Precision approach path indicator: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:19, 14 December 2007

Revision as of 12:52, 31 March 2008

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[[Image:App._light.gif|thumb|250px|The PAPI can be seen as four white lights next to the runway on the lefthand side. In this case, the pilot is well above the glidepath]]

[[Image:PAPI M39.jpg|thumb|250px|Individual Precision Approach Path Indicator]]

The '''Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)''' is a light system positioned beside the [[runway]] that consists of two, three, or four boxes of lights that provide a visual indication of a [[fixed-wingan aircraft]]'s (fixed wing or rotor wing) position on the [[glidepath]] for the associated runway. The [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] standard for the PAPI is the same as the [[ICAO]]'s standard [[VASI|Visual Approach Slope Indicator]].

The PAPI is usually located on the left side of the runway and can be seen up to five miles during the day and twenty miles at night. It has two or four lights installed in a single row instead of far and near bars that would be characteristic of Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI).