Definition
Steady-burning green lights installed along the centerline of a taxiway to show pilots the path to follow when taxiing. They are used at airports to guide aircraft along the taxiway centerline during night operations and low-visibility conditions.
Plain English
A line of green lights set into the taxiway surface to show pilots exactly where to steer the aircraft as they taxi to or from the runway.
Context Anchor
Seen during ground operations at towered airports, especially when taxiing at night, in fog, or on complex airport surfaces.
Why Pilots Care
They keep the aircraft on the paved taxiway surface and aligned with the correct route, reducing the chance of excursions or runway incursions.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse taxiway centerline lights with runway centerline lights. Taxiway centerline lights guide ground movement on taxiways; runway centerline lights guide aircraft along the runway during takeoff or landing.
Example Sentence 1
On the foggy morning departure, the captain followed the green taxiway centerline lights all the way from the ramp to the runway hold short line.
Example Sentence 2
In fog the Taxiway Centerline Lights remained visible and guided the aircraft safely around the turn onto the ramp.