Runway & Design Basis
Rule note
Thresholds (measured from the physical runway end)
Rule note
0 = threshold at the runway extremity (threshold lights double as runway-end lights).
Same rule at the far end. Distances use the input unit above.
Lighting Systems to Generate
Rule note
Centreline and touchdown-zone lights switch on automatically for CAT II / III when you change the category. You can still override them.
Spacing & Geometry
Rule note
Rule note
Rule note
The exact first colour is figure-specific — confirm against the approved layout.
Rule note
Output
Drawing details
Generated layout
About the plan view
Top: the full runway with the lateral scale exaggerated so every fixture stays readable. Bottom: a true-scale detail window you can slide along the runway. Left of the centreline is up, looking from End A towards End B. Hover a fixture for its ID, chainage and colour.
Overview — lateral scale exaggerated, not to scale across the runway.
True-Scale Detail Window
Quantity schedule
Calculated / Nominal Quantity — installed fixtures, no serviceability allowance, no spares. Where a threshold sits at the runway extremity, the threshold fixtures also serve as runway-end lights and are counted once.
Colour Count by Approach Direction
Fixture Schedule
How the Layout Is Built
Chainage x runs from the physical End A (x = 0) to the physical End B (x = L). Lateral offset y is positive to the left and negative to the right of the centreline, looking from End A towards End B.
Edge lights
Two symmetrical rows at y = ±(W/2 + DE). Maximum spacing: ICAO 60 m (instrument) or 100 m (non-instrument); FAA 200 ft (60.96 m). Edge offset is 3.0 m for jet and 0.6 m for non-jet runways unless you enter your own.
Caution zone & displaced-threshold colour
FAA: edge lights turn yellow in the last stretch of the runway as seen from an instrument approach end, and stay white in the opposite direction; each end is switched independently. ICAO: the yellow section is an edge-light provision that does not depend on an instrument approach, so the generator shows it from both approach directions. Edge lights in a displaced area show red towards the approaching aircraft.
Centreline colours
Positions are generated once, then coloured from each fixture's distance to the runway end ahead of the pilot:
FAA: white → alternating 3,000–1,000 ft → red last 1,000 ft
Because the colours depend on direction, the same fixture is white from one end and red from the other. Use the direction selector to flip the drawing and the colour counts.
Threshold, wing bars & runway end
Non-instrument and non-precision runways get a minimum of 6 threshold lights. CAT I / II / III thresholds use uniform spacing no greater than 3 m across the edge-light row span WE = W + 2·DE. Runway-end lights are a minimum of 6. A 6 m maximum spacing is applied on all precision runways as a conservative planning default, so confirm the requirement for your category in the applicable edition.
At the extremity, threshold fixtures also serve as runway-end lights and are counted once. A displaced threshold gets its own row at the displaced position plus a separate red runway-end row at the physical end. Wing-bar lights start at the edge-light line and run outward at 2.5 m spacing.
Touchdown-zone lights
| Basis | Extent | Default stations |
|---|---|---|
| ICAO | 900 m (half runway if L < 1,800 m) | 60 m first, 60 m pitch |
| FAA | 3,000 ft (half runway if L < 6,000 ft) | 100 ft first, 100 ft pitch |
Each station is two bars of three lights, one either side of the centreline: 6 fixtures per station. The default station values follow your chosen standard when you switch it; edit them for a project-specific pattern. Stations and extents are measured from each landing threshold, for each approach direction, and the lights are unidirectional.
Lateral bar position and 1.5 m light spacing are drawing defaults. Confirm against ICAO Annex 14 Volume I, Chapter 5 (runway touchdown zone lights) or the touchdown zone layout in FAA AC 150/5340-30J.
Spacing defaults
| System | ICAO | FAA |
|---|---|---|
| Edge (max) | 60 m / 100 m non-instr. | 60.96 m |
| Centreline | 15 m (30 m for CAT I) | 15.24 m |
| Threshold (CAT I–III) | ≤ 3 m | ≤ 3 m (nominal) |
| Runway end (precision) | ≤ 6 m (planning default) | ≤ 6 m (planning default) |
ICAO centre line lights are spaced at approximately 15 m. A 30 m spacing is permitted only where the runway is intended for RVR of 350 m or greater and the serviceability objective can be demonstrated, so CAT II and III use 15 m. FAA uses 50 ft (15.24 m).
What this tool does not do
It does not draw approach lighting, taxiway connections, stop bars or signs. It does not reproduce figure-level endpoint conventions, so the end-of-row fixture, alternating-colour start and wing-bar inner-light handling are exposed as options rather than assumed. FAA threshold and runway-end fittings follow the FAA figures; the counts here are nominal. Always verify against the approved aerodrome lighting layout.