Correct!!
The yellow boards on the side of the taxiways are like sign posts, though they have maps of the taxi ways too!!


We've had a couple of aircraft cut a turn a bit tight and get stuck in the mud!!!

And a few have come nose to nose when taxing!! No usable reverse on a plane, though you can back a jet up using reverse thrust
It just gets very windy if your stood in front of it

[Edited by Dyney - 12/8/2002 7:35:27 PM]

 

OK, really really sad question!

Having spent a lot of time on aircraft over the past year I've been wondering about some of the signs on the taxiways and runways, and what they mean. Things like 26L near one of the runways. Am fairly sure it's 26 Left, but what 's the 26? runway number? (this is at gatwick and as far as I know there are not 26 main runways there)

Also, other stuff like 28 CAT II/ CAT III What does that mean?

Just kinda curious, plus if I find out, I can show off next time on a plane

 

A more important question is, how do i train to be a pilot without beeing rich?

Ray

 

British Airways pilot scholarship

 

IIRC, the 26 indicates the longitude (latitude? degrees from north?)

 

Had a look at BA but none at the moment

 

26L would be 260 degrees Left.

AFAIK, Gatwick has two Parallel runways so there would also be a 26R

Manchester for instance has 24L & R, and 06 L & R, depending upon which direction the aircraft is approaching the airport. i.e 240 degrees and 060 degrees, depending on wind direction.Aircraft should take off and land into wind.

The CAT II/III , I think is to do with certain aircraft being able or unable to land in certain weather conditions. i.e, and aiport may have a CAT whatever rating, but the aircraft may not.(could well be factually wrong on this one, but along the right lines)!

 

The runway designators 26/08 indicate the magnetic heading 260 or 080 degrees. The L or R indicate left or right at large airports with multiple runways or the circuit direction for smaller airports and airfields.

The Cat 1, 11 or 111 boards indicate the holding points for different levels of ILS (Instrument Landing Systems). The higher the precision of the system the larger the clearance required for ground based sources of interference from the touchdown point to avoid disturbance of the localiser and glidepath indications and, therefore, potentially fatal spurious interference. Any aircraft or vehicle can, therefore, be held closer to the runway for a Cat 1 ILS than for a Cat 11 or 111. The level of precision for any given instrument approach depends on several factors, primarily the equipment on the ground and in the aircraft and, perhaps crucially, the qualifications and currency of the pilot

 

Yup, the numbers refer to the runway direction; so as the man says Runway 27 means it points 270 degrees, i.e. west. L or R is just that left or right. Places like Heathrow with the parallel east/west runways will use one for take offs and one for landings at the same time

The CAT II and CAT III signs you sometimes see refer to the holding points for runways depending on the prevailing weather conditions. You might also see yellow lines painted across the taxyway to mark the holding points too.

A CAT I ILS (Instrument Landing System) approach is an instrument approach flown to a minimum of 200' (decision height) above the ground. From that point the pilot must have the required references to carry out the landing visually.

CAT II and CAT III approaches allow for lower decision heights meaning that suitably equipped/certified aircraft can get in when the weather is pretty ropey; a CAT II approach allows you down to 100' before you must be visual with the runway whilst a CAT III approach goes even lower than that. A CAT IIIB approach basically means you don't have to see the runway at all - you just need something like 75m visibility to make the approach. This is obviously in the realms of autoland/autobrake type stuff. The 75m requirement is basically so you don't get lost taxying to parking

The holding points for the runways will vary depending on the CAT of approaches being flown. When CAT II/CAT III ops are in force the holding point for departing aircraft will be further back from the runway so that waiting aircraft don't interfere with the ILS radio beam structure (the so-called "ILS critical area").

Well you did ask

 

oo snap

 

I went on a visit to Gatwick Airport recently amd apparently even in good visibility planes do get lost taxing! Apparently there was one airline whose pilots got lost so often that BAA sent out a Land Rover to show the plane the right way. Only problem was the Land Rover got lost too! That was alledgedly the end of the experiment!

Chris

 

And more importantly, why do they put frosted glass in the plane toilet windows? Who the hell's going to look in at 35,000 feet?