 Low intensity
Obstruction Lighting
 On and Off airport
 Day and night
 Towers
 Buildings
 Powerlines
 Bright red or white