Definition
The standardized system of painted markings on airport surfaces (runways, taxiways, and ramps) and posted signs along their edges that identify locations, give directions, state operating limits, and convey mandatory instructions to pilots operating on the ground or transitioning between ground and air.
Plain English
The paint on the pavement and the signs beside it that tell a pilot where they are, where they can go, where they must stop, and what each part of the airport surface is for.
Context Anchor
Seen while taxiing, taking off, landing, parking, or moving around the airport surface.
Why Pilots Care
They prevent runway incursions and allow safe, precise movement on the ground without relying solely on radio instructions.
Analogy
Think of them as the road paint and road signs of the airport — lane lines, stop bars, street names, and route signs — but with stricter rules because crossing the wrong line can put you in front of a landing aircraft.
Intuition Check
Do not treat airport markings and signs as general decoration or helpful labels only. In FAA use, they are standardized operating cues that can tell you what to do, where you are, and where you must not go.
Example Sentence 1
Before taxiing for the first time at an unfamiliar airport, the student reviewed the airport markings and signs so she could follow ground control's instructions without hesitation.
Example Sentence 2
Red-and-white runway holding position signs warned the crew to stop and obtain clearance before crossing the active runway.