RUNWAY HOTSPOTS

Runway hotspots (some FAA Regions refer to them as high alert areas) are locations on particular airports that historically have hazardous intersections. These hotspots are depicted on some airport charts as circled areas. FAA Regions, such as the Western Pacific, notify pilots of these areas by Letter to Airmen. The FAA Office of Runway Safety website ) has links to the FAA regions that maintain a complete list of airports with runway hotspots. Also, charts provided by private sources show these locations. Hotspots alert pilots to the fact that there may be a lack of visibility at certain points or the tower may be unable to see that particular intersection. Whatever the reason, pilots need to be aware that these hazardous intersections exist and they should be increasingly vigilant when approaching and taxiing through these intersections.

STANDARDIZED TAXI ROUTES

Standard taxi routes improve ground management at high-density airports, namely those that have airline service. At these airports, typical taxiway traffic patterns used to move aircraft between gate and runway

are laid out and coded. The ATC specialist (ATCS) can reduce radio communication time and eliminate taxi instruction misinterpretation by simply clearing the pilot to taxi via a specific, named route. An example of this would be Chicago O’Hare, where the Silver Alpha taxi route is used to transition to Runway 4L. [Figure 2-6] The “Silver A” route requires you to taxi via taxiway Alpha to Alpha Six, then taxiway Juliet, then taxiway Whiskey to Runway 4L. These routes are issued by ground control, and if unable to comply, pilots must advise ground control on initial contact. If for any reason the pilot becomes uncertain as to the correct taxi route, a request should be made for progressive taxi instructions. These step-by-step routing directions are also issued if the controller deems it necessary due to traffic, closed taxiways, airport construction, etc. It is the pilot’s responsibility to

know if a particular airport has preplanned taxi routes, to be familiar with them, and to have the taxi descriptions in their possession. Specific information about airports that use coded taxiway routes is included in the Notice to Airmen Publication (NTAP).