Did You Know? 11 Fun Facts About Runways

Here are some weird things you need to know to geek-out about this humble piece of infrastructure.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 09:19 AM ET

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Airports can be hard to judge from the air. The FBOProps app seeks to reveal what arriving pilots can expect. [Courtesy: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Runways are designed with a slight crown for drainage, are typically aligned with prevailing winds, and are inspected daily for foreign object debris (FOD).
Their numbers indicate the magnetic heading and can change if the Earth's magnetic field shifts significantly; specific markings like "piano keys" denote IFR precision approaches, and segmented circles guide traffic patterns.
The concept of a "long" runway is subjective, often determined by aircraft-specific insurance limitations rather than a universal metric.
During World War II, factories were camouflaged to resemble residential neighborhoods with runways to deceive aerial observation.

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Editor’s Note: This article is part of special series spotlighting runways: April 18: America’s Longest Runways | America’s Shortest Runways | April 19: 11 Fun Facts About Runways | April 20: Self-healing Concrete and How It Can Save Runways | April 21: FLYING Explained: How Do You Read Airport Markings and Signage | Runway History | April 22: Remembering Meigs Field

In 1903, the Wrights brothers’ first flight took place, launching off a track on a sand dune in North Carolina. Soon after, other aircraft designs were developed—some successful, some not—and they all had one thing in common: they needed a way to get into the air and come back down safely.