Definition
A configuration of approach lights installed off the approach end of a runway, consisting of a row of light bars on the extended runway centerline plus a crossbar, designed to give arriving pilots a visual cue for runway alignment during the final segment of an instrument or low-visibility approach. SSALS is a shorter, simplified version of the standard approach lighting system used at runways that do not warrant a full-length installation.
Plain English
A short line of bright lights leading up to the runway that helps a pilot find and line up with the runway when visibility is poor. It does the same job as the longer approach lighting systems, just on a smaller scale.
Context Anchor
You may see SSALS in airport lighting information, instrument approach notes, airport diagrams, and NOTAMs describing runway lighting equipment.
Derivation
Simplified' indicates a reduced version of the standard system; 'short' refers to its physical length compared to the full-length approach lighting system. The name describes exactly what it is: a stripped-down, shorter approach light array.
Why Pilots Care
Provides essential visual cues for runway alignment at airports that lack a full approach lighting system, supporting safer night and instrument approaches.
Intuition Check
“Simplified” does not mean informal or less important. Here it means the light system uses a shorter, less complex pattern than a full approach lighting system.
Example Sentence 1
The chart showed an SSALS at the approach end of Runway 27, so the pilot expected to see a short row of lights leading to the threshold as they descended through the clouds.
Example Sentence 2
Because the airport had only an SSALS, we flew the approach with extra caution in the low ceiling.