AIRFIELD LIGHTING 2
Abstract
This report will provide an overview of how airfield lighting works to provide the airlines and civil aviators with a safe and expeditious means of travel. The tower is the overall responsible agency that clears the aircraft for taking off and landing but sometimes, the pilot needs some assistance from visual approach aids and/or airfield markings to get to his destination. In addition, the tower is also responsible for verifying that all of the airfield lighting was maintained properly and the runway is kept in a safe operating condition. The different types of lighting that are utilized on the airfield are key in the overall safety of aircraft moving from the parking area to the runway. To understand fully how an airport functions we have to understand how the aircraft arrive and depart during all hours of the day regardless of the weather visibility. We will look at the different types of approach light landing aids, taxiway lighting, runway lighting, and airport beacons. These lighting systems are utilized at thousands of airports everyday and help orchestrate a ballet of aircraft, cargo, and passengers. Keywords: Airfield lighting, Runway Lighting, Approach Lighting

AIRFIELD LIGHTING 3
Airfield Lighting Helping to keep Everyone Safe A runway has several different types of lighting for different situations and meanings. There are different types of runway edge lights beginning with High Intensity Runway Lights (HIRL), Medium Intensity Runway Lights (MIRL), and Low Intensity Runway Lights (LIRL). LIRL usually only has one intensity setter where as the HIRL and MIRL can have multiple depending on the weather conditions. The runway edge lights are white, yellow lights replaces white on the last 2,000 feet or half the runway length, whichever is less, to form a caution zone for landings on instrument runways. The runway end lights are red when departing for pilots and green for all arriving aircraft. The following lights may be installed on some precision approach runways:
Runway Centerline Lighting System-Runway centerline lights are spaced 50 feet apart until the last 3,000 feet and then alternate red/white for the next 2,000 feet, and then the last 1,000 feet red).
Touchdown Zone Lights-The system consists of steady-burning white lights, which start 100 feet beyond the landing threshold and go 3,000 feet past the landing threshold or to the midway point of the runway, whichever is less. The light set up consists of two rows of transverse light bars disposed symmetrically about the runway centerline.
Taxiway Lead-On Light and Taxiway Lead-Off Lights-Lead on and lead off lights are bidirectional and are used for the same function for arriving and departing aircraft. Alternate green and yellow lights are installed, beginning with green, from the runway centerline to one centerline light position beyond the runway holding position or ILS/MLS critical area holding

AIRFIELD LIGHTING 4 position and is reversed for Taxiway Lead-On, beginning with green lights from the taxiway centerline leading to the runway centerline for the runway in use.
Land and Hold Short Lights- Land and hold short lights consist of a row of pulsing white lights installed across the runway at the hold short point.
Runway End Identifier Lights (REILS)-REILS are located on many airfields to provide rapid identification of the approach end of the active runway in use. There is a pair of flashing synchronized red lights located opposite each other on the threshold of the runway. They are effective for the identification of a runway when