Definition
An official FAA directive titled Visual Guidance Lighting Systems, which establishes the standards, design criteria, and operational requirements for visual lighting aids used at airports, including approach lighting systems, runway lighting, and other visual guidance equipment.
Plain English
An FAA rulebook that sets the standards for the lights pilots use to find and line up with runways at night or in poor visibility.
Context Anchor
You may see this cited in the AIM glossary when a lighting term needs its detailed FAA source document.
Derivation
FAA stands for Federal Aviation Administration. An FAA Order is an official FAA instruction document, and JO identifies it as a joint order used within FAA operations. The number 6850.2 is the specific document identifier.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots rely on these standards to anticipate the appearance and location of marked hazards during night or low-visibility flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as a regulation you must carry or quote in flight. In this context, it is a reference to the FAA document that defines and standardizes certain airport lighting systems.
Example Sentence 1
The approach lighting system at the airport was installed to meet the requirements of FAA Order JO 6850.2.
Example Sentence 2
Airport staff painted the wind turbine according to the color and light requirements listed in FAA Order JO 6850.2.