Remember, there is no instrument in the cockpit that measures actual height above the terrain in a small aircraft. The visual picture they have of being 100 feet off the ground is based on what a 100-foot wide runway looks like. When that pilot is at 100 feet above the narrower runway, their experience will tell them they are still much higher. If a pilot is used to approaching a 100-foot wide runway and visit an airport with a 50-foot wide runway, their approach will feel much different. The width of the runway is a significant visual cue for the pilot as well. A downsloping runway has the opposite effect, making the pilot feel like they’re too high. When viewed on the final approach, an upsloping runway makes it look like the plane is too low. For example, if a runway is built in hilly terrain, it can have a slope. Some runway visual illusions can mess with the best, most experienced pilots. Approaching a strange runway at a new airport changes many of these small cues, like the surrounding terrain’s details. Especially when first learning, pilots have a lot of trouble determining which visual cues are the right ones to use. Runways come in all shapes and sizes, and approaching a strange runway can mess with a pilot’s perceptions. And they are a huge help when a pilot visits a new airport. They are vital in pilot training when a pilot doesn’t yet have the experience to use other visual clues to determine their glide path. Part of pilot training is learning to approach and land a runway at steep and shallow angles, so a pilot should ideally be able to handle it.īut VASIs provide a valuable tool for pilots to use as a guide. In many cases, especially in small easy to maneuver aircraft, it doesn’t really matter. But how does a pilot know if they are too high or too low? It’s actually quite a challenge when you think about it.Įditorial Team VASI lights Why VASIs Are So Important?īesides VASIs or alternate glidepath systems, pilots have no way to tell if they are too high or too low when approaching a runway. The runway centerline and the runway itself help the pilot align longitudinally, or left and right of center. It is a set of lights mounted next to the approach end of a runway that helps a pilot align themselves with the invisible vertical approach path. VASI (pronounced “VAZ-ee”) stands for Visual Approach Slope Indicator. It’s a brilliantly simple system, but the amount of help it gives to pilots is phenomenal. They give the pilot an instant understanding of their position from the runway vertically, depending on how far away they are.įor student pilots, seeing how the VASI works for the first time and understanding how helpful it is to them is nothing short of magic. The VASI light system is mounted next to the end of the runway, and they serve several critical functions for the pilot.
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