runway lighting system

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We will learn about the operation and characteristics of the airport runway lighting system and its great importance in air operations..

Post written by: Captain Rudolph Star.
FAA Commercial Pilot
Twitter: @rodo_estrella

Given the recent events that involved the closure of 11 hours in a row from Guayaquil International Airport, we have found it opportune to comment on more details of this system, essential for continuous operation from sunset, until dawn and why without this, operations will be forced to be suspended.

runway lighting system

the runway lights, more concretely, aerodrome lights are a set or systems of lights that serve as a visual aid for aircraft and vehicles operating within the aerodrome, They vary in their intensity., colors and location for their utility and are generally activated in the periods from sunset to sunrise the next day or under conditions that require it.

Pilots in visual flight conditions trust their situational awareness and orientation to their bodily senses with vision providing the 80% of information together with the proprioceptive system and the vestibular system, For this reason, visual aids are of great importance..

Track lights are of various types, designs and vary from aerodrome to aerodrome due to their size and the service they provide. These lights initially provide information in the air for the visual orientation and location of the airport and the direction of the runway(s) to arriving aircraft, and during their final approach there are lights that provide vertical guidance. (tell riders if they are coming high or too low). And there are strobe-type lights that serve aerodromes with precision instrument approaches for low visibility conditions..

Under these adverse weather conditions, when an aircraft reaches its minimum descent altitude, the condition for landing is the sighting of, among other conditions, the runway lights.

During the takeoff roll and landing, runway lights provide a visual aid to help you stay oriented, locate the center of the track and not lose track sense in general, variations in the colors also indicate the distance or the proximity of the end of the runway or the limit of the thresholds.

For taxiing, other types of lights indicate the areas where aircraft can circulate without entering prohibited areas or entering the runway in use without authorization.. Airports often have areas where it is difficult to transit, intersecting taxiways, track crossings, taxiways closed, narrow streets, borders, etc, These danger points must be carefully delimited and, particularly at night, they must be signaled by light to avoid collisions with other aircraft and against surrounding objects..

In uncontrolled airports, the PCL is usually found (pilot controlled lighting), the airfield while not in use keeps its lights off to conserve electrical power but these lights can be turned on and their intensity managed by pilots during their approach using a radio frequency.

Airfield lights do not necessarily have to be turned on at night, but when visibility is reduced during the day due to meteorological phenomena such as fog or mist, what is known as an aerodrome under instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).

further, This system does not oblige or require airports to have alternate or back-up systems in case of any contingency., although there are airports that have B systems in case of failure of the main systems, usually, in areas of electrical storms or prone to natural phenomena that can affect the operation of the system.

Finally, the aerodromes have an omnidirectional beacon-type rotating light that helps pilots to find the aerodrome by flashing., its color combination also helps to identify military airfields, civilians, heliports or landing areas for seaplanes. These lighthouses are usually located in the area where the control tower is located..

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