⚑ FLAG (Walter): combines Tasks A (Signs/Markings/Lighting) and B (Communications/Light Signals) — confirm codes.
Signs, Markings, Lighting & Communications
Read the airport and talk the talk — signs, markings, lighting, radio phraseology, and light-gun signals.
By the end of this lesson you can:
Interpret runway/taxiway/heliport signs, markings, and lighting (including helipad markings).
Use correct radio phraseology at towered and non-towered fields.
Recognize and respond to ATC light-gun signals.
Prevent runway/heliport incursions through positional awareness and readbacks.
1 · Signs, markings & lighting
Know mandatory (red), location (black), and direction/destination signs; runway and taxiway markings; and airport lighting (runway/taxiway edge, PAPI/VASI if used). Heliports add the ‘H’ marking, touchdown/positioning circles, and any weight/size markings. Verify the field’s specifics in the Chart Supplement.
2 · Communications
Use standard phraseology: who you are calling, who you are, where you are, and what you want. At non-towered fields use the CTAF and self-announce; helicopters often operate to spots and patterns that differ from airplanes, so make your intentions clear. Read back hold-short and runway-crossing instructions verbatim.
3 · Light-gun signals
Signal
In flight / on ground
Steady green
Cleared to land / cleared for takeoff
Steady red
Give way, continue circling / stop
Flashing red
Airport unsafe, do not land / taxi clear of runway
Flashing white
(Ground) return to starting point
Alternating red/green
Exercise extreme caution
4 · Watch
Curated reference clip — “Airport Signs, Markings & Lighting Explained” · Free Pilot Training (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator’s player; we don’t host or alter it.
Your aircraft: radio/avionics specifics are installation-dependent — note your R44’s installed comms and how to operate them, and confirm the field’s frequencies in the Chart Supplement.
✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you flythe CTAF/tower/ground frequencies for your home field and how your R44’s radios/transponder are operated — look these up in the Chart Supplement and POH/avionics supplement and confirm with your CFI.
⚑ FLAG (Walter): the R44 is a VFR-certificated piston helicopter; confirm the aircraft/figures the student actually flies and that all numbers come from the current R44 POH.
Risk management (the “Consider”): the airport trap is a runway/heliport incursion from poor positional awareness or a misheard clearance. Read back hold-short and crossing instructions verbatim, keep a current diagram in view, and self-announce clearly at non-towered fields.