Use of visible electromagnetic radiation to conduct air traffic control
A United States Air Force airman with a signal light gun that can be used to control aircraft with radio failure.Air traffic control signal light gun in use at base flight tower
In the case of a radio failure or aircraft not equipped with a radio, or in the case of a deaf pilot, air traffic control may use a signal lamp (called a "signal light gun" or "light gun" by the FAA[1][2]) to direct the aircraft. ICAO regulations require air traffic control towers to possess such signal lamps.[3][4] The signal lamp has a focused bright beam and is capable of emitting three different colors: red, white and green.[5][6] These colors may be flashed or steady, and have different meanings to aircraft in flight or on the ground.[5][2][7] Planes can acknowledge the instruction by rocking their wings, moving the ailerons if on the ground, or by flashing their landing or navigation lights during hours of darkness.[6][7] Air traffic control signal light guns are typically specified with a (white) center beam brightness of > 180,000 - 200,000 candela,[1][8][9] and are visible for roughly 4 miles in clear daylight conditions.[9][10][11] The table below describes the meaning of the signals.[5][2][7] The use of handheld combination red/green/white signal lamps for air traffic control dates back to at least the 1930s.[12]
Signal
Aircraft in flight
Aircraft on the ground
Ground vehicles or personnel
Flashing white
ICAO – Land at this airport and proceed to apron (this is not a clearance to either land or taxi. Clearances to land and taxi will follow.)
FAA – Not applicable
Return to starting point on airport
Return to starting point on airport
Steady green
Cleared to land
Cleared for takeoff
Cleared to cross, proceed or go
Flashing green
Return for landing
Cleared to taxi
Not applicable
Steady red
Give way to other aircraft and continue circling
STOP
STOP
Flashing red
Airport unsafe, do not land
Taxi clear of the runway in use
Clear the taxiway/runway
Alternating red and green
Exercise extreme caution
Exercise extreme caution
Exercise extreme caution
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^ abFederal Aviation Administration (July 5, 1973). Gun, Signal Light, Portable, FAA-E-2214a Amendment-2. Department of Transportation. p. 5. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 30 Apr 2017.
^ abc"TBL 4-3-1, Airport Traffic Control Tower Light Gun Signals". Section 3. Airport Operations. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^Aerodromes: Volume I Aerodrome Design and Operations (6th ed.). International Civil Aviation Organization. July 2013. p. 8-2.
^Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR 001 – Aerodrome Standards & Certification Regulations) 2018(PDF). Kingdom of Bahrain Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications. April 19, 2018. p. 68. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 25, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
^ abcRules of the Air: Annex 2 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation(PDF) (10th ed.). International Civil Aviation Organization. July 2005. p. APP 1–3. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^ ab"4-3-13. Traffic Control Light Signals". Section 3. Airport Operations. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^ abc"3. SIGNALS FOR AERODROME TRAFFIC". EUR-Lex. European Union. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^Light, Airport Traffic Control, SDU-4/U, MIL-DTL-25971D. Department of Defense. February 18, 2015. p. 7. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^ abMICC Fort Rucker. "58--Tower Signal Light Guns". USAOPPS. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^"Signal Light Gun". ATI Avionics, Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^"LED Signal Light Gun". PPS Technical. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
^Harding, W (June 29, 1937). US Patent 2,085,020 Combination Sight and Indicator for Traffic Control Projectors. USPTO. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
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