Airport Markings & Signs
By Newton Talley
AST 323
April 22, 1999
Introducing Surface Movement
Guidance & Control System
AIRPORT SIGNS AND MARKING PROVIDE
INFORMATION THAT IS USEFUL TO GROUND
VEHICLE OPERATORS WHEN OPERATING ON
THE AIRPORT AND TO PILOTS DURING
TAKEOFF, LANDING, OR TAXIING.
TYPES FOUND ON AIRPORTS INCLUDE:
MANDATORY SIGNS
LOCATION SIGNS
DIRECTION SIGNS
DESTINATION SIGNS
SPECIAL INFORMATION SIGNS
MANDATORY SIGNS
WHITE INSCRIPTIONS ON A RED BACKGROUND
REQUIRES CLEARANCE BEFORE ENTERING
(DUE CAUTION AT UNCONTROLLED AIRPORTS)
LOCATED ON TAXIWAYS
AT INTERSECTION WITH
RUNWAY AND AT
RUNWAY/RUNWAY
INTERSECTION
DO NOT CROSS UNLESS CLEARANCE HAS
BEEN RECEIVED (TOWERED AIRPORT) OR
UNTIL CLEAR (UNTOWERED AIRPORT)
AT RUNWAY / RUNWAY INTERSECTIONS, HOLD
SHORT IF LAND AND HOLD-SHORT CLEARANCE
HAS BEEN ACCEPTED
LOCATED AT THE HOLD
POSITION ON A TAXIWAY
LOCATED IN RUNWAY
APPROACH OR
DEPARTURE AREA HOLD
CONTROLLED AIRPORT -- HOLD WHEN
INSTRUCTED
NONCONTROLLED AIRPORT -- PROCEED WHEN
NO TRAFFIC CONFLICT EXISTS
INDICATES AN ILS
CRITICAL AREA
HOLD WHEN INSTRUCTED BY ATC WHEN
APPROACHES ARE BEING MADE WITH
VISIBILITY LESS THAN 2 MILES OR CEILING
LESS THAN 800 FEET
INDICATES AREAS WHERE
AIRCRAFT ARE FORBIDDEN
TO ENTER
DO NOT ENTER
IDENTIFIES PAVED AREAS WHERE AIRCRAFT
ENTRY IS PROHIBITED
INDICATES HS-1
LAND AND HOLD SHORT POINT FOR OTHER
THAN INTERSECTING RUNWAYS AS
INSTRUCTED BY ATC
LOCATION SIGNS
YELLOW INSCRIPTIONS ON A BLACK
BACKGROUND -- IDENTIFIES RUNWAYS AND
TAXIWAYS
BLACK INSCRIPTION ON A YELLOW
BACKGROUND -- IDENTIFIES RUNWAY OR
CRITICAL AREA BOUNDARIES OF:
RUNWAY SAFETY AREA (RSA)
OBSTACLE FREE ZONE (OFZ)
INSTRUMENT LANDING SYSTEM AREAS (ILS)
LOCATED ON THE TAXIWAY
IDENTIFIES TAXIWAY ON WHICH AIRCRAFT IS
LOCATED
LOCATED ON THE RUNWAY
IDENTIFIES RUNWAY ON WHICH AIRCRAFT IS
LOCATED
LOCATED AT THE EDGE
OF PROTECTED AREA
FOR RUNWAY
IDENTIFIES THE BOUNDARY OF THE RUNWAY
PROTECTED AREA ON CONTROLLED AIRPORTS
IT IS INTENDED THAT PILOTS EXITING THIS
AREA WOULD USE THIS SIGN AS A GUIDE TO
JUDGE WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IS CLEAR OF THE
PROTECTED AREA
LOCATED AT THE
EDGE OF THE ILS
CRITICAL AREA
IDENTIFIES THE BOUNDARY OF THE ILS
CRITICAL AREA ON CONTROLLED AIRPORTS
IT IS INTENDED THAT PILOTS EXITING THIS
AREA WOULD USE THIS SIGN AS A GUIDE TO
JUDGE WHEN THE AIRCRAFT IS CLEAR OF THE
ILS CRITICAL AREA
TAXIWAY ENDING MARKER
INDICATES TAXIWAY DOES NOT CONTINUE
DIRECTION SIGNS
BLACK INSCRIPTIONS ON A YELLOW
BACKGROUND (ALWAYS HAS AN ARROW)
PROVIDES DIRECTIONAL INFORMATION
LOCATED ON TAXIWAYS
AND RUNWAYS
ON TAXIWAYS -- PROVIDES DIRECTION TO TURN
TO NEXT INTERSECTION TO MANEUVER
AIRCRAFT ONTO NAMED TAXIWAY
ON RUNWAYS -- PROVIDES DIRECTION TO TURN
TO EXIT RUNWAY ONTO NAMED TAXIWAY
LOCATED ON THE
TAXIWAY
PROVIDES GENERAL TAXIING DIRECTION TO
NAMED RUNWAY
DESTINATION SIGNS
SIMILAR TO DIRECTION SIGNS EXCEPT THAT
THEY POINT TOWARD A GENERAL LOCATION
SUCH AS:
APRON FUEL TERM
CIVIL MIL PAX
CARGO INT FBO
A DOT () IS READ AS “AND”
LOCATED ON
TAXIWAYS AND
RUNWAYS
PROVIDES GENERAL TAXIING DIRECTION TO
IDENTIFIED DESTINATION
SPECIAL INFORMATION SIGNS
SUCH AS NOISE ABATEMENT PROCEDURES
--HAVE BLACK INSCRIPTIONS ON A YELLOW
BACKGROUND
DISTANCE REMAINING SIGNS HAVE A SINGLE
WHITE NUMBER ON A BLACK BACKGROUND 20
TO 75 FEET FROM THE PAVEMENT EDGE,
DEPENDING UPON THE SIZE OF THE SIGN
LOCATED ON THE RUNWAY
PROVIDES REMAINING RUNWAY LENGTH IN
1,000 FOOT INCREMENTS
SURFACE MOVEMENT GUIDANCE
AND
CONTROL SYSTEM
(SMGCS)
PRONOUNCED “SMIGS,” THIS SYSTEM IS
COVERED BY ADVISORY CIRCULAR (AC) 120-57
REQUIRES A LOW VISIBILITY TAXI PLAN FOR
ANY AIRPORT WHICH HAS TAKEOFF OR
LANDING OPERATIONS WITH LESS THAN 1,200
FEET RUNWAY VISUAL RANGE (RVR) VISIBILITY
CONDITIONS
SMGCS (cont.)
APPLIES TO BOTH AIR CREW AND VEHICLE
OPERATORS
TAXI ROUTES TO AND FROM THE SMGCS
RUNWAY MUST BE DESIGNATED AND
DISPLAYED ON A SMGCS LOW VISIBILITY TAXI
ROUTE CHART
SMGCS FEATURES INCLUDE:
STOP BAR LIGHTS
RUNWAY GUARD LIGHTS
TAXIWAY CENTERLINE LIGHTING
GEOGRAPHIC POSITION MARKINGS
CLEARANCE BAR LIGHTS
STOP BAR LIGHTS
REQUIRED AT INTERSECTIONS OF AN ILLUMINATED
(CENTERLINE LIGHTED) TAXIWAY AND AN ACTIVE
RUNWAY FOR OPERATIONS LESS THAN 600 FEET RVR
CONSIST OF A ROW OF RED UNIDIRECTIONAL, IN-
PAVEMENT LIGHTS INSTALLED ALONG THE HOLDING
POSITION MARKING
STOP BAR LIGHTS (cont.)
WHEN TURNED OFF BY THE CONTROLLER,
THEY CONFIRM CLEARANCE FOR THE PILOT OR
VEHICLE TO ENTER THE RUNWAY
OPERATE IN CONJUNCTION WITH GREEN
CENTERLINE LEADON LIGHTS
WARNING
NEVER CROSS AN
ILLUMINATED
RED STOP BAR
RUNWAY GUARD LIGHTS
WILL BE INSTALLED AT ALL TAXIWAYS WHICH
PROVIDE ACCESS TO AN ACTIVE RUNWAY
ALTERNATELY FLASHING YELLOW LIGHTS
USED TO DENOTE BOTH THE PRESENCE OF AN
ACTIVE RUNWAY AND IDENTIFY THE LOCATION
OF A RUNWAY HOLDING POSITION MARKING
TAXIWAY CENTERLINE
LIGHTING
GUIDE GROUND TRAFFIC UNDER LOW
VISIBILITY CONDITIONS AND DURING
DARKNESS
CONSIST OF GREEN INPAVEMENT LIGHTS
GEOGRAPHIC POSITION
MARKINGS
A “PINK SPOT” OUTLINED WITH A BLACK AND
WHITE CIRCLE AND DESIGNATED WITH A
NUMBER AND/OR LETTER
ATC WILL VERIFY THE POSITION OF AIRCRAFT
AND VEHICLES USING GEOGRAPHIC POSITION
MARKINGS
CAN BE USED EITHER AS HOLD POINTS OR FOR
POSITION REPORTING
CLEARANCE BAR
LIGHTS
THREE YELLOW IN-PAVEMENT CLEARANCE BAR
LIGHTS
USED TO DENOTE HOLDING POSITIONS FOR
AIRCRAFT AND VEHICLES
CO-LOCATED WITH GEOGRAPHIC POSITION
MARKINGS WHEN USED FOR HOLD POINTS
SMGCS AIRPORTS MAY NOT HAVE
ALL OF THESE FEATURES
FOR ADDITIONAL SMGCS INFORMATION
REFER TO THE
AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION MANUAL
OR THE PARTICULAR AIRPORT’S
SMGCS LOW VISIBILITY TAXI ROUTE CHART
