Visual Signals Commentary

General Information for Visual Signals

Visual signals used to be more common, but now almost everyone has aircraft radios, so you'll likely only see these if your radio fails. The air traffic controllers create most of the signals with what is essentally a gigantic flashlight with different coloured filters.

The descriptions of the signals in the table below are taken directly from the reference for this section, AIP-RAC 4.2.11 and AIP-RAC 4.4.7. There are five light gun signals, but four of them have different meanings depending on whether you are on the ground or in the air, so there are really nine light gun signals to memorize, plus two more signals that don't use the light gun. It's not very hard, because there is a pattern.

You can easily remember green for go, red for stop. Also remember solid for landing and taking off, and flashing for get ready or get away. Then all you have left is the flashing white for "return to your starting point."

Signal Description


Meaning on the Ground

Meaning in Flight

SERIES OF GREEN FLASHES

Cleared to taxi
Return for landing
SERIES OF RED FLASHES

Taxi clear of landing area in use
Airport unsafe, do not land
STEADY GREEN LIGHT

Cleared to take off
Cleared to land
STEADY RED LIGHT

Stop
Give way to other aircraft and continue circling
FLASHING WHITE LIGHT

Return to starting point on airport

BLINKING RUNWAY LIGHTS
flashing runway lights
Advises vehicles and pedestrians to vacate runways immediately
RED PYROTECHNICAL LIGHT
red pyrotechnic
Do not land for the time being (only used by military control towers)

Question-by-Question Explanation of Visual Signals

Questions 1-6 are repetitive. I simply refer you to the above table. Some people make errors because they misread the visual signals questions. Read across each row of the question and choose the number that has a correct answer in BOTH columns, not just one.

2.07 Mink and similar animals will eat their young if very frightened. All the other answer options indicate the same thing: an artillery range and an open pit mine are of concern to pilots because they are areas where explosives are in use. You will see such prohibited areas marked on charts, but there is no particular symbol visible from the air, just the mine or firing range itself.

2.08 Low flying airplanes frighten and disturb wild animals. If they panic, running can lead to injuries, and tires them out, making them more vulnerable to predators. Even if the animals are only slightly disturbed the presence of the aircraft may interfere with grazing, mating and other activities of the herd. You can remember TWO thousand feet, because most of these animals have TWO antlers.

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This page written 8 October 2002 by Robyn Stewart.  Last revised 27 January 2003.

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PSTAR Commentary Sections

1.0 COLLISION AVOIDANCE

2.0 VISUAL SIGNALS

3.0 COMMUNICATIONS

4.0 AERODROMES

5.0 EQUIPMENT

6.0 PILOT RESPONSIBILITIES

7.0 WAKE TURBULENCE

8.0 AEROMEDICAL

9.0 FLIGHT PLANS AND FLIGHT ITINERARIES

10.0 CLEARANCES AND INSTRUCTIONS

11.0 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS

12.0 REGULATIONS - GENERAL AIRSPACE

13.0 CONTROLLED AIRSPACE

14.0 AVIATION OCCURRENCES

15.0 PIE CHOICES

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