Runway/Taxiway Lights, Communications

https://pilotinstitute.com/atis-vs-awos-vs-asos/ https://pilotinstitute.com/runway-lights-explained-colors-spacing-types/

CTAF common traffic advisory frequency

is what you use when operating at a nontowered airport

(used in the air to talk to other pilots)

turn your CTAF on 10miles inbound

UNICOM universal integrated community

air/ground radio

Unicom can be identified as the CTAF

will find this information in the chart supplements

How high must you remain before crossing midfield and being out of the pattern

500ft agl or 2000ft agl if large turbine airplanes operate at your airfield

When crossing midfield how far out should you go?

two miles out then descend to altitude and enter the pattern

ATIS - automated terminal information system

updates once an hour at controlled airports

AWOS - automated weather observation system

updates every minute and is ran by the Federal aviation administration

can be at towered or nontowered

ASOS - automated surface observation system

more advanced than AWOS and is ran by the national weather service

updates every minute

can be at towered or nontowered

ATIS vs AWOS and ASOS

ATIS - updates every hour only at controlled airports. Most detailed. Tells weather and runway/airport information. Stops when tower closes and turns over to AWOS/ASOS

AWOS and ASOS - updated every minute at both controlled and noncontrolled towers. Only focuses on weather.

Runway distance remaining signs

black background with a white number telling you in thousands of feet how much runway is left

when you get to the last number you have 950ft left

enhanced taxiway centerline

yellow line outlined in black to tell you, you are 150ft approaching a runway

a holding position on a taxiway looks like

a solid black line with yellow dash in the middle

omnidirectional and unidirectional

unidirectional can only see from one side (approaching area)

omnidirectional can be seen from all sides

In chart supplement what does HIRL, MIRL, and LIRL mean?

High intensity runway lights

Medium Intensity runway lights

Low intensity runway lights

on a runway

What is this runway?

Runways without instrument approach visuals, just white lights?

Runways with instrument approach

Red lights before green lights indicate displaced threshold

Greenlights indicate threshold and where you can start to land

Two symmetrical strips of white lights in rows indicate the Touchdown Zone (TDZLs)

-this is where the pilot must aim in order to have enough runway left to stop

White lights indicate the side of the runway

-starts 100ft beyond the landing threshold and extends 3,000ft or to the runway midpoint, whichever is less

Yellow lights on the side of the runway indicate that there are 200ft of runway left or half the runway is left whichever is less

White center line is beginning of runway

Red and white centerline alternating lights indicate 3000-1000ft left of runway

Red centerline indicates 1000ft left of runway

Taxiway lights

Blue lights are the sides of taxiway

Green lights is the center of the taxiway

Altering green and yellow lights are at the beginning and end of taxiway

All yellow lights will be in the center to alert that you are entering a runway

ALS means

approach lighting system

ASL (Approach lighting system) lengths

Approach lights start at the landing threshold. Precision approach runways have lights that extend 2,400 – 3,000 feet. Non-precision approach lights only extend 1,400 – 1,500 feet.

See ASL before runway in bad weather

allows to descend no less than 100ft

image shows

clearance bar lights

three in pavement steady burning yellow lights

Your radio is malfunctioning, and you lost your receiver what should you do?

remain outside of airspace D until the direction of flow is determined. Then advice the tower of aircraft type, position, altitude, and intent to land.

What to do if your transmitter malfunctions

Monitor that you’re on the right ATC frequency

remain outside of airspace D until the direction of flow is determined. Then advice the tower of aircraft type, position, altitude, and intent to land.

Monitor that you’re on the right ATC frequency

During daylight, rock wings back and forth to alert ATC

At night, blink the landing lights

What to do if both transmitter and receiver are inoperative

remain outside of airspace D until the direction of flow is determined

Look for light signals

What does dashed lines along the center double yellow parallel lines indicate to a pilot?

There is 150ft remaining before you approach a runway holding position marking.

How to operate lights at night?

Set radio to appropriate frequency (usually CTAF) then click radio microphone for frequency

When should you turn on landing lights?

Under 10,000ft msl

What is 1090MHz and 980MHz

radio frequency for ADSB out

1090 is a frequency required for flying 18,000ft above or outside US

980Mhz is a less congested version of reporting altitude/information