Definition
A numerical value, transmitted by air traffic control, that describes the braking action available on a runway based on a measurement of the runway surface friction. The value is expressed as a whole number, with higher numbers indicating better braking conditions and lower numbers indicating reduced friction due to contaminants such as snow, slush, or ice.
Plain English
A number from the tower telling you how grippy the runway is. A high number means good traction. A low number means the runway is slippery and stopping will be harder.
Context Anchor
Pilots may encounter RCR information in runway condition reports, airport advisories, or preflight planning when runway surfaces are affected by water, snow, ice, or slush.
Why Pilots Care
Directly affects calculated landing and takeoff distances and determines whether operations can be conducted safely.
Intuition Check
Do not read “reading” here as something you read like text. In RCR, a reading is a measured or assessed value that describes runway surface traction.
Example Sentence 1
Tower advised an RCR of 12, so the crew calculated their landing distance using the poor braking action figures in the performance charts.
Example Sentence 2
With the low RCR the crew added 1,500 feet to their landing distance.