Definition
A general term covering the various lighting systems installed at an airport to help pilots locate the field, identify the runway and taxiways, and operate safely at night or in low visibility. Airport lights include items such as the rotating beacon, runway edge lights, threshold lights, taxiway lights, and approach lighting systems.
Plain English
All the lights at an airport that help a pilot find the airport and see where to land and taxi at night or in poor visibility.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA airport notices when airport lighting is reported changed, limited, or out of service.
Why Pilots Care
Critical for safe night and low-visibility operations at both towered and non-towered airports.
Intuition Check
APL does not mean one light bulb. It usually points to an airport lighting system or group of lights that matters to aircraft operations.
Example Sentence 1
The NOTAM stated that the APL would be out of service after 2200 local, so the pilot rescheduled the flight for daytime.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach, the APL outlined the runway edges and threshold clearly.