If landing performance allows, having some runway distance prior to your landing point will ensure that you don't land short. The runway aiming points (commonly called the 1000 foot markers) are a perfect target to descend towards, and you should plan to touchdown within 200 feet of them. It's much more likely for a single-engine piston to land short when aiming for the threshold than to overrun the runway after touching down near the aiming points. In almost every case, following the PAPI will give a single-engine piston aircraft more than enough room to land and stop well before the end of the runway. Swayne Martin Fly Your Approach Using The PAPI Two white lights and two red lights mean you're on the established glide path. The visual glide path of the PAPI typically provides safe obstruction clearance within plus or minus 10 degrees of the extended runway centerline and to 3.4 NM from the runway threshold.Īgain. These lights are visible from about 5 miles during the day and up to 20 miles at night. The Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) uses light units similar to the VASI, but are installed in a single row of either two or four light units. Although normal glide path angles are 3 degrees, VASI lights at some airports may be as high as 4.5 degrees to give proper obstacle clearance. If you see two red lights over two white lights, you're on glide path. The visual glide path of the VASI provides safe obstruction clearance within plus or minus 10 degrees of the extended runway centerline and to 4 NM from the runway threshold. These lights are visible from 3-5 miles during the day and up to 20 miles or more at night. According to the AIM, the Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) is a system of lights arranged to provide visual descent guidance information during the approach to a runway. While we're focusing on PAPIs in this article, you'll also find VASIs around the country too. In 2008, some PAPIs began a modernization phase with LED lights replacing incandescent lamps. Trying to remember what the lights mean? Use the phrase "All white, you're high as a kite. If you're high on glide path, you'll see 0 red and 4 white (more than 3.5 degrees).If you're slightly high on glide path, you'll see 1 red and 3 white (3.2 degrees).The more white lights you see, the higher you are on glide path. If you're low on glide path, you'll see 4 red and 0 white (less than 2.5 degrees).If you're slightly low on glide path, you'll see 3 red and 1 white (2.8 degrees).The more red lights you see, the lower you are on glide path. Whether you're flying VFR or IFR, following the PAPI is a good idea.Ī series of 4 horizontal lights will show 2 red, 2 white when you're flying on the established glide path (typically 3 degrees). PAPI lights are a great visual reference for flying a stable final approach. But do you know how they work? Here's what you need to know. If you're a pilot, you've probably used Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights during your final approach to landing.
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