Revere the Runway

Everyones sensitive about something-weight gain or receding hairlines, for instance, or the things you shouldnt talk about at family dinners, like religion and politics. Air traffic controls soft spot? Runways. You dont mess with the runways. They may have all kinds of shapes and surfaces-concrete, dirt, grass, even water-but theyre all sacred ground when aircraft are using them. The skys plenty big, but airport runways are quite finite. Bad things can happen quickly in those confined spaces, and runway incursion numbers have been steadily increasing. To stave off the unthinkable, air traffic controllers wield a constantly evolving arsenal of procedures, technology, and phraseology in their efforts to keep pilots safe and informed.

tkarmer

Monday, August 10, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Runway safety is a critical priority for air traffic control, with increasing incursions necessitating constant evolution of procedures, technology, and communication to prevent accidents.
Many current air traffic control regulations, phraseology (e.g., "after departure" instead of "after takeoff"), and airport markings have been directly shaped by lessons learned from past fatal accidents and non-fatal incidents.
Procedures like "Line Up and Wait" (LUAW) are highly regulated, requiring extensive traffic calls and strict adherence to rules, especially at airports without technological safety systems, to ensure only one aircraft is cleared for runway action at a time.

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Everyone’s sensitive about something—weight gain or receding hairlines, for instance, or the things you shouldn’t talk about at family dinners, like religion and politics.

Air traffic control’s soft spot? Runways. You don’t mess with the runways. They may have all kinds of shapes and surfaces—concrete, dirt, grass, even water—but they’re all sacred ground when aircraft are using them.