1 to 36: what the huge numbers on the airport runway mean

Despite the presence of a dispatching service and modern navigation devices, the runway at airports is always equipped with several signs that communicate important information to pilots. The most noticeable are the huge numbers in the range from 1 to 36, located on both sides of the strip, and which never coincide with each other. This is not the serial number of the airport or the strip itself, as you might think at a glance. Stripes with the same numerical designation exist in different countries around the world. Today we will tell you what these numbers mean, as well as other markings on the take-off and landing strip.

The double-digit numbers that are available on each side on any runway (runway) indicate its location relative to the magnetic pole of our planet, or rather, relative to the magnetic course. The magnetic course is determined by the direction of the lines of force of the magnetic field at a given point on the globe. And since the location of the geographic North Pole and the magnetic do not coincide, this indicator differs by several degrees from the direction relative to the geographic North Pole.

So, the numbers on the strip are related to the direction of the runway relative to the planet’s magnetic pole. The direction itself is measured in degrees, from 0º to 360º, but for convenience, these values ​​are rounded to tens, and it turns out that if the direction of the strip corresponds to 80º, then the number 08 will be plotted on it, if 140º, then there will be 14 and so on. The numbers are visually clearly distinguishable from a great height, as they have dimensions of 3 × 9 meters.

If you look at the strip from different sides, this direction will be different and differ exactly by 180º, and in digital terms - by 18. For this reason, the numbers at different ends of the runway never coincide: if it’s 12 on one end, then on the opposite will be 30. If the landing strips are in different countries and parts of the planet, but have the same location relative to the Earth’s magnetic pole, then the numbers on their surface will coincide. If on the territory of a major airport there are several strips for take-off and landing, then the lettering is added to the digital marking: L-left stripe, R-right stripe and C-center stripe.

In addition to the numbers at the beginning of the runway, there are always stripes that look like a pedestrian zebra. These stripes, or rather their number, counted from the center line, allows the pilot to determine the strip width. If the marking consists of 4 lanes, the runway is 18 meters wide, 6 lanes 23 meters, 8 lanes 30 meters, and so on. The greater the number of lanes, the greater the pilot's ability to maneuver, for example, in the case of landing in difficult weather conditions.

On each runway, you can also see the landing point marker, which allows pilots to navigate relative to the aircraft landing site.

Watch the video: Every Airport Runway Has 2 Numbers On It Heres Why (April 2024).