FAA Safety Briefing Is that my Runway?

FAA Safety Briefing Is that my Runway?

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Is that My Runway?. How to Avoid Wrong Surface Operations | by FAA Safety Briefing Magazine | Cleared for Takeoff | Nov, 2024 | Medium

By Tom Hoffmann, FAA Safety Briefing Magazine

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in the Jul/Aug 2018 issue of FAA Safety Briefing. We’ve made several updates to the original article to reflect more recent data on wrong surface operations. We hope this information will help you shore up your runway safety strategies.
 

Quote: It can happen to the best of us. After a long taxi at a bustling and somewhat unfamiliar airport, it is not uncommon to find yourself at both a literal and figurative fork in the road before takeoff. “Is that my runway?” you mumble to yourself as you gaze at what appears to be a dizzying display of airfield location, instruction, and direction signs. 

It doesn’t help that you’re expecting an intersection takeoff and that you’ve got a long line of eager aircraft right behind you. Too embarrassed to click the mic and ask ATC for help, you feverishly scour the airport diagram in your lap, review your taxi instructions, and crosscheck your magnetic compass to get your bearings. 

You breathe a sigh of relief as you proceed to line up and wait on the correct runway. Crisis averted! Well … for today at least. I say that because of the rather alarming rate at which these types of situations occur — save for the “crisis averted” part.