Airport Lighting Overview and Types

Airport Lighting Overview

• Airport beacons guide pilots to lighted airports at night.
• Beacons typically inactive during the day, except when ceiling is below 1,000 feet or visibility is less than 3 statute miles.

Types of Airport Beacons

• Civilian airports feature alternating white and green lights.
• Water airports utilize flashing white and yellow lights.
• Military airports display two flashes of white alternating with a single green light.
• Heliports use alternating green, yellow, and white lights.

Visual Glide Slope Indicators

• Light systems indicate position in relation to the desired glide path to the runway.
• Located on the sides of basic or instrument runways; usable for both day and night approaches.

Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI)

• VASI shows if the aircraft is on a safe glide path to the runway's touchdown zone.
• Available in configurations with either 2 or 3 bars.

Tri-Color VASI

• Projects a three-color visual path using a single light unit.

Pulsating Visual Approach Slope Indicator (PAPI)

• Projects a two-color visual approach path into the final approach area.
• Also referred to as Pulse Light Approach Slope Indicator (PLASI).

Approach Light System

• Aids instrument pilots in transitioning to visual references after an instrument approach.
• Light systems can begin up to 3,000 feet from the extended runway centerline, featuring a mix of steady and flashing lights.

Runway Lighting Components

• Runway edge lights are a single row of white lights along runway edges, with green lights marking the start and red marking the end.
• Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL) use high-intensity white strobe lights to mark thresholds.

Runway Centerline Lighting System (RCLS)

• White lights continue until the last 3,000 feet of the runway.
• From 3,000 to 1,000 feet, alternating red and white lights are utilized.
• Last 1,000 feet has red-only lights.

Touchdown Zone Lights

• Consist of two rows of transverse light bars on either side of the runway centerline.
• Start at 100 feet from the threshold, extending to the midpoint of the runway or to 3,000 feet, whichever is less.

Taxiway Lighting

• Taxiway edge lights are blue omnidirectional lights lining both edges of the taxiway, guiding from the runway to the ramp area.
• Taxiway lead-off/on lights assist in entering/exiting the taxiway or active runway.

Obstruction Lighting

• Provides advance warning of prominent structures, such as towers and buildings.
• Typically uses bright red and high-intensity white lights, with possible use of flashing lights.

Pilot-Controlled Lighting

• Allows pilots to activate or control certain lighting systems on the airport as needed.