When it comes to the approach to landing, Vanhoenacker explained that it is typically done by reference to on-board instruments. In How to Land a Plane I talk about how a plane is often not pointing in the direction it’s moving - even when we’re landing, the nose is pointing upwards - and the careful placement of the landing lights accounts for that." So the lights are looking down as well as forward. "Another subtlety of landing lights is that they point out and down at a very specific angle, which is determined by the geometry of the aircraft when it is in its landing configuration on final approach. Some are mounted in the wings and some are in the nose landing gear (so those can’t be used until the gear is lowered, of course)." And some of the landing lights are usually on for all flying when we’re below 10,000 feet. "We use these for take-off as well as landing. Among the latter are landing lights, which are very bright indeed," he said. "In the former category are things like navigation lights, which are arranged on aircraft just as they are on ships - one more example of aviation’s deep nautical roots. "You can divide an aircraft’s lights into two categories: those that are designed to help you be seen, and those that are designed to help you see," Vanhoenacker said. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. I would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The objective is two red lights and two white lights, as seen here. If you're too low, you'll only see the red lights. If you're too high, you'll only be able to see the white lights. (You can turn off the lights and explore at this link.) The white and red lights adjacent to the runway, called PAPI, let pilots know if they are too high or too low on approach, depending on the angle between the lights (which are always on and used during the day as well) and the plane's glideslope. The image below is a good representation of the runway lighting system. Pilots don't want to be lined up to land on a blue-lit taxiway, although it does happen occasionally. The taxiways, in contrast, are lined with blue lights. At its most basic, the runway is lined by white lights for most of its length, called the runway edge lights. The airport lights themselves - and there are a dozen or more combinations of signs, lines, lights and colors - are beyond the scope of this article. "I can remember differences, certainly, between approach lights in Phoenix on a clear winter night, and those seen in hazier, far more humid Hong Kong in the height of summer." "I haven’t noticed a huge variation between airports," he said, noting that environmental differences play a role.
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