Approach and Runway
Lighting Systems
The Need
VISUAL LANDING AIDS
• Approach Lighting Systems (ALS)
– A series lighting systems
– Omni-directional Approach Lighting System
(ODALS)
– Lead-In Lighting System (LDIN)
– Runway End Identifier Lights (REILs)
• Runway Lighting
• Taxiway markings
CHARACTERISTICS OF A
GOOD APPROACH LIGHTING
SYSTEM
•
•
•
•
•
Centerline guidance
Roll guidance
High intensity / controllable intensity
Adequate length
Sequenced flashers
“A” SERIES LIGHTING
SYSTEMS
BUILDING BLOCKS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Centerline lights
1000’ Roll bar
Side row bars
500’ Roll bar
Termination bar
Wing bars
Sequenced flashers
Runway Alignment Indicator Lights (RAILs)
Threshold lights
( A row of green lights on 5 foot centers extending
across the runway threshold and outwards a distance
of approximately 45 feet from the runway edges )
2400 feet long if glideslope is 2.75 deg or greater
3000 feet long if glideslope is less than 2.75 deg
military field may be as short as 2000 feet
Centerline lights
( 13.5 feet wide with 5 evenly spaced lights )
1000 ft roll bar
100 feet wide with 21 lights
“A” - SERIES
APPROACH LIGHTING
SYSTEMS
• Commonalties
– Centerline lights
– 1000 ft roll bar
Flash in sequence toward the threshold
at a rate of twice per second
Sequenced
flashing lights
Side Row bars
( 3 red lights each )
( 1 additional bar each side
of the 500’ centerline bar
with 4 lights each )
500 ft roll bar
A
ALSF - 2
ALSF 2?
It’s for Cat II & III approaches.
Basic building blocks
Sequenced
flashing lights
Remove light bars at 100 and 200 feet
Termination bar
50 feet wide with 11 red lights
Wing bars or pre-threshold bars
( 5 red lights each )
A1
ALSF - 1
First 1500 ft of ALSF-1
A2
SALSF
A2
SALS
Basic building blocks
Short (First 1500 ft)
Simplified (spacing goes to 200 ft)
1000’ roll bar only has 15 lights
Last centerline light at 1400 ft
Runway Alignment Indicator Lights
( RAILs )
A3
SSALR
No RAILs
A4
MALS /
SSALS
Sequenced
flashing lights
A4
MALSF /
SSALSF
A3
SSALR
Medium intensity
A5
MALSR
A1
or
A2
or
A2
A4
or
A4
A
A2
or
A2
OTHER STUFF
ODALS
ODALS
LDIN
J
BP
Geilenkirchen
NATO Standard
Geilenkirchen
NATO Standard
Heathrow, England
CALVERT
J
RUNWAY LIGHTING
• Runway Edge Lighting
– HIRL, MIRL, LIRL
• Touchdown zone lighting
• Centerline lighting
• Taxiway lighting
2000’
1000’
2000’
200’
SMGCS
Surface Movement Guidance and
Control System
LAHSO
Land and Hold Short
Operations
SUMMARY
VISUAL LANDING AIDS
• Approach Lighting Systems (ALS)
– “A” series lighting systems
– Omni-directional Approach Lighting System
(ODALS)
– Lead-In Lighting System (LDIN)
– Runway End Identifier Lights (REILs)
• Visual Glide Slope Indicators
• Runway Lighting
• Taxiway Marking