GlideSlope question

sorry forget the question I just saw the ILS post in the General forum

Do you use the glide slope indicator which is a row of lights to the left of the runway threshold at most airports that can be either white or red:

4 whites = approaching far too high and will land too far along the runway
3 whites + 1 red = approaching a bit too high
2 whites + 2 reds = optimum approach path
1 white + 3 reds = approaching a bit too low
4 reds = approaching far too low and will probably hit the ground before the runway threshold.

Yes. Once you are in visual conditions. It could be a VASI or PAPI. They are slightly different but show the same thing. The one that you described is a PAPI. The glide slope indicator though, is the instrument in the panel.

Haven't met those two terms before - can you please tell me what they mean?

If you're talking about VASI and PAPI....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_Approach_Slope_Indicator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAPI

😉

Thanks 99Joelegg. Wikipedia.org is a great site. I would have gotten finger cramps trying to type a response to describe the visual light systems. A picture is truly worth a thousand words. 🙂

CRJ

Wikipedia is indeed a great site 😉 It has loads of other information about approach lighting which is very interesting

🍻

I've always wondered about all those "other" lights at the end of the runway-- very few airports in FS09 have them, but they look kind of like an inverted christmas tree-- red, green and white, with lights that come on when you get close.

I've never figured out exactly what they are telling me.

Ed

Those lights (Guest Ed) is talking about are Instrument Approach Lights. They are only on runways that have an instrument approach. They help the pilot see the runway environment during the transition to visual cues at the end of an instrument approach; during poor visibility. They come in a few different configurations based on the type of instrument approach, minimum visibility and the budget of the people that own it. Their configuration also aids in aligning the aircraft and estimating distance. 🙂

"Red over white, you're doing alright."

"White over white, you'll fly all night."

"Red over red, you'll soon be dead."

just to help you remember 😉