Approach Lighting Systems in the U.S. National Airspace System and Flight Performance During Low Visibility Instrument Approach and Landing Operations: A Literature Review

Approach lighting systems provide the bridge for the transition from instrument flight to visual see-to-land operations, and are critical to safety. However, they are expensive to install and maintain, and may not feasible for all runways due to terrain restrictions or the availability of undeveloped land. This report provides a review of the approach lighting systems in the U.S. National Airspace System, approach lighting system components, and desired visual guidance. Additionally, research on approach lighting systems conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and others is summarized. Major themes of this research include investigating the effects of modifying characteristics such as the pattern, size, lighting density, and individual lighting components on safety and flight performance. More recently, there has been a focus on in-cockpit technologies, such as head-up displays or advanced vision technologies, and their ability to supplement the visual cues provided by an approach lighting system during low visibility flight operations.

• Record URL:
  https://www.faa.gov/data_research/research/med_humanfacs/oamtechreports/2020s/media/202120.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125

  Federal Aviation Administration

  Office of Aerospace Medicine, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Authors:
  • Fercho, Kelene A
• Publication Date: 2021-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 70p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airport runways; Approach; Aviation safety; Design; Instrument displays; Lighting systems; Literature reviews
• Identifier Terms: National Airspace System
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Design; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01777840
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-21/20
• Files: TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 26 2021 3:49PM