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Runway and Taxiway

The most important part of an airport is the runway. The runway can be made of grass, gravel, concrete, or asphalt. All runways are identified by a number. The number is the first two digits of a compass direction rounded to the nearest 10 degrees. For example, if a runway faces west or 265 to 274 degrees, it is numbered 27. When going the opposite direction on the runway, it changes its number to the reciprocal compass heading. In this example, it would be 09 because 180 degrees from 270 is 090 degrees. Some airports have several runways with the same direction. These runways are given a letter to tell them apart from the other ones, such as 23L for left, or 23R for right. Runways also have other markings on them. A dashed white line down the center identifies the centerline and a solid white line on each side marks the edge. Special markings identify the runway for use in bad weather. These markings are usually large white blocks that start at the approach end and stop several thousand feet down the runway.

It is critical to match the airport's runway length with the takeoff and landing requirements of your aircraft. The sectional chart and Airport/Facility Directory list runway lengths for different airports. Your aircraft owner's manual will list the lakeoff and landing length specifications for your aircraft. These will take the form of ground roll lengths for operations with no obstacles and operations over a 50-foot obstacle. When using an airport you are unfamiliar with, or under less than optimal conditions, it is a good idea to use the longer value for your aircraft's ground roll.

At night, airports with lighting on the runways have steady white lights on the edges and sometimes down the middle. At the end of the runway are red lights and at the beginning are green lights. Larger runways can also have approach lighting. These are lights before the actual runway. Usually they are on poles that slope downward towards the threshold or the beginning of the runway. They are used by the pilot to line up the airplane with the runway and in bad weather, help the pilot to find the runway. The approach lights usually flash in sequence so a pilot can more easily see which direction the runway is pointing. Not all airports have lighting. Busy airports are often staffed at night and have lit runways. Small airports, or those with little traffic may have no lighting, and are therefore not suitable for operations at night or low visibility. Other aiports, though they may not be staffed at night, have Pilot Controlled Lighting, allowing approaching pilots to turn on and adjust runway lighting.

Taxiways are the roads that aircraft use to get to the runway. Pilots taxi their aircraft from one spot on the airport to another by using these taxiways. Each airport has its own pattern of taxiways. The most common taxiway is called the parallel taxiway. It is parallel to the runway. Taxiways are usually narrower than the runways and have different markings and names so pilots do not confuse them with runways. Letters instead of numbers name taxiways. An example of this would be taxiway "C". The centerline is solid yellow line (instead of a dashed white line) and solid yellow lines sometimes mark the sides.