Terminal Safety Solutions: Extended Runway Centerlines
The more you know — an overused saying and even more overused internet meme. But it still holds a lot of truth. In an age where information is at an all-time high, thanks largely to advances in technology, we have the opportunity to know more and be more confident, especially in the cockpit. Sometimes what we consider to be the slightest details can have the greatest impacts. Take for example our extended runway centerlines feature available within Garmin Pilot, GTN 750/650 series navigators, G3X Touch and aera 660/796. It’s only a small part of these products’ overall capabilities, but it’s designed to help ensure pilots are aligned with the proper runway.
Why it’s important
The FAA has labeled wrong-surface events as one of their top priorities for aviation safety. What is a wrong-surface event? According to the FAA, it’s when an aircraft lands or departs, or tries to land or depart, on the wrong runway or on a taxiway. Or even if an aircraft tries to land or takeoff at the wrong airport! Airports are growing in size and complexity, often with a network of parallel runways, and taxiways that could be interpreted as runways.
Our extended runway centerlines feature is as simple as it sounds — it can automatically provide pilots with an extended view of the runway’s approach path from miles away. When setting up for final, it’s a quick and easy way to help ensure that you’re aligned with the proper runway.
Different styles for different pilots
We’ve created several pilot-selectable options to help tailor our extended runway centerlines to each pilot’s preferred style. The feature’s zoom levels can range from 200 feet up to five nautical miles on the moving map. And different display styles are available from a feathered arrow to dashed lines and chevrons. If desired, the feature can be disabled easily within the product settings.
In this case, the more you know means added situational awareness and useful information in the cockpit, even if it is as simple as a single feature within a pilot app. Get added confidence that you’re lined up with the runway, or airport, you’re intended for.
To learn more about Garmin Pilot and its features, visit our website. Also, be sure to check out our other Terminal Safety Solutions designed to enhance situation awareness in the airport environment, including SafeTaxi, SurfaceWatch and Visual Approach Guidance.
