Definition
Flush-mounted lights along the runway centerline that mark the curved path leading off the runway onto a high-speed exit taxiway, helping pilots locate and follow the turnoff during landing rollout, especially in low visibility or at night.
Plain English
A line of lights set into the runway surface that shows you where to turn off onto a taxiway after landing.
Context Anchor
Seen at night or in low visibility when exiting a runway after landing or following a lighted taxi route on the airport surface.
Derivation
“Taxiway” combines “taxi,” meaning aircraft movement on the ground, with “way,” meaning a path or route. “Turnoff” means a place where you turn off a main path, not a switch that turns something off.
Why Pilots Care
They let pilots identify safe exit points quickly, which shortens runway occupancy time and lowers the chance of runway incursions.
Intuition Check
Do not read “turnoff” as turning lights off. Here, a “turnoff” is the exit path where the aircraft turns off the runway.
Example Sentence 1
After touchdown, the pilot followed the taxiway turnoff lights to exit the runway at the high-speed taxiway.
Example Sentence 2
In reduced visibility the blue taxiway turnoff lights stood out clearly against the runway surface.